It wasn’t a good night for Canadian El Phantasmo. Not only did he lose his first match of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament but he is only no longer alone in the top spot in B Block.
Veteran Rocky Romero ended El Phantasmo’s tournament winning streak at five matches. The Chaos member and Roppongi 3K manager and mentor defeated Phantasmo in an emotional victory.
Romero didn’t even take time to remove his jacket before laying a beating on Phantasmo throwing him to the floor and spearing him with a suicide dive. Phantasmo fought back bouncing Romero’s head off the ring apron.
Phantasmo signaled for some fans at ringside to get out of the way. He teased throwing Romero into the empty chairs but Phantasmo kicked him in the stomach and flipped off the fans instead. The fans booed and booed.
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Romero protects his precious assets. Photo: NJPW.
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Romero spit water into Phantasmo’s eyes causing him to climb over fans in order to escape. In the mezzanine area the two men brawled until Phantasmo climbed to the top of the entrance way as he did with Will Ospreay the other night. As Phantasmo readied his moonsault he looked back to see that Romero was nowhere to be found. Romero popped up out of nowhere punching him in the mouth and smacking his head off a paneled wall.
Phantasmo put a stop to Romero’s flurry by giving him a knee breaker on the ring apron.
As the match neared a time limit draw, Phantasmo kicked out of a pin sending Romero flying on top of the official. Romero blocked an attempted low-blow putting Phantasmo into his Diablo Armbar which he submitted to but there was no referee. Romero went to check on the official. When he turned around, Phantasmo punched him in that ever so sensitive area rolling him up for a two count.
Phantasmo splashed Romero from the top rope. Romero kicked out. Phantasmo deliberately jumped onto the official, injuring him so he could then retrieve his RPW British Cruiserweight Championship belt. Romero ducked the belt attack. Romero and Phantasmo tossed the belt back and forth between them. While Phantasmo was holding the belt, Romero hit the canvass as if he had been struck. Phantasmo argued with the official pleading his case. Romero almost rolled Phantasmo up. Romero flipped a CR2 into a hurricanrana for a two count as the crowd in Korakuen Hall went crazy.
With less than two minutes left, Phantasmo tapped out to Romero’s Diablo Armbar. Sho and Yoh came down to the ring celebrate with Romero.
With the win Romero moves into fourth place in B Block while Phantasmo is now tied with Will Ospreay for first.
The leader of A Block, Shingo Takagi, held onto his winning streak and the top spot by beating another wily NJPW veteran Taka Michinoku who hasn’t won a single match in the Best of the Super Juniors 2019.
Special guest commentator Juice Robinson, the current IWGP United States Champion, predicted Taka would lose in less than five minutes.
It was all Taka for most of the match. He took things to the floor dodging a clothesline. Shingo collided with the steel post. Taka applied a Bret Hart inspired figure four around one of the steel posts. Taka clobbered Shingo with a moonsault from the apron. In the stands and back in the ring, Taka puts Shingo in a facelock.
Shingo slams Taka down to the mat, fires up, forearms Taka into next week, hits the Pumping Bomber and Last of the Dragon to remain unbeaten in NJPW. The match lasted 7 minutes and 35 seconds.
In other tournament matches:
Tiger Mask Versus Sho
An aggressive Tiger Mask comes close to pinning Sho. Sho pins Tiger Mask with the Shock Arrow putting Tiger Mask’s tournament hopes in the dumpster.
Winner: Sho.
Will Ospreay Versus Ren Narita
Narita almost pins Ospreay as he reverses a Storm Breaker. Ospreay kicks him a thousand times in the head, OsCutter, it is over.
Winner: Will Ospreay.
Marty Scurll Versus Yoshinobu Kanemaru
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Scurll blocks Kanemaru’s attack. Photo: NJPW.
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Not much of a “Revenge of the Villain” thus far. As the match is about to start Scurll swings at Kanemaru with his umbrella. Kanemaru grabs his whiskey bottle causing a standoff in the centre of the ring. It is a wild one with both men fighting all over the arena. Kanemaru DDTs Scurll but the official is knocked out. Scurll blocks Kanemaru’s whiskey spray with his umbrella. Each snatches the others illegal object. The official confiscates both Kanemaru’s whiskey bottle and Scurll’s umbrella. Scurll spits whiskey into Kanemaru’s eyes. Black Plague wins the match for Scurll.
Winner: Marty Scurll.
Robbie Eagles Versus Douki
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A bloody and battered Eagles. Photo: NJPW.
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After all the hype, Douki has only won one match in the tournament and that was against Young Lion Ren Narita. The crowd is behind Robbie for the entire match. Robbie is busted open. A bloody Eagles splashes Douki’s leg and slaps on the Ron Miller Special.
Winner: Robbie Eagles.
Ryusuke Taguchi Versus Bandido
Taguchi cannot get a lock on Bandido. A Go to Sleep and an awkward 24 plex that leaves Bandido hanging in the ropes not bouncing off the ropes.
Winner: Bandido.
Jonathan Gresham Versus Taiji Ishimori
Ishimori survives the Octopus to take home the win with his Bloody Cross finisher.
Winner: Taiji Ishimori.
Yoh Versus Bushi
Bushi rocks Yoh with the Canadian Destroyer and an MX.
Winner: Bushi.
Dragon Lee Versus Titan
A running knee strike and a Desnucadora (vertical suplex powerbomb) puts Titan away.
Winner: Dragon Lee.