The vacant IWGP junior heavyweight championship was decided at Sunday’s NJPW Castle Attack card with a three-way match.
After 23 minutes and 12 seconds, El Desperado became the new IWGP junior heavyweight champion pinning El Phantasmo in a match that also featured BUSHI.
After being unmasked and hit with a Gotch piledriver by ELP earlier in the match, El Desperado returned with a replacement mask and made a furious comeback on El Phantasmo. Down the stretch, El Phantasmo hit El Desperado with a Styles Clash and a V-Trigger before the One-Winged Angel was prevented.
BUSHI was sent out of the ring when El Phantasmo stopped the MX with a superkick using the loaded boot. El Desperado bridged and hit a Pinche Loco followed by another and pinned El Phantasmo.
El Desperado, 37, debuted for NJPW in 2010 after graduating from the New Japan Dojo that featured Hiromu Takahashi and Bad Luck Fale in the same class.
While holding the IWGP junior heavyweight tag titles three times with Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado had never won the IWGP junior heavyweight title prior.
The title was vacated earlier this week by Hiromu Takahashi, who is expected to miss approximately six months with a torn pectoral muscle.
