At Wrestle Kingdom 17, Tama Tonga would defeat Karl Anderson to reclaim the NEVER Openweight Championship – and now has to defend against another member of BULLET CLUB. El Phantasmo has proven himself as a proper heavyweight in his clashes with Shingo Takagi over the KOPW 2022 Championship – and over the course of the New Beginning tour, ELP has gotten some major blows in on Tama Tonga. The history of ELP & Tama includes ELP being the man to kick Tama out of BULLET CLUB – adding a layer of animosity to this fight. After Jay White was sent packing from Japan, ELP also has a chance to prove he’s ready to lead BULLET CLUB into a new era.
Two Men With One Shot Finishers
They’d lock up hard in the middle of the ring, with ELP moving into a side headlock. Tama would be unable to break free on the first attempt – before leapfrogging ELP and taking a double handed chop and jumping dropkick. ELP would respond with a dropkick of his own, before being taken down to the mat with a side headlock.
They’d battle for control, as ELP threw Sudden Death – with Tama barely able to avoid. ELP was sent to the floor, and Tama launched himself over the top rope with a plancha, keeping the pressure on. Tama threw ELP at the barricade, with ELP jumping over and avoiding the running crossbody from Tama.
A hard landing on the wrist would give ELP a target, and he’d smash the hurt joint off the barricade before stomping it underneath a table. Tama would have the knee of ELP pressed into his hand, with ELP trying to snap the fingers moments later. A brutal side was shown from ELP, showing the killer instinct needed to lead a faction like BULLET CLUB.
He’d get fancy in the ropes with a springboard hurricanrana before throwing Tama chest first into the corner pad. Finally mounting the comeback, Tama would run ELP down with a lariat, before throwing some forearm smashes. Stinger Splash and Northern Lights Suplex would follow, getting a two count.
ELP was launched with a big back body drop, with Tama hitting some clubbing blows to the chest soon after. Tama was dropped with the Scoop Slam before a diving knee drop from the second rope. ELP would call for Sudden Death, but Tama was able to avoid. Springboard crossbody was followed by a Lionsault attempt – with Tama moving to the floor only to take the suicide dive.
Tama Tonga Fights Hard To Keep ELP Down
Asai Moonsault would follow, as ELP balanced on the top rope for a moment before soaring onto Tama. ELP would suffer a series of Dragon Screw Leg Whips in the ropes, before the DDT to the foot in the ring. Sharpshooter would be applied, with ELP able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold. The Back Rake from ELP set up a Tongan Twist, using a signature move of Tama against him.
Tama & ELP would opt to stand and fight in the middle of the ring, trading elbow smashes and kicks before Tama hit the Death Valley Bomb. Supreme Flow was set – but ELP was able to kick out at two. Gun Stun was caught by ELP, hitting elbow smashes to try and break down Tama. Instead, he’d take the TKO cutter for a two count.
J-Driller was set, but ELP blocked and hit Styles Clash for the near fall. Bloody Sunday was blocked, with Tama hitting it himself. Gun Stun was signalled once again, but Sudden Death landed for a near fall. ELP lost his cool and was ready to use the belt and get DQ’d – but chose the right move… and walked into the Small Package before the GunStun was blocked into CR2.
One more Sudden Death was attempted, but it was blocked into GunStun – only for ELP to kick out. J-Driller would follow, and that was enough to score Tama Tonga his first successful defense as NEVER Openweight Champion.
Who will challenge next? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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