NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 results: El Desperado dethrones Hiromu Takahashi

El Desperado became the new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion at Wrestle Kingdom 18.

Is this the night for El Desperado? The English announce team talks up his journey while he makes his way to the ring. He’s not nearly as colorfully attired as Hiromu Takahashi, but who is?

Takahashi doesn’t even make it to the ring before he’s greeted by his flying challenger, who also quickly covers for two. After slamming the champ down, Desperado tries to fly from the top, but Hiromu rolls away and lands a low dropkick.

Off the apron comes Hiromu, blasting Desperado back into the barricade and beyond. The masked man is thrown all the way into the barricade on the other side of the ring as the ref implores them to take it back inside the ring.

Takahashi smashes his challenger into the corner pads, but he eats a spinebuster and has to kick out at two. Desperado transitions right into a stretch muffler, and Hiromu has to dive for the ropes to secure a break.

Desperado starts working over the champ’s left leg, battering the knee and hitting a sitout powerbomb for a near fall. Up kicks don’t stop Desperado, but a backdrop counter does.

A wheelbarrow flatliner allows Hiromu to earn a reprieve, though he’s grasping his left knee as his foe tends to his own left eye. A superkick and a rebound German suplex both land for the champ, but Desperado counters right back into the stretch muffler. Hiromu is finally able to pull himself up and into a Destroyer (somehow), followed by a clothesline.

A Time Bomb gives Hiromu a chance to cover for a two count. He gets Desperado up in on his shoulders but ends up backing the challenger onto the top rope. Desperado spins him into a belly to back superplex, and both men are slowed by that impact.

A flurry of strikes sends Hiromu to the mat, but he bounces back for two thrust kicks and a running lariat. Desperado manages to slam the champ once and follow with Pinche Loco, but Takahashi kicks out at two.

Hiromu nearly rolls up Desperado for the pin, but the challenger gets the double underhooks in and delivers the Pinche Loco two more times, and that proves to be the winning combination for El Desperado to claim the gold.

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