A hardcore war in NYC sees Takagi keep the KOPW ‘trophy’

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In a town with a lot of hardcore history, a New York City Streetfight at Rumble on 44th Street would settle a feud between Shingo Takagi and El Phantasmo, the KOPW 2022 competition, and months of ‘daddy’ issues. 

Both men would exchange a flurry of strikes in ring at the bell before ELP gained an early advantage with a tijeras and a dropkick; Takagi wasn’t thrown off for long though and a powerful tackle turned the tide. After pitching Phantasmo out to the floor, Takagi went out to pick up some weaponry, he would be met with a red mist on his return as Phantasmo set to work.

ELP would tee off with cane shots on Takagi while the KOPW 2022 trophy holder was trapped in a trash can, but the Dragon was able to summon up a green mist of his own that bought him enough time to bring a chair into the ring, over which the challenger was suplexed. Hobbled, Phantasmo went to his classic playbook as he tied Takagi in the tree of woe; after putting a foot to Shingo’s groin, he skateboarded a chair into his opponent, but ELP took too much time to set up a Van Terminator, and was instead met with a big superplex center ring.

Takagi would enlist ringside staff to bring yet more instruments of torture to the ring, but Phantasmo used the time to recover, and stopped the Dragon from using a table. With a can shot and a low blow, ELP set Shingo on the table, and landed Thunder Kiss ’86 off a ladder, but the match was still not over. CR II didn’t end things either for Takagi, who kicked out at the 15 minute mark, and rallied with Made In Japan onto two chairs for a nearfall of his own.

Fighting for pride, both men sat on the chairs to deliver punches and then clashed chair shots before a Pumping Bomber connected for a Shingo two. A Shingo CRII would get another nearfall, before Takagi landed Stay Dream through a table center ring, and a CRIII onto a chair for three.