El Phantasmo's 10 Best Matches, According To Cagematch.net

One of the fastest rising stars in New Japan currently, 35-year-old El Phantasmo is a Canadian wrestler who joined the company in 2019, and is one of the staples of current-day Bullet Club. Featuring in both NJPW and Impact Wrestling, Phantasmo has become a must-watch wrestler in all of his big, marquee matches.

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Having just made the move to a Heavyweight in New Japan, El Phantasmo is entering his first-ever G1 Climax this summer, with the expanded 28-man field for the G1 Climax 32. For those wanting to familiarize themselves with Bullet Club's former junior heavyweight star, and likely the next leader after Jay White, his top matches on Cagematch.net are a good place to start!

10 El Phantasmo vs El Desperado (Best of the Super Juniors 2022) - 7.86

One of the last matches in the 2022 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, the B Block Finals came down to El Phantasmo and El Desperado, with the two facing off in a semi-main event match. Scoring a 7.86 from Cagematch.net users, this heated match fell just short of the 8.00 rating.

These two took each other to the limit, and while it was neither man's best match, it was a bout that definitely landed in the above average category. Phantasmo would fail to win, meaning El Desperado would head to the Best of the Super Juniors Finals, though it took using Phantasmo's own CRII finisher to do so. With ELP entering the G1 Climax 32, it does appear as if this would be the final Best of the Super Juniors match of his career.

9 El Phantasmo vs Will Ospreay (New Japan Cup 2022) - 7.94

The most recent meeting between long-time rivals El Phantasmo and Will Ospreay, this match came during the 48-man, 2022 edition of the New Japan Cup. With Ospreay now a fully-fledged Heavyweight, this bout would also mark the first time the two had met outside the Junior Heavyweight Division.

While this would mark their fourth meeting in New Japan, and sixth singles match overall, it would also be their lowest rated, coming in at 7.84 on Cagematch.net with 106 ratings. Ospreay would take the victory in this match, though with ELP becoming a Heavyweight recently, the next time they meet, the outcome may not be the same.

8 El Phantasmo vs Michael Oku (RevPro High Stakes 2020) - 8.10

The only non-New Japan match from El Phantasmo's top matches on Cagematch.net, this match would take place at RevPro's High Stakes event in February 2020, right before the COVID-19 Pandemic rocked the globe. Facing off against one of RevPro's best and brightest, Michael Oku, would challenge ELP for the Undisputed British Cruiserweight Title.

Clocking in just shy of 20 minutes, Oku and Phantasmo would be the semi-main event of the show, with Will Ospreay and Zack Sabre Jr. being the main event. Phantasmo would walk into the show as champion, though he would not be walking out with the gold, as Oku would win the Cruiserweight Championship.

7 El Phantasmo vs SHO (NJPW Showdown In San Jose) - 8.16

While NJPW fans are currently stuck with SHO being the annoying, yet sometimes entertaining Junior of House of Torture, in 2019, he appeared to be the future ace of the division. This match against El Phantasmo during a special two-day event called Showdown in San Jose, was even more evidence of that.

Both SHO and ELP managed to have outstanding years in 2019, so this meeting between the two of them would be noteworthy. While SHO would take the loss due to a low blow, it would be another great match in both men's belts.

6 El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori vs Will Ospreay & Robbie Eagles (Super Junior Tag League 2019) - 8.24

After their first match earlier in 2019, El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori would face off against Robbie Eagles and Will Ospreay during the Super Junior Tag League. Debuting as a team in 2019, Ospreay and Eagles would dub themselves the Birds of Prey, while Ishimori and Phantasmo would wrestle as Bullet Club.

With a victory over them at Destruction in Kagoshima, and a loss at Royal Quest, Bullet Club would come out of this with a victory, picking up the winning record of 2-1.

5 El Phantasmo vs Will Ospreay (NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling 2019) - 8.62

Coming off of their first meeting in New Japan, during the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors, El Phantasmo and Will Ospreay would meet twice more in singles action during the year, first at Super J Cup in August, and then again towards the end of the year at King of Pro Wrestling.

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In their third meeting, Will Ospreay's IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship would be on the line, with ELP challenging for the belt in one of the marquee matches on the show. The two would go to war, in a Junior title match that went almost 30 minutes, with Ospreay retaining.

4 El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori vs Will Ospreay & Robbie Eagles (NJPW Destruction in Kagoshima) - 8.68

The first of three meetings between these two duos in 2019, Bullet Club and Chaos' Junior Heavyweight teams would come face to face at Destruction in Kagoshima, with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships on the line.

El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori came into the match as the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, facing off against the duo of Robbie Eagles and Will Ospreay, representing Bullet Club and Chaos respectively. Getting the semi-main event slot, the match would go almost 25 minutes with the champs retaining and getting a key win over the Birds of Prey.

3 El Phantasmo vs Will Ospreay (Best of the Super Juniors 2019) - 8.89

With this tournament being El Phantasmo's first-ever Best of the Super Juniors, he would have a very, very strong start to the tournament, going 3-0 ahead of this match against Will Ospreay on Night Seven.

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Going into the tournament, Will Ospreay was one of the major favorites for the tournament, so to say Phantasmo beating him in his debut tournament was a surprise, would be an understatement. That is exactly what happened though, as ELP would score a massive upset over Ospreay, continuing a hot streak and picking up a great match to boot.

2 El Phantasmo vs Rocky Romero (Best of the Super Juniors 2019) - 9.09

In one of his first breakout matches under the New Japan banner, El Phantasmo would face off against Rocky Romero during the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, with the two having one of the most-talked about matches of the tournament. Outside that year's finale between Will Ospreay and Shingo Takagi, this was undeniably one of the best matches of the entire tournament.

With a great story of ELP riding high after a hot 5-0 start to the tournament and Rocky scoring a massive upset over the hot new thing, these two had an incredible main event. For those that only know the current version of Phantasmo, it is worth going back to watch his performances across the 2019 BOSJ, though if only one match is to be seen, this clash with Romero is a must-watch.

1 El Phantasmo vs Robbie Eagles (Best of the Super Juniors 2022) - 9.23

According to Cagematch.net users, El Phantasmo's greatest match of his career came against Robbie Eagles during the second half of the 2022 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, a meeting that saw the two facing off for the third time in their careers.

With Phantasmo continuing to bust out the moves of past Bullet Club leaders, with attempts on the Styles Clash, Bloody Sunday, and even the One Winged Angel, the man continues to tease a future as leader of the famed faction, though he would tap out to Eagles in this encounter. For new fans, this is a must-watch match from Phantasmo's career, and is one of the best matches of 2022.