Kevin Wilson – Puroresu Central

Date:  January 19th, 2015
Location:  Tokyo Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance:  1,950

This is the last day of the CMLL Fantastica Mania Tour. This event has a few strictly CMLL vs. CMLL matches with the New Japan wrestlers only participating in the tag team matches. No title matches on this one but still some big singles matches, let’s see if the CMLL wrestlers deliver on their last day in Japan (until next year). Here is the full card:

– KUSHIDA, Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Stuka vs. Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, Gedo, and OKUMURA
– Captain New Japan and Triton vs. Tetsuya Naito and Ryusuke Taguchi
– Angel de Oro and Stigma vs. Mephisto and Yujiro Takahashi
– El Barbaro Cavernario vs. Rey Cometa
– Mistico vs. Polvora
– Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Atlantis, and Volador Jr. vs. Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, Ultimo Guerrero, and Gran Guerrero
– La Sombra vs. Mascara Dorada

Let’s get right to it.

KUSHIDA, Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Stuka Jr. vs. Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, Gedo, and OKUMURA
Tiger Mask and Gedo start off, trading wristlocks and other such things. Tiger Mask dropkicks Gedo out of the ring, OKUMURA runs in and elbows him out, bringing in Liger. Mima Shimoda comes in to distract Liger but he throws OKUMURA into her and hits a spinning backbreaker on both of them. YOSHI-HASHI runs in to clear the ring and stomps Liger. Stuka and YOSHI-HASHI get in and YOSHI-HASHI tags in Ishii. Ishii hits a vertical suplex and Stuka is knocked out of the ring. KUSHIDA comes in with OKUMURA and OKUMURA hits a backbreaker. Liger is isolated next but he hits Shoteis on people. Stuka comes in and hits a headscissors on OKUMURA. Stuka goes up top and hits a dive out of the ring to OKUMURA. KUSHIDA hits a handstand back elbow on Ishii, then Liger hits him with a shotei. Moonsault by KUSHIDA to Ishii but it gets a two count. Lariat by Ishii but KUSHIDA kicks him out of the ring before diving out onto him. KUSHIDA comes in and suplexes Shimoda onto OKUMURA, he goes up top and hits a Torpedo Splash onto Shimoda. Stuka moves as OKUMURA goes for a senton, and OKUMURA lands on Shimoda. Stuka goes up top and hits a Torpedo Splash on OKUMURA and gets a three count. For some reason Shimoda’s interference epically failing made me laugh, she’s a wrestler so don’t feel bad about being squashed (if you feel bad about such things). I liked the ending quite a bit but up to that point it was just an average multi-tag match. Score: 5.5

Captain New Japan and Triton vs. Tetsuya Naito and Ryusuke Taguchi
Triton and Naito start off and Triton hurricanranas Naito out of the ring. He tags in Captain New Japan as Taguchi comes in, and Taguchi just lays there while Captain New Japan tries to cover him. Hip attack by Taguchi and he tags Naito back in. Double Irish whip to Captain New Japan and they hit a double dropkick. Captain New Japan is stomped on and chopped, double team to Captain New Japan and he is stomped on again. This match is so exciting my face is melting off. Crossbody by Captain New Japan to both and he tags in Triton. Triton comes in the ring with a swandive crossbody and hits dropkicks/arm whips on both of them. Hurricanrana by Triton and he hits his step-up moonsault down onto Taguchi outside the ring. Captain New Japan and Naito get in the ring and Captain New Japan hits a Hirai End. Enzigieri by Naito and Taguchi… thinks he does something but misses. Pluma Blanca by Naito and he gets the three count. This was just really bad, thank goodness Triton was in the match so at least it had some smooth and fun highspots. Otherwise it was just slow and utterly not entertaining. Score: 3.0

Angel de Oro and Stigma vs. Mephisto and Yujiro Takahashi
Oro and Mephisto start off the match. They trade armdrags and trips with no luck, then Oro hits a standing moonsault. Mephisto tags in Takahashi while Stigma is also tagged in and Takahashi hits a shoulderblock. Hurricanrana by Stigma, Takahashi drops him on the apron and he hits a lariat. Oro and Mephisto come in and Oro is double teamed. Stigma comes back but he is attacked in the corner. Takahashi nudges Stigma out of the ring as Oro comes back and Mephisto kicks Oro in the head. Oro flips out to the apron and hits a thrust kick. Quebrada by Oro but it gets a two count. Stigma hits a diving crossbody on Mephisto and Takahashi and dropkicks Mephisto out of the ring. Takahashi boots Stigma and hits a fisherman buster for a two count. Hurricanrana by Stigma and Takahashi falls out of the ring so Stigma can hit a tope con hilo. Crossbody by Oro on Mephisto and he covers Mephisto for a two count. Dropkick by Oro and he hits a Sasuke Special. Takahashi boots Oro in the corner, Stigma and Mephisto come into the ring and Stigma dropkicks Takahashi out of the ring. Mephisto boots Oro out of the ring, and Stigma hits an arm whip on Mephisto. Headscissors by Stigma but Takahashi runs in and hits a lariat. Oro comes back in too and gives Takahashi a thrust kick. Mephisto chops Oro and drops him on the apron, but Takahashi pulls him out of the ring. Diving hurricanrana by Stigma on Mephisto, Mephisto goes up top as Stigma joins him, but Mephisto hits an avalanche Devil’s Wings for a three count cover. Exact same ending as Mephisto’s match the day before, how creative. Nothing actively wrong with the match, the high spots were good, but there wasn’t a structure of anything. Just random wrestlers coming in and doing random moves. So watchable but nothing memorable. Score: 5.5

El Barbaro Cavernario vs. Rey Cometa
Cometa dropkicks Cavernario out of the ring and hits a tope suicida. Cometa rolls Cavernario in the ring and hits a corkscrew plancha but Cavernario knocks him to the mat. Cavernario removes a turnbuckle pad and hits a rebound dropkick. Cavernario chops Cometa in the chest but Cometa chops him back. Front flip piledriver by Cometa but it gets a two count. Standing moonsault sideslam by Cometa but it also gets two. Cavernario pushes Cometa to the apron and Cavernario dropkicks Cometa to the mat. Tope suicida by Cavernario and he punches Cometa once they return to the ring. Cavernario powerbombs Cometa into the corner, he picks him up again but Cometa hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Cavernario powerbombs Cometa into the exposed corner, Cometa puts Cavernario on the top turnbuckle and Cometa hits a Lo Mein Pain for a two count. With Cavernario outside the ring, Cometa gets a running start and hits a corkscrew plancha. Back in the ring Cavernario hits a springboard crossbody, he goes off the ropes and hits a reverse splash. He goes for another one but Cometa gets his feet up. Cometa dropkicks Cavernario out of the ring, he slides out of it but Cavernario hits a thrust kick. Cavernario goes up top and hits a plancha suicida to Cometa while he is lying on the floor. They get back into the ring and Cometa slams Cavernario in front of the corner. Firebird Splash by Cometa but it gets two. Cavernario quickly applies the La Cavernaria and he gets a three count! They mostly were just mindlessly doing moves to each other, but at least they were neat-o moves. As just a spotfest it was definitely good, as a cohesive and well-structured match it was a bit lacking. Score: 6.5

Mistico vs. Polvora
Polvora attacks Mistico before the match starts and destroys his leg with a chair. Back in the ring Polvora goes for Mistico’s mask and then dropkicks him in the corner. Lariats by Polvora and he dropkicks Mistico in the head. Mounted punches by Polvora in the corner, he drops Mistico on the apron but Mistico kicks him back and hits a swandive hurricanrana. Tope con hilo by Mistico, they get back in the ring and Mistico hits a swandive crossbody. Hurricanrana by Mistico but it gets two. Victory roll by Mistico but that also gets two. Backbreaker by Polvora and they trade chops to the chest. Polvora picks up Mistico and Mistico hits a thrust kick. Arm whip by Mistico and he hits a slingshot hurricanrana down to the floor. Back in the ring Mistico hits a jawbreaker for a two count. Mistico chops Polvora in the corner and they trade roll-up attempts. La Magistral by Mistico, but it gets a two. Polvora chops Mistico in the corner, Mistico goes for a crossbody but Polvora catches him and hits a swinging side slam. Mistico goes off the ropes and he hits La Mistica for the submission victory. This was a step down from the last match but not bad. Some nice spots and they kept the action up. Still not a fan of the selling but I have somewhat accepted that at this point. Score: 5.0

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Atlantis, and Volador Jr. vs. Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, Ultimo Guerrero, and Gran Guerrero
Okada and Volador start the match, arm whip by Volador and they take turns back and forth before flipping back to their feet. Okada tags in Ultimo while Ibushi is also tagged in. Ultimo gets Ibushi to the mat and goes for Ibushi’s ankle, but Ibushi easily gets out of it. They get back up, snapmare by Ibushi and he gets for Ultimo’s mask since for some reason Ultimo has it on. Ibushi yanks off Ultimo’s mask, Ultimo chops Ibushi into the corner but he tumbles out of the ring. Gran and Tanahashi get in the ring and Tanahashi hits an armdrag. Gran crotches Tanahashi on the top rope and then pushes him out of the ring. Nakamura and company come in the ring as Atlantis does as well, and everyone gangs up on Atlantis. Ibushi is attacked next, then Volador comes in the ring but he eats a lariat and is kicked out of the ring. Tanahashi is stomped and chopped by everyone in the corner. Volador hits an avalanche hurricanrana, then Ibushi hits a swandive missile dropkick on Gran. Tanahashi and friends clear the ring, but Okada returns to face off with Volador. Hurricanrana by Volador, and Okada falls out of the ring. Ultimo comes in the ring but he is knocked out as well. Gran lariats Tanahashi but Tanahashi hit a rebound crossbody followed by a Sling Blade. Tanahashi lariats Gran out of the ring, sending himself out as well. Nakamura and Atlantis come in the ring and Atlantis hits a crossbody. Knee by Nakamura and he kicks Atlantis in the head. Atlantis gets Nakamura on his back but Ultimo breaks it up. Ibushi kicks back Ultimo and Nakamura, he then goes up top and hits a moonsault down to the floor onto both of them. Tanahashi then goes up and hits a plancha suicida to the floor. Okada goes off the ropes and he delivers a tope con hilo. Volador is next and he hits an Asai Moonsault. Meanwhile in the ring Atlantis puts Gran in La Atlántida for the submission victory. On par with the other matches on the card. I’m not a big fan of the middle segment where the faces come in one at a time to get beaten up, but it didn’t last as long as usual. The dives were all hit very well and obviously the match was fast paced. Just mindless fun.Score: 6.0

La Sombra vs. Mascara Dorada
Sombra pushes Dorada in the ropes to start but gives a clean break. Shoulderblock by Sombra but Dorada avoids the elbow drop. They both flip off the ropes and Dorada hits a tilt-a-whirl arm whip. Hurricanrana by Sombra, Dorada falls out of the ring but he hits a swandive hurricanrana. Corkscrew tope con hilo by Dorada, he then hits a swandive crossbody back into the ring. Rebound headscissors by Sombra, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a dropkick on the floor. Sombra is looking rough in this one, he has already looked sketchy on two different moves. Back in the ring, Dorada kicks Sombra but Sombra hits a powerslam for two. Sunset flip powerbomb by Dorada but Sombra hits a sit-down powerbomb. Dorada hits a hurricanrana out of the corner, he goes up top and hits a rope walking Asai Moonsault down to the floor. Sombra applies a leglock over the top rope and he applies a single leg crab hold. Leg submission by Sombra, he picks up Dorada and hits a few chops. Dropkick to the back by Dorada, he flips over Sombra and hit a sunset flip for a two count. Dorada slams Sombra in front of the corner but Sombra gets his feet up when he goes for a moonsault. Sombra hits a hard lariat, sending both himself and Dorada out of the ring. Sombra slams Dorada back-first into the ring post, he then goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a moonsault down to the floor. Sombra gets on the apron and he hits a swandive sunset flip, but Dorada rolls through it for a two count. Sombra goes up onto the ropes but Dorada kicks him and hits a rope walking hurricanrana. Waistlock by Sombra and he hits a dropkick. Dorada sends Sombra out to the apron, kick by Dorada and he jumps over the top rope as he hits a hurricanrana down to the floor. Swandive bodypress by Dorada, but it gets a two count. They trade elbows and chops but they miss an armdrag spot. Sombra goes up top but Dorada recovers and joins him. Avalanche reverse hurricanrana by Sombra and he hits a lariat in the corner. Dropkick by Dorada, cover, but it gets a two count. Dorada charges Sombra but Sombra dropkicks him into the corner. Running double knee by Sombra, he goes up top but Dorada mostly avoids the Hollywood Press. So many small miscues in this one. Dorada goes for a swandive move but Sombra moves out of the way and hits the Shadow Driver for the three count. This match probably had the most mistakes of any other match on the entire tour. Which is a shame as there were some really nice high spots in this match. Overall it was still fun to watch, it was just messy. Score: 5.5

Final Thoughts:

The good part is that there was only one match on the card I thought wasn’t worth watching. The bad part is that there really wasn’t a standout match. There were lots of great spots to be sure, wrestlers flying everywhere and putting their health in jeopardy for our amusement. But the matches really didn’t feel competitive a lot of the time, the selling was suspect at best, and the matches were more about the spots than anything else. Not a bad intro to CMLL if you already like New Japan, but not an event I can give a strong recommendation to.

Grade: C- 

Kevin Wilson – Puroresu Central

Date:  January 18th, 2015
Location:  Tokyo Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance:  1,950

Last year the CMLL Fantastica events were great fun, so they decided to do it again this year.  This one has some big singles matches and should be different than the usual events with just lots of multi-man matches. It is actually more of a CMLL event than a New Japan event since the big singles matches are CMLL vs. CMLL with no New Japan wrestler involvement. Here is the full card:

– Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, and Ángel de Oro vs. Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, and Gedo
– OKUMURA, Mr. Niebla, and El Barbaro Cavernario vs. Rey Cometa, Tritón, and KUSHIDA
– Máscara Don, Máscara Dorada, and Captain New Japan vs. Tetsuya Naito, Ryusuke Taguchi, and La Sombra
– NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship: Volador Jr. vs. Gran Guerrero
– National Light Heavyweight Championship: Mephisto vs. Stuka Jr.
– Hiroshi Tanahashi, Mistico II, and Stigma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, and Polvora
– Atlantis vs. Ultimo Guerrero

Like I mentioned, lots of CMLL stuff on this one, with a few matches also having New Japan wrestlers as well.

Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, and Ángel de Oro vs. Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, and Gedo
Liger and Gedo start things off, Liger gets Gedo to the mat but Gedo gets out of it.  Gedo offers Liger his hand, Liger doesn’t take it, so Gedo gives the referee a hug to show how nice he is.  Liger agrees to the handshake but Gedo pokes him in the eyes, naturally.  Even Sting saw that one coming.  Double chops by Liger and he leaves the ring with Gedo, hitting a backbreaker.  Tiger Mask is up next with Oro.  Tiger Mask has some weird Tiger Mask/Liger mask hybrid.  Ishii chops and headbutts Tiger Mask but Tiger Mask kicks him into the corner.  Tiger Mask kicks Ishii out of the ring, so Oro comes in to face off with YOSHI-HASHI.  Hurricanrana by Oro, YOSHI-HASHI drops him on the apron and Gedo pulls him out of the ring.  All the wrestlers brawl on the floor until Gedo and YOSHI-HASHI return to the ring, Liger rolls out so Tiger Mask comes in, Tiger Mask being dressed like Liger is throwing me off but I like when wrestlers wear weird masks.  Ishii is tagged in and he goes for Tiger Mask’s mask since he is the heel in the match and that is what heels do.  Ishii chops Oro in the corner as he came in the ring, and YOSHI-HASHI throws Oro back out of it.  Liger comes in with YOSHI-HASHI but Liger gets away.  YOSHI-HASHI knocks Liger out of the ring but Oro comes in with a crossbody.   Quebrada by Oro, Irish whip and Oro hits a dropkick.  YOSHI-HASHI falls out of the ring, Oro does a no hands rebound and then hits a pescado.  Tiger Mask comes back in and kicks Gedo in the corner before hitting a Tiger Driver.  Tiger Mask goes up top but Gedo avoids a diving headbutt.  Submission by Tiger Mask but it is immediately broken up.  Oro goes off the ropes and hits the Sasuke Special while in the ring Gedo kicks Tiger Mask.  Gedo goes for the Gedo Clutch by Tiger Mask blocks it, crucifix pin by Tiger Mask and he gets the three count.  This was fine, nothing offensive.  Oro flies around well and Tiger Mask seemed motivated, but nothing memorable.  Score:  5.5

OKUMURA and El Barbaro Cavernario vs. Tritón and KUSHIDA
OKUMURA and Tritón start off and they trade holds, trips, and snapmares.  Tritón kicks OKUMURA out of the ring, so KUSHIDA and Cavernario come in the ring next.  KUSHIDA messes with Cavernario, Cavernario throws him down and returns the favor.  Armdrags by KUSHIDA to Cavernario and OKUMURA.  KUSHIDA hits a seated senton onto OKUMURA from the apron, Tritón comes in and hurricanranas Cavernario out of the ring.  Step-up Asai Moonsault by Tritón to the floor, as KUSHIDA and OKUMURA come in the ring.  Cavernario dropkicks KUSHIDA as Tritón gets back in, spinebuster by Cavernario to Tritón and he hits a reverse splash.  OKUMURA and Cavernario hit lariats in the corner and Cavernario hits a bulldog.  Tritón comes in, he hits a hurricanrana on Cavernario and KUSHIDA runs in to hit elbows.  Standing moonsault by KUSHIDA to OKUMURA and Cavernario, then Tritón goes off the ropes and KUSHIDA catapults him into Cavernario.  Swandive hurricanrana by Tritón to OKUMURA but Cavernario kicks Tritón out of the ring.  Handspring elbow by KUSHIDA and he throws Cavernario out of the ring.  OKUMURA pulls KUSHIDA out to the floor, Cavernario goes up top and hits a plancha down onto KUSHIDA.  In the ring Tritón hits a hurricanrana on OKUMURA for a two count.  OKUMURA applies a crab hold and he picks up the submission victory.  Not much to this match, some nice high flying towards the end but it was just a little too short to really get a flow going.  Score:  4.0

Máscara Don, Máscara Dorada, and Captain New Japan vs. Naito, Taguchi, and La Sombra
Dorada and La Sombra  start things off.  Dorada goes for a flip but he slips and La Sombra  lariats him.  Hurricanrana by both men and they miss dropkicks.  Naito and Taguchi come in next, and Taguchi hits a hip attack.  Double chop by Naito and Taguchi falls out of the ring.  Captain New Japan and Naito get in the ring, Naito knocks Captain New Japan in the corner and tags in Taguchi.  Dropkick by Naito and he tags in La Sombra .  La Sombra  chops Captain New Japan and tags in Taguchi.  Don comes in to help clear out Captain New Japan’s teammates.  Everyone attacks Captain New Japan in the corner and Naito finishes with a catapult dropkick.  Punches by Captain New Japan and he hits a double shoulderblock, giving him time to tag in Naito.  Don lariats everyone (Don is Nakanishi, just in case you weren’t aware), and he hits a double vertical suplex.  Double lariat by Don and he tags in Dorada.  Dorada dropkicks Taguchi and Naito, he drops Taguchi on the apron and then dropkicks Naito in the knee.  La Sombra powerslams Dorada but it gets a two count.  Elbows by La Sombra but Dorada catches him with a slam and tags in Captain New Japan.  Shoulderblock by Captain New Japan, he goes up top but La Sombra avoids the diving headbutt.  Double flip moonsault by La Sombra but it gets broken up.  Hirai End by Captain New Japan, but La Sombra kicks out.  Naito and Taguchi run in, enzigieri by Taguchi and Naito hits a uranage.  Don hits a pescado of sorts onto Naito and Taguchi, Dorada comes in the ring and hits a tope con hilo.  Captain New Japan goes off the ropes but La Sombra hits a dropkick.  La Sombra hits the Hollywood Star Press and gets the three count.   I really like Sombra, but otherwise just a pretty normal six man tag match.  Some nice spots though.  Score:  5.0

(c) Volador Jr. vs. Gran Guerrero
This match is for the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship.  They go back and forth to start, Volador Jr. flings Guerrero out of the ring and sails out onto him with a tope suicida.  They didn’t waste any time getting to the high flying. Back in the room, lariat by Guerrero and he drops Volador Jr. on the apron before kicking him to the floor.  Tope con hilo by Guerrero and they return to the ring.  Headscissors by Volador Jr. and he hits a slingshot hurricanrana down to the floor.  Back in, Volador Jr. kicks Guerrero back and goes for a swandive move, but Guerrero catches him and hits a powerbomb.  Wrist clutch cutter by Guerrero but it gets a two.  Thrust kick by Volador Jr. and he hits the Backstabber.  Chops by Guerrero but Volador Jr. hits another thrust kick.  Guerrero goes up top but Volador Jr. knocks him off.  Kick to the face by Volador Jr. and he gets a two count.  Volador Jr. charges Guerrero but Guerrero dumps him out to the floor.  Swandive missile dropkick by Volador Jr. and he hits an Asai Moonsault.  Ok so that is the third time in this match the person did that the move, recovered after the guy that was hit with the move.  Kinda beats the point.  Back in the ring they trade La Magistral attempt, Guerrero catches Volador Jr. and goes for a suplex but Volador Jr. lands on his feet.  Swinging side slam by Guerrero but Volador Jr. snaps off a hurricanrana for a two count.  Volador Jr. puts Guerrero on the top turnbuckle but Guerrero slams him to the mat.  Guerrero goes back up tope but Volador Jr. recovers, kick by Volador Jr. and he hits a top rope hurricanrana for two.  Guerrero gets Volador Jr. on the back and hits a chokeslam for a two count.  Guerrero goes up top but Volador Jr. joins him up there and hits the Spanish Fly for the three count, Volador Jr. is still your champion.  Ok I am all for high spots but can we at least pretend to sell moves correctly?  I lost count of how many times the wrestler that had the move done on them, did the next move in the match.  The moves had literally no impact whatsoever because the wrestlers were just going to the next spot.  I enjoyed the high spots, flying around is fun, but it was just an exhibition match.  Score:  6.0

(c) Mephisto vs. Stuka Jr.
This match is for the National Light Heavyweight Championship.  I’m one of eight people in the world that likes Mephisto, I think.  I like his mask.  Mephisto tosses tons of fun to the mat but they return to their feet.  Armdrags by Stuka Jr. and he hurricanranas Mephisto out of the ring.  Stuka Jr. then goes off the ropes and barely makes it out with a tope suicida.  Back in the ring Stuka Jr. hits a hurricanrana for a two count.  Mephisto drops Stuka Jr. on the apron and slides out of the ring, and Stuka Jr. hits an Asai Moonsault.  They get back in the ring and Mephisto applies a stretch hold (again, move done to the wrestler, that wrestler makes the first offensive move).  Sunset flip powerbomb by Stuka Jr. but it gets two.  Devil’s Wings by Mephisto but it gets a two count.  Mephisto gets out of the ring, Stuka Jr. goes out after him and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.  Back in the ring Stuka Jr. hits a monkey flip.  Double underhook facebuster by Stuka Jr. and he covers Mephisto for two.  Stuka Jr. goes up top but Mephisto gets his feet up when he goes for a moonsault.  Mephisto picks up Stuka Jr., scoop slam, he goes up top but Stuka Jr. recovers and joins him.  Superplex by Stuka Jr., he slams Mephisto in front of the corner and hits the torpedo splash.  He hits a second one, cover, but Mephisto gets a shoulder up.  Stuka Jr. puts Mephisto on the top turnbuckle and he hits an Avalanche Devil’s Wings.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Mephisto throws Stuka Jr. into the corner, reversed, and Mephisto jumps up on the top turnbuckle.  Stuka Jr. joins him, punches by Stuka Jr. but Mephisto hits another Avalanche Devil’s Wings for the three count.  That is my least favorite ending to a match ever, Lucha already can look overly contrived but that took things to a new level.  Definitely a step down from the last match, a few fun spots but otherwise disappointing.  Score:  4.0

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Mistico II, and Stigma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, and Polvora
Mistico and Okada start things off.  Headscissors by Mistico and Mistico tags in Tanahashi.  Polvora comes in too, armdrag by Tanahashi but Polvora returns the favor.  Shoulderblock by Tanahashi but Polvora dropkicks him.  Rounding crossbody by Tanahashi and he hits an elbow.  Tanahashi tags in Stigma as Nakamura also gets in the ring.  Headlock by Nakamura but Stigma quickly gets out of it.  Knee by Nakamura but Stigma hits a knee to the head.  Armdrags by Stigma and he hits a headscissors.  Nakamura puts Stigma up in the corner and knees Stigma in the stomach.  After a bit of brawling, Polvora puts Mistico up on the top turnbuckle and goes for his mask.  Okada dropkicks Stigma, Tanahashi gets isolated and clobbered.  Okada and Nakamura hit a double atomic drop on Tanahashi.  Stigma is next to get his ass kicked by everyone, but Stigma gets away and hits a swandive missile dropkick on Nakamura.  Big spots from everyone, and team Tanahashi stands tall in the ring.  Mistico and Polvora pair off and Polvora hits a Liger Bomb.  Mistico sets up Polvora on the ropes, he then goes to the apron and hits a swandive hurricanrana.  Okada comes in and elbows Mistico, Stigma enters the ring and knocks Okada to the mat.  Flapjack by Okada and he goes for a tombstone, but Stigma gets out of it.  Inverted powerslam by Nakamura to Tanahashi.  Stigma does something sloppy and poorly thought out to Nakamura, and Tanahashi hits a cannonball onto Okada.  Mistico and Polvora get back in the ring, Mistico hits La Mistica and he picks up the three count.  Well this was a nothing match.  It didn’t even have many high spots, just the usual ‘everyone gangs up on the faces, faces make a comeback, faces win’ match.  Without tagging it kills the suspense of a wrestler trying to get to his corner, and some of the moves weren’t crisp (putting it lightly).  Not a good display here.  Score:  3.5

Atlantis vs. Ultimo Guerrero
They jockey around to start and trade submissions on the mat.  Big boot by Ultimo Guerrero and he slams Atlantis into the corner.  Ultimo Guerrero lays Atlantis down on the apron and baseball slides him out to the floor.  Atlantis goes to the other side of the railing but Ultimo Guerrero jumps over it and attacks Atlantis.  Back in the ring Ultimo Guerrero goes for Atlantis’s mask but stops after a moment and chops Atlantis in the corner.  Ultimo Guerrero jumps down on Atlantis in the corner but Atlantis moves on the second attempt and dumps Ultimo Guerrero out of the ring.  Atlantis goes out after him but Ultimo Guerrero regains the advantage.  They return to the ring and Ultimo Guerrero hits a lariat.  Ultimo Guerrero goes for Atlantis’s mask but Atlantis hits a backbreaker.  Atlantis flips Ultimo Guerrero out of the ring and then sails out onto him with a tope suicida.  Ultimo Guerrero pushes Atlantis in the corner and chops him, but Atlantis chops him back.  Lariat by Atlantis, cover, but it gets a two count.  Lariat by Ultimo Guerrero, cover, but it still gets two.  Hurricanrana by Atlantis but he also gets only a two count.  Ultimo Guerrero falls out of the ring, Atlantis goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a plancha suicida from the top turnbuckle to the floor.  Back in the ring, Ultimo Guerrero gets Atlantis on his back but Atlantis hits a victory roll and they trade pin attempts.

Ultimo Guerrero gets on Atlantis’s shoulders and they do the roll-up routine again, still with no result.  Atlantis throws Ultimo Guerrero into the corner, he shoulderblocks Ultimo Guerrero back and jumps off the top, but Ultimo Guerrero dropkicks him as he does so.  Irish whip by Ultimo Guerrero, reversed, they end up on the top turnbuckle and Ultimo Guerrero hits an avalanche front suplex for a two count cover.  Ultimo Guerrero goes up top again but Atlantis joins him and armdrags him to the mat.  Atlantis puts Ultimo Guerrero on the top turnbuckle and goes for a Frankensteiner, but Ultimo Guerrero catches him and hits a powerbomb.  Ultimo Guerrero charges Atlantis, Atlantis gets him on his back but Ultimo Guerrero squirts away, getting a two count roll-up.  Backbreaker by Atlantis and he hits a second one.  Scoop slam by Atlantis and he goes up top, but Ultimo Guerrero recovers and joins him.  Ultimo Guerrero nails the Guerrero Special, and he picks up the three count.  I gotta say this match was really good.  These guys aren’t young, Atlantis is 52 years old believe it or not, but they still are flying outside the ring and doing top rope powerbombs like they are in their 20s.  Even more importantly they actually know how to structure a match, as there were only a few small transition issues.  It was paced really well and felt like a back and forth battle, not a high spot exhibition.  I also appreciate they didn’t hold back, even though this was a match in a different country that many of their fans in CMLL may never see. Really fun match between the veterans and they did their best to save this event.  Score:  8.0

Final Thoughts:

The old guys showed the young guys something on this show.  While most of the card just screamed “half-ass exhibition”, the main event was really quality wrestling.  The high spots were spaced out so they meant something, and then actually sold (imagine that).  They still had the big power moves when needed but didn’t rush anything, and it felt like the match ended exactly when it should have.  The rest of the card was completely skippable in every way, making this essentially a one match card.  I still can’t recommend it overall, but it wasn’t a completely throwaway event at least.

Grade:  D+