{"id":16737,"date":"2015-01-27T16:38:34","date_gmt":"2015-01-27T21:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/?p=16737"},"modified":"2015-01-27T17:31:50","modified_gmt":"2015-01-27T22:31:50","slug":"fighting-spirit-review-new-japan-presents-cmll-fantastica-mania-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/reviews\/fighting-spirit-review-new-japan-presents-cmll-fantastica-mania-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Spirit Review: New Japan Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

Date:\u00a0 January 13th, 2015
\nLocation:\u00a0 Osaka BODYMAKER COLOSSEUM #2 in Osaka, Japan
\nAnnounced Attendance:\u00a0 1,300<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Last year the CMLL Fantastica events were great fun, so they decided to do it again this year.\u00a0 These events tend to just be mindless fun, multi-man matches pairing random CMLL and New Japan wrestlers both with and against each other.\u00a0 No long term consequences, just a sit back and enjoy type of thing.\u00a0 Here is the full card:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0 Mr. Niebla and El B\u00e1rbaro Cavernario vs. Rey Cometa and Triton
\n–\u00a0 \u00c1ngel de Oro vs. OKUMURA
\n–\u00a0 Gedo and Polvora vs. Jushin Thunder Liger and Mistico II
\n–\u00a0 Shinsuke Nakamura, Mephisto, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tiger Mask, Stigma, and Stuka Jr.
\n–\u00a0 KUSHIDA, M\u00e1scara Dorada, and Captain New Japan vs. Naito, Ryusuke Taguchi, and La Sombra
\n–\u00a0 Hiroshi Tanahashi, Atlantis, and Volador Jr. vs. Okada, Ultimo Guerrero, and Gran Guerrero <\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to doing this last year, I know who most of these guys are.\u00a0 Hooray!<\/p>\n

Mr. Niebla and El B\u00e1rbaro Cavernario vs. Rey Cometa and Triton<\/strong><\/span>
\nTriton and Cavernario start things off.\u00a0 Armdrag by Cavernario and he kicks Triton down.\u00a0 They tussle around a bit on the mat while Niebla battles Cometa outside of the ring.\u00a0 Everyone gets in the ring, Cometa is thrown in the corner but he avoids his opponents.\u00a0 Niebla catapults Cometa into the air, and Cavernario dropkicks him in mid-air.\u00a0 Cavernario and Niebla chop Triton, and Niebla comes off the top with a diving body press onto Triton\u2019s leg.\u00a0 Cometa dropkicks Cavernario and Niebla out of the ring, he and Triton both go for dives but Triton\u2019s legs get caught in the ropes and he faceplants straight to the floor, injuring his knee in the process.\u00a0 They hit the reset button as Cavernario and Cometa get in the ring, and they trade chops.\u00a0 Hurricanrana by Cometa and he swings Cavernario out of the ring.\u00a0 Niebla comes in but Cometa runs around outside and then kicks Niebla as he gets in the ring which knocks him back out of it, making Niebla land on the injured Triton.\u00a0 Great idea, land on the knee of the guy that hurt his knee.\u00a0 Cometa hits the 450 Splash and gets the pin, making Cometa and Triton the winners.\u00a0 Obviously Triton getting hurt wasn\u2019t the plan but he wrestled the next night so was he really hurt that badly?\u00a0 I dunno.\u00a0 Not a great opener though, it had no structure and it just wasn\u2019t that smooth.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 3.5<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00c1ngel de Oro vs. OKUMURA<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Armdrag by Oro to start things off and he wins the second exchange as well.\u00a0 They trade armdrags, shoulderblock by OKUMURA and he hits a lariat.\u00a0 Irish whip by OKUMURA but Oro flips out to the apron and hits a swandive dropkick.\u00a0 OKUMURA falls out of the ring and Oro hits a hurricanrana from the apron.\u00a0 With both on the apron OKUMURA grabs Oro and plants him with a DDT.\u00a0 OKUMURA slides Oro back in and hits a missile dropkick.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Michinoku Driver by OKUMURA and a tilt-a-whirl slam, he applies a reverse chinlock but Oro gets to the ropes.\u00a0 Oro ducks a lariat and hits a thrust kick, OKUMURA falls out of the ring and Oro sails out onto him with a perfect Space Flying Tiger Drop.\u00a0 Back in the ring Oro goes for a hurricanrana but OKUMURA rolls through it for a two.\u00a0 Oro dropkicks OKUMURA out of the ring, he goes up top and hits a moonsault down onto OKUMURA.\u00a0 OKUMURA is basically just Oro\u2019s base for this match, in case you haven\u2019t picked up on that.\u00a0 OKUMURA knocks Oro out of the ring, Oro moves when he charges in and hits a quebrada for a two count.\u00a0 Another thrust kick by Oro but it gets two.\u00a0 Oro flips out to the apron but OKUMURA DDTs him back into the ring for a two count.\u00a0 They trade chops but time expires and the match is a Draw.\u00a0 More of a showcase for Oro than anything else since OKUMURA\u2019s primary job in the match was to catch him when needed.\u00a0 But Oro\u2019s spots were pretty.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 5.5<\/span><\/p>\n

Gedo and Polvora vs. Jushin Thunder Liger and Mistico II<\/strong><\/span>
\nGedo starts the match with the legendary Liger.\u00a0 They trade submissions and Liger hits a shoulderblock.\u00a0 Handspring elbow strike from Liger out of nowhere, clearly Liger is inspired with the lucha theme of the shows.\u00a0 Liger tags in Mistico while Polvora comes into the ring.\u00a0 Polvora chops down Mistico but Mistico hits an armdrag.\u00a0 Polvora dropkicks Mistico and knocks Liger off the apron.\u00a0 Polvora elbows Mistico and goes for his mask while Gedo tries to take off Liger\u2019s mask; Polvora puts Mistico in the tree of woe and hits a dropkick.\u00a0 Liger fights back Polvora and Gedo until he is stomped down by Polvora.\u00a0 Mistico and Gedo face off but Polvora attacks Mistico from behind.\u00a0 Polvora dropkicks Mistico, Liger comes in the ring and he is double teamed, but Liger gets away and knocks down Gedo.\u00a0 Polvora kicks Liger but Mistico hits a hurricanrana on Polvora, sending him out of the ring.\u00a0 Mistico then goes off the ropes and hits a tope con hilo down onto Polvora.\u00a0 Liger goes for a powerbomb on Gedo but Gedo gets away.\u00a0 Backbreaker by Liger and he hits a Shotei.\u00a0 Cover but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Liger tosses Gedo out of the ring and hits a cannonball.\u00a0 Polvora and Mistico get back in the ring and Mistico hits a hurricanrana for a two count.\u00a0 Victory roll by Mistico but that also gets two.\u00a0 Dropkick to the knee and La Magistral, but Polvora kicks out.\u00a0 Polvora Driver by Polvora and he gets the three count.\u00a0 That match ended really quickly, Mistico is weak.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve ever seen Liger do a handspring elbow strike before and Mistico is very smooth.\u00a0 Ended too quickly but not a bad match.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 6.0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Shinsuke Nakamura, Mephisto, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tiger Mask, Stigma, and Stuka Jr.<\/strong><\/span>
\nYOSHI-HASHI and Stigma start off and they trade flipping moves with neither getting a clear advantage.\u00a0 Hurricanrana by Stigma and YOSHI-HASHI falls out of the ring while Stigma does a little dance inside of it.\u00a0 Tiger Mask and Mephisto come in as the legal men, armdrags by Tiger Mask, Mephisto pushes Tiger Mask back and he tags in Stuka.\u00a0 Mephisto tags in Nakamura and Stuka dropkicks Nakamura in the knee.\u00a0 Stuka gets Nakamura on his shoulders and slams him to the mat, he goes off the ropes but Nakamura avoids the body press.\u00a0 Nakamura kicks Stuka in the corner but Stuka avoids the running knee.\u00a0 Stuka kicks Nakamura and hits a tilt-a-whirl slam.\u00a0 Mephisto runs in and he lariats Stuka.\u00a0 Mephisto throws Stuka in the corner, Mephisto falls out of the ring and Stuka hits a moonsault off the second turnbuckle to the floor.\u00a0 Back in the ring, Mephisto puts Stuka on the top turnbuckle and starts unmasking him.\u00a0 Mephisto kicks Stuka in the ribs and tags in Nakamura.\u00a0 Nakamura knees Stuka in the ribs and drops a knee for a two.\u00a0 YOSHI-HASHI tags in and chops Stuka to the mat.\u00a0 Lariat by YOSHI-HASHI, cover but Stigma breaks it up.\u00a0 Irish whip by YOSHI-HASHI but Stuka hits a handspring elbow strike and tags in Tiger Mask.\u00a0 Crossbody by Tiger Mask and he hits a tiger driver onto YOSHI-HASHI for a two count.\u00a0 Tiger Mask goes up top but YOSHI-HASHI rolls out of the way of the diving body press.\u00a0 Stigma and Nakamura run in, and Stigma dropkicks Nakamura.\u00a0 Tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Stigma to Nakamura, YOSHI-HASHI goes off the ropes and he slides out of the ring.\u00a0 Tiger Mask tags in Stuka and he is alone with Mephisto.\u00a0 Elevated armdrag by Stuka but Mephisto hits the Demon Driller.\u00a0 Mephisto tears off Stuka\u2019s tights, which probably caused more damage than Stuka made for wrestling on the card.\u00a0 This is why wrestlers have no money.\u00a0 Nakamura and YOSHI-HASHI come in and they triple team Stuka.\u00a0 Tiger Mask comes in to help, YOSHI-HASHI dumps him out of the ring but Stigma dropkicks YOSHI-HASHI.\u00a0 Stigma goes off the ropes and hits a tope con hilo down onto everyone except Mephisto and Stuka.\u00a0 In the ring Stuka hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the Torpedo Splash for the three count.\u00a0 Tiger Mask and friends win the match.\u00a0 Some good spots, YOSHI-HASHI seemed like he was having fun, and I adore Mephisto.\u00a0 So more good than bad for sure.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 6.5<\/span><\/p>\n

KUSHIDA, M\u00e1scara Dorada, and Captain New Japan vs. Naito, Ryusuke Taguchi, and La Sombra<\/strong><\/span>
\nDorada and Sombra start things off, and Sombra hits the first move of note with a dropkick.\u00a0 Dorada walks around the ropes in the corner and hits a hurricanrana.\u00a0 KUSHIDA and Naito tag in, Naito charges KUSHIDA but KUSHIDA holds down the ropes and Naito falls to the floor. Seated senton by KUSHIDA to the floor while Captain New Japan and Taguchi get in the ring.\u00a0 Taguchi stomps on Captain New Japan but Captain New Japan hits a shoulderblock.\u00a0 Hip attacks by Captain New Japan but Taguchi hits a jumping hip attack.\u00a0 Naito is tagged in and Captain New Japan is hit with a double shoulderblock.\u00a0 Naito applies a wristlock and tags in Sombra and Sombra hits an elbow for a two count cover.\u00a0 Headscissors by Sombra and he tags in Taguchi, cross armbreaker by Taguchi but it is quickly broken up.\u00a0 Sombra picks up Captain New Japan and chops him, but Captain New Japan hits a double shoulderblock and tags in KUSHIDA.\u00a0 KUSHIDA clears the ring and hits a tilt-a-whirl DDT on Sombra.\u00a0 KUSHIDA twists up Naito in the ropes, catapult dropkick by Dorada and he hits a hurricanrana on Sombra. \u00a0Dorada and KUSHIDA go off the ropes and hit stereo tope con hilos, leaving Naito and Captain New Japan in the ring.\u00a0 Dropkick by Naito to Captain New Japan, Sombra comes in the ring too and Captain New Japan is dropkicked in the corner.\u00a0 Naito goes up top but KUSHIDA kicks him from the apron.\u00a0 Swandive dropkick by Dorada to Taguchi but Sombra hits a swandive crossbody.\u00a0 Sombra dumps KUSHIDA out of the ring and hits a moonsault down onto Dorada and KUSHIDA.\u00a0 In the ring Captain New Japan hits the Hirai End on Naito for a two count cover.\u00a0 Hip attack by Taguchi to Captain New Japan, Naito puts Captain New Japan in the Pluma Blancha for the submission victory.\u00a0 Solid but when every match is so similar the luster starts wearing off.\u00a0 Dorada is the man though.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 6.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Atlantis, and Volador Jr. vs. Okada, Ultimo Guerrero, and Gran Guerrero<\/strong><\/span>
\nHey look, Gran and Ultimo have on identical outfits so I can\u2019t tell them apart.\u00a0 Fantastic.\u00a0 Wait, I found a difference in the mask, I\u2019m good.\u00a0 Ultimo attacks Atlantis before the match starts and the action spills out of the ring.\u00a0 Tanahashi and Gran get into the ring as the legal men, kick to the ribs by Gran but Tanahashi hits a rebounding crossbody.\u00a0 Volador and Okada come into the ring as the legal men and they go back and forth just for show.\u00a0 Atlantis and Ultimo come in the ring next but it breaks down into a brawl, and Atlantis\u2019s mask is ripped.\u00a0 Atlantis and Ultimo go outside the ring and Ultimo rams his head into the table before sliding him back in.\u00a0 Atlantis continues to be triple teamed, Tanahashi comes in the ring and he gets beat down as well.\u00a0 Volador is next and he eats a lariat.\u00a0 He is then dropkicked off the apron down to the floor, and everyone dances in the ring.\u00a0 Atlantis comes back and Okada jumps down onto Atlantis.\u00a0 Volador comes off the top turnbuckle with a hurricanrana and Tanahashi hits a dragon screw onto Okada.\u00a0 Atlantis starts working on Ultimo\u2019s mask and gets it untied, but he gets out of the ring.\u00a0 Gran comes in instead and punches Atlantis but Atlantis armdrags him and hits backbreakers on all three of his opponents.\u00a0 He then takes off Ultimo\u2019s mask (don\u2019t fret, Atlantis beat Ultimo in a mask match last year, he shouldn\u2019t have been wearing it in the first place) before monkey flipping Ultimo out of the ring.\u00a0 Volador and Okada get in the ring and Volador hits a hurricanrana.\u00a0 Ultimo gets in the ring with Volador, Volador armdrags him out of the ring and Gran takes his place.\u00a0 Spinning headscissors by Volador, Gran falls out of the ring as well and Volador hits a slingshot hurricanrana.\u00a0 Tanahashi and Ultimo get in the ring, Gran tries to help but Ultimo kicks him on accident and Tanahashi hits a Sling Blade on Ultimo for two.\u00a0 Tanahashi tags in Atlantis but Ultimo hits a front suplex on Atlantis.\u00a0 Atlantis armdrags Ultimo off the top turnbuckle and goes for a Frankensteiner but Ultimo blocks it and hits a powerbomb.\u00a0 Volador and Gran get in the ring and Gran hits a side slam.\u00a0 Twisting cutter by Gran, but Volador hits a backstabber for a two count.\u00a0 Volador puts Gran up top but Gran throws him to the mat.\u00a0 Fireman carry slam by Gran, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Volador kicks him before he can jump off and Gran hits a hurricanrana while both of them are standing on the top rope.\u00a0 Okada and Tanahashi come in, and Okada hits a flapjack.\u00a0 Okada and Tanahashi trade elbows and uppercuts, Tanahashi ducks the Rainmaker and hits a Sling Blade.\u00a0 Ultimo and Atlantis are back in but Ultimo tumbles over the top rope, Atlantis then hits a tope suicida on him.\u00a0 Back in, Atlantis puts Ultimo in the Atlantida and Ultimo quickly submits, Atlantis and company are the winners!\u00a0 This match got lots of time, had two different stories (although only Atlantis vs. Ultimo was really explored), and had great spots by Volador.\u00a0 A little disjointed at times but overall really fun.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 7.0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts:<\/strong><\/span>
\nThese shows kinda are what they are.\u00a0 Not a lot of hard hitting action, just having fun watching the CMLL and New Japan wrestlers mix it up against each other.\u00a0 There were some good spots and all of the matches went by quickly, and overall it was enjoyable.\u00a0 Just nothing really memorable, which will probably be the status quo for this tour.<\/p>\n

Grade:\u00a0 C+<\/h3>\n

Kevin Wilson of Puroresu Central<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tanahashi, Atlantis & Volador Jr. vs. Okada, Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero \/ Nakamura, Mephisto, YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tiger Mask, Stigma & Stuka Jr., more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":16738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[399,40],"tags":[234,233],"class_list":["post-16737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fsreview","category-reviews","tag-new-japan","tag-puroresu"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16737"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16757,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16737\/revisions\/16757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}