{"id":17514,"date":"2015-02-28T13:02:37","date_gmt":"2015-02-28T18:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/?p=17514"},"modified":"2015-02-28T13:10:50","modified_gmt":"2015-02-28T18:10:50","slug":"new-japan-presents-cmll-fantastica-mania-11815","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/reviews\/new-japan-presents-cmll-fantastica-mania-11815\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Spirit Review: New Japan Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania 1\/18\/15"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kevin Wilson – Puroresu Central<\/a><\/p>\n

Date:\u00a0 January 18th, 2015
\nLocation:\u00a0 Tokyo Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
\nAnnounced Attendance:\u00a0 1,950<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last year the CMLL Fantastica events were great fun, so they decided to do it again this year.\u00a0 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:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, and \u00c1ngel de Oro\u00a0vs. Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, and Gedo
\n–\u00a0OKUMURA, Mr. Niebla,\u00a0and El Barbaro Cavernario\u00a0vs. Rey Cometa, Trit\u00f3n,\u00a0and KUSHIDA
\n–\u00a0M\u00e1scara Don, M\u00e1scara Dorada,\u00a0and Captain New Japan vs. Tetsuya Naito, Ryusuke Taguchi, and La Sombra
\n–\u00a0NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship: <\/em>Volador Jr. vs. Gran Guerrero
\n–\u00a0National Light Heavyweight Championship:<\/em> Mephisto\u00a0vs. Stuka Jr.
\n–\u00a0Hiroshi Tanahashi, Mistico II,\u00a0and Stigma\u00a0vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, and Polvora
\n–\u00a0Atlantis vs. Ultimo Guerrero<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like I mentioned, lots of CMLL stuff on this one, with a few matches also having New Japan wrestlers as well.<\/p>\n

Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, and \u00c1ngel de Oro vs. Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, and Gedo
\n<\/strong>Liger and Gedo start things off, Liger gets Gedo to the mat but Gedo gets out of it.\u00a0 Gedo offers Liger his hand, Liger doesn\u2019t take it, so Gedo gives the referee a hug to show how nice he is.\u00a0 Liger agrees to the handshake but Gedo pokes him in the eyes, naturally.\u00a0 Even Sting saw that one coming.\u00a0 Double chops by Liger and he leaves the ring with Gedo, hitting a backbreaker.\u00a0 Tiger Mask is up next with Oro.\u00a0 Tiger Mask has some weird Tiger Mask\/Liger mask hybrid.\u00a0 Ishii chops and headbutts Tiger Mask but Tiger Mask kicks him into the corner.\u00a0 Tiger Mask kicks Ishii out of the ring, so Oro comes in to face off with YOSHI-HASHI.\u00a0 Hurricanrana by Oro, YOSHI-HASHI drops him on the apron and Gedo pulls him out of the ring.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Ishii is tagged in and he goes for Tiger Mask\u2019s mask since he is the heel in the match and that is what heels do.\u00a0 Ishii chops Oro in the corner as he came in the ring, and YOSHI-HASHI throws Oro back out of it.\u00a0 Liger comes in with YOSHI-HASHI but Liger gets away.\u00a0 YOSHI-HASHI knocks Liger out of the ring but Oro comes in with a crossbody.\u00a0\u00a0 Quebrada by Oro, Irish whip and Oro hits a dropkick.\u00a0 YOSHI-HASHI falls out of the ring, Oro does a no hands rebound and then hits a pescado.\u00a0 Tiger Mask comes back in and kicks Gedo in the corner before hitting a Tiger Driver.\u00a0 Tiger Mask goes up top but Gedo avoids a diving headbutt.\u00a0 Submission by Tiger Mask but it is immediately broken up.\u00a0 Oro goes off the ropes and hits the Sasuke Special while in the ring Gedo kicks Tiger Mask.\u00a0 Gedo goes for the Gedo Clutch by Tiger Mask blocks it, crucifix pin by Tiger Mask and he gets the three count.\u00a0 This was fine, nothing offensive.\u00a0 Oro flies around well and Tiger Mask seemed motivated, but nothing memorable.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 5.5<\/span><\/p>\n

OKUMURA and El Barbaro Cavernario vs. Trit\u00f3n and KUSHIDA<\/strong>
\nOKUMURA and Trit\u00f3n start off and they trade holds, trips, and snapmares.\u00a0 Trit\u00f3n kicks OKUMURA out of the ring, so KUSHIDA and Cavernario come in the ring next.\u00a0 KUSHIDA messes with Cavernario, Cavernario throws him down and returns the favor.\u00a0 Armdrags by KUSHIDA to Cavernario and OKUMURA.\u00a0 KUSHIDA hits a seated senton onto OKUMURA from the apron, Trit\u00f3n comes in and hurricanranas Cavernario out of the ring.\u00a0 Step-up Asai Moonsault by Trit\u00f3n to the floor, as KUSHIDA and OKUMURA come in the ring.\u00a0 Cavernario dropkicks KUSHIDA as Trit\u00f3n gets back in, spinebuster by Cavernario to Trit\u00f3n and he hits a reverse splash.\u00a0 OKUMURA and Cavernario hit lariats in the corner and Cavernario hits a bulldog.\u00a0 Trit\u00f3n comes in, he hits a hurricanrana on Cavernario and KUSHIDA runs in to hit elbows.\u00a0 Standing moonsault by KUSHIDA to OKUMURA and Cavernario, then Trit\u00f3n goes off the ropes and KUSHIDA catapults him into Cavernario.\u00a0 Swandive hurricanrana by Trit\u00f3n to OKUMURA but Cavernario kicks Trit\u00f3n out of the ring.\u00a0 Handspring elbow by KUSHIDA and he throws Cavernario out of the ring.\u00a0 OKUMURA pulls KUSHIDA out to the floor, Cavernario goes up top and hits a plancha down onto KUSHIDA.\u00a0 In the ring Trit\u00f3n hits a hurricanrana on OKUMURA for a two count.\u00a0 OKUMURA applies a crab hold and he picks up the submission victory.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 4.0<\/span><\/p>\n

M\u00e1scara Don, M\u00e1scara Dorada, and Captain New Japan vs. Naito, Taguchi, and La Sombra<\/strong>
\nDorada and La Sombra \u00a0start things off.\u00a0 Dorada goes for a flip but he slips and La Sombra \u00a0lariats him.\u00a0 Hurricanrana by both men and they miss dropkicks.\u00a0 Naito and Taguchi come in next, and Taguchi hits a hip attack.\u00a0 Double chop by Naito and Taguchi falls out of the ring.\u00a0 Captain New Japan and Naito get in the ring, Naito knocks Captain New Japan in the corner and tags in Taguchi.\u00a0 Dropkick by Naito and he tags in La Sombra .\u00a0 La Sombra \u00a0chops Captain New Japan and tags in Taguchi.\u00a0 Don comes in to help clear out Captain New Japan\u2019s teammates.\u00a0 Everyone attacks Captain New Japan in the corner and Naito finishes with a catapult dropkick.\u00a0 Punches by Captain New Japan and he hits a double shoulderblock, giving him time to tag in Naito.\u00a0 Don lariats everyone (Don is Nakanishi, just in case you weren\u2019t aware), and he hits a double vertical suplex.\u00a0 Double lariat by Don and he tags in Dorada.\u00a0 Dorada dropkicks Taguchi and Naito, he drops Taguchi on the apron and then dropkicks Naito in the knee.\u00a0 La Sombra powerslams Dorada but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Elbows by La Sombra but Dorada catches him with a slam and tags in Captain New Japan.\u00a0 Shoulderblock by Captain New Japan, he goes up top but La Sombra avoids the diving headbutt.\u00a0 Double flip moonsault by La Sombra but it gets broken up.\u00a0 Hirai End by Captain New Japan, but La Sombra kicks out.\u00a0 Naito and Taguchi run in, enzigieri by Taguchi and Naito hits a uranage.\u00a0 Don hits a pescado of sorts onto Naito and Taguchi, Dorada comes in the ring and hits a tope con hilo.\u00a0 Captain New Japan goes off the ropes but La Sombra hits a dropkick.\u00a0 La Sombra hits the Hollywood Star Press and gets the three count.\u00a0\u00a0 I really like Sombra, but otherwise just a pretty normal six man tag match.\u00a0 Some nice spots though.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 5.0<\/span><\/p>\n

(c) Volador Jr. vs. Gran Guerrero<\/strong>
\nThis match is for the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship.\u00a0 They go back and forth to start, Volador Jr. flings Guerrero out of the ring and sails out onto him with a tope suicida.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t 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.\u00a0 Tope con hilo by Guerrero and they return to the ring.\u00a0 Headscissors by Volador Jr. and he hits a slingshot hurricanrana down to the floor.\u00a0 Back in, Volador Jr. kicks Guerrero back and goes for a swandive move, but Guerrero catches him and hits a powerbomb.\u00a0 Wrist clutch cutter by Guerrero but it gets a two.\u00a0 Thrust kick by Volador Jr. and he hits the Backstabber.\u00a0 Chops by Guerrero but Volador Jr. hits another thrust kick.\u00a0 Guerrero goes up top but Volador Jr. knocks him off.\u00a0 Kick to the face by Volador Jr. and he gets a two count.\u00a0 Volador Jr. charges Guerrero but Guerrero dumps him out to the floor.\u00a0 Swandive missile dropkick by Volador Jr. and he hits an Asai Moonsault.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Kinda beats the point.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Swinging side slam by Guerrero but Volador Jr. snaps off a hurricanrana for a two count.\u00a0 Volador Jr. puts Guerrero on the top turnbuckle but Guerrero slams him to the mat.\u00a0 Guerrero goes back up tope but Volador Jr. recovers, kick by Volador Jr. and he hits a top rope hurricanrana for two.\u00a0 Guerrero gets Volador Jr. on the back and hits a chokeslam for a two count.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Ok I am all for high spots but can we at least pretend to sell moves correctly?\u00a0 I lost count of how many times the wrestler that had the move done on them, did the next move in the match.\u00a0 The moves had literally no impact whatsoever because the wrestlers were just going to the next spot.\u00a0 I enjoyed the high spots, flying around is fun, but it was just an exhibition match.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 6.0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

(c) Mephisto vs. Stuka Jr.<\/strong>
\nThis match is for the National Light Heavyweight Championship.\u00a0 I\u2019m one of eight people in the world that likes Mephisto, I think.\u00a0 I like his mask.\u00a0 Mephisto tosses tons of fun to the mat but they return to their feet.\u00a0 Armdrags by Stuka Jr. and he hurricanranas Mephisto out of the ring.\u00a0 Stuka Jr. then goes off the ropes and barely makes it out with a tope suicida.\u00a0 Back in the ring Stuka Jr. hits a hurricanrana for a two count.\u00a0 Mephisto drops Stuka Jr. on the apron and slides out of the ring, and Stuka Jr. hits an Asai Moonsault.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 Sunset flip powerbomb by Stuka Jr. but it gets two.\u00a0 Devil\u2019s Wings by Mephisto but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Mephisto gets out of the ring, Stuka Jr. goes out after him and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.\u00a0 Back in the ring Stuka Jr. hits a monkey flip.\u00a0 Double underhook facebuster by Stuka Jr. and he covers Mephisto for two.\u00a0 Stuka Jr. goes up top but Mephisto gets his feet up when he goes for a moonsault.\u00a0 Mephisto picks up Stuka Jr., scoop slam, he goes up top but Stuka Jr. recovers and joins him.\u00a0 Superplex by Stuka Jr., he slams Mephisto in front of the corner and hits the torpedo splash.\u00a0 He hits a second one, cover, but Mephisto gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Stuka Jr. puts Mephisto on the top turnbuckle and he hits an Avalanche Devil\u2019s Wings.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Mephisto throws Stuka Jr. into the corner, reversed, and Mephisto jumps up on the top turnbuckle.\u00a0 Stuka Jr. joins him, punches by Stuka Jr. but Mephisto hits another Avalanche Devil\u2019s Wings for the three count.\u00a0 That is my least favorite ending to a match ever, Lucha already can look overly contrived but that took things to a new level.\u00a0 Definitely a step down from the last match, a few fun spots but otherwise disappointing.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 4.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Mistico II, and Stigma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, and Polvora<\/strong>
\nMistico and Okada start things off.\u00a0 Headscissors by Mistico and Mistico tags in Tanahashi.\u00a0 Polvora comes in too, armdrag by Tanahashi but Polvora returns the favor.\u00a0 Shoulderblock by Tanahashi but Polvora dropkicks him.\u00a0 Rounding crossbody by Tanahashi and he hits an elbow.\u00a0 Tanahashi tags in Stigma as Nakamura also gets in the ring.\u00a0 Headlock by Nakamura but Stigma quickly gets out of it.\u00a0 Knee by Nakamura but Stigma hits a knee to the head.\u00a0 Armdrags by Stigma and he hits a headscissors.\u00a0 Nakamura puts Stigma up in the corner and knees Stigma in the stomach.\u00a0 After a bit of brawling, Polvora puts Mistico up on the top turnbuckle and goes for his mask.\u00a0 Okada dropkicks Stigma, Tanahashi gets isolated and clobbered.\u00a0 Okada and Nakamura hit a double atomic drop on Tanahashi.\u00a0 Stigma is next to get his ass kicked by everyone, but Stigma gets away and hits a swandive missile dropkick on Nakamura.\u00a0 Big spots from everyone, and team Tanahashi stands tall in the ring.\u00a0 Mistico and Polvora pair off and Polvora hits a Liger Bomb.\u00a0 Mistico sets up Polvora on the ropes, he then goes to the apron and hits a swandive hurricanrana.\u00a0 Okada comes in and elbows Mistico, Stigma enters the ring and knocks Okada to the mat.\u00a0 Flapjack by Okada and he goes for a tombstone, but Stigma gets out of it.\u00a0 Inverted powerslam by Nakamura to Tanahashi.\u00a0 Stigma does something sloppy and poorly thought out to Nakamura, and Tanahashi hits a cannonball onto Okada.\u00a0 Mistico and Polvora get back in the ring, Mistico hits La Mistica and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Well this was a nothing match.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t even have many high spots, just the usual \u2018everyone gangs up on the faces, faces make a comeback, faces win\u2019 match.\u00a0 Without tagging it kills the suspense of a wrestler trying to get to his corner, and some of the moves weren\u2019t crisp (putting it lightly).\u00a0 Not a good display here.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 3.5<\/span><\/p>\n

Atlantis vs. Ultimo Guerrero<\/strong>
\nThey jockey around to start and trade submissions on the mat.\u00a0 Big boot by Ultimo Guerrero and he slams Atlantis into the corner.\u00a0 Ultimo Guerrero lays Atlantis down on the apron and baseball slides him out to the floor.\u00a0 Atlantis goes to the other side of the railing but Ultimo Guerrero jumps over it and attacks Atlantis.\u00a0 Back in the ring Ultimo Guerrero goes for Atlantis\u2019s mask but stops after a moment and chops Atlantis in the corner.\u00a0 Ultimo Guerrero jumps down on Atlantis in the corner but Atlantis moves on the second attempt and dumps Ultimo Guerrero out of the ring.\u00a0 Atlantis goes out after him but Ultimo Guerrero regains the advantage.\u00a0 They return to the ring and Ultimo Guerrero hits a lariat.\u00a0 Ultimo Guerrero goes for Atlantis\u2019s mask but Atlantis hits a backbreaker.\u00a0 Atlantis flips Ultimo Guerrero out of the ring and then sails out onto him with a tope suicida.\u00a0 Ultimo Guerrero pushes Atlantis in the corner and chops him, but Atlantis chops him back.\u00a0 Lariat by Atlantis, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Lariat by Ultimo Guerrero, cover, but it still gets two.\u00a0 Hurricanrana by Atlantis but he also gets only a two count.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Back in the ring, Ultimo Guerrero gets Atlantis on his back but Atlantis hits a victory roll and they trade pin attempts.<\/p>\n

Ultimo Guerrero gets on Atlantis\u2019s shoulders and they do the roll-up routine again, still with no result.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Ultimo Guerrero goes up top again but Atlantis joins him and armdrags him to the mat.\u00a0 Atlantis puts Ultimo Guerrero on the top turnbuckle and goes for a Frankensteiner, but Ultimo Guerrero catches him and hits a powerbomb.\u00a0 Ultimo Guerrero charges Atlantis, Atlantis gets him on his back but Ultimo Guerrero squirts away, getting a two count roll-up.\u00a0 Backbreaker by Atlantis and he hits a second one.\u00a0 Scoop slam by Atlantis and he goes up top, but Ultimo Guerrero recovers and joins him.\u00a0 Ultimo Guerrero nails the Guerrero Special, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 I gotta say this match was really good.\u00a0 These guys aren\u2019t 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.\u00a0 Even more importantly they actually know how to structure a match, as there were only a few small transition issues.\u00a0 It was paced really well and felt like a back and forth battle, not a high spot exhibition.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 8.0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Final Thoughts:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The old guys showed the young guys something on this show.\u00a0 While most of the card just screamed \u201chalf-ass exhibition\u201d, the main event was really quality wrestling.\u00a0 The high spots were spaced out so they meant something, and then actually sold (imagine that).\u00a0 They still had the big power moves when needed but didn\u2019t rush anything, and it felt like the match ended exactly when it should have.\u00a0 The rest of the card was completely skippable in every way, making this essentially a one match card.\u00a0 I still can\u2019t recommend it overall, but it wasn\u2019t a completely throwaway event at least.<\/p>\n

Grade:\u00a0 D+<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Atlantis vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, and \u00c1ngel de Oro vs. Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, and Gedo, 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":[279,234,233],"class_list":["post-17514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fsreview","category-reviews","tag-cmll","tag-new-japan","tag-puroresu"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17514","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=17514"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17524,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17514\/revisions\/17524"}],"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=17514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}