NJPW/CMLL Fantastica Mania results: Volador Jr. vs. Ultimo Guerrero

The Big Takeaway —

After Dragon Lee got the upper hand on him the night before, Hiromu Takahashi made it clear he had the momentum going into New Beginning. Mistico showed off what he could do as he defeated Euforia. In the main event, Ultimo Guerrero was bested by Volador Jr. Maximo kissed a lot of people.

Gedo, Jado & Barbaro Cavernario defeated Blue Panther Jr., Henare & Soberano Jr.

Solid opener. Soberano Jr. looked really good, launching off with a great Asai moonsault to the outside. Cavernario’s shoulder was all taped up, and again, didn’t do much aside from a dissension comedy spot early between he, Gedo, and Jado.

He managed to get in there just enough to score the submission win over Euphoria with the la Cavernaria.

Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask & Stuka Jr. defeated Hechicero, Okumura & Raziel

This was fun. The match was built around one spot where Raziel and Tiger Mask somehow pulled off each other’s masks and ended up wearing the other’s mask to cover up their faces. Liger then attacked Tiger Mask thinking he was Raziel.

The rest of the match was pretty fun, with Stuka Jr. doing a torpedo that took out Okumura and Mima Shimoda. Tiger Mask picked up the win after a tiger bomb and a tiger suplex.

Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI defeated Dragon Lee & Titan

Another solid bout. It started off with great stereo suicide dives that took out Takahashi and BUSHI. Titan wiped out BUSHI on the outside with an Asai moonsault. Dragon Lee and Takahashi had another exchange that ended with Takahashi nailing Lee with a superkick.

BUSHI was then able to get a surprise win with a crucifix bridge. Lee jumped Takahashi after the match but Takahashi got the better of it, ripping off Lee’s mask and licked it. They face off at the New Beginning in Osaka on February 11th.

Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay & Ephesto defeated Maximo Sexy, Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi

Good match. Okada came out wearing a mask like King’s from the Tekken video game series. The match was built around Maximo wanting to kiss Will Ospreay. He tried to do it early, but kissed Juice Robinson by accident. He eventually achieved his goal. Okada came in and worked a ton with Taguchi before getting the pin with the Rainmaker.

Maximo went on a kissing spree after the match, kissing an announcer and also Okada, who fainted after being kissed.

Tetsuya Naito, Rush, SANADA & EVIL defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Atlantis, KUSHIDA & David Finlay

Good match that was full of action and cool dives. KUSHIDA did a great one, diving off with a crossbody off the turnbuckle to the outside. Rush and Atlantis interacted for a bit, and Rush was really great in just being a total heel. I think he’s one of the best heels in any promotion right now.

LIJ ganged up on Finlay as Naito and EVIL dished out their double team finish, the Out of Control. Rush and the rest of LIJ beat up KUSHIDA and Tanahashi after the match.

Mistico defeated Euforia

This was a good match, and a great highlight reel showing how much Mistico has improved in the last few years. He did his first flip of the night, wiping out Euforia on the outside with an Asai moonsault and also did a great springboard shooting star press to the outside.

This was really a great showcase for Mistico as he did a bunch of cool stuff, including a hurricanrana off the top rope to the floor. He eventually took down Euforia and submitted him with la Mistica.

Volador Jr. defeated Ultimo Guerrero

Good main event. Nothing blowaway, but both men did cool dives and worked a pretty hot crowd. Ultimo Guerrero took advantage early, brawling with Volador throughout the crowd and on the outside. Volador came back with a hurricanrana off the ring and to the floor.

He tried for a big swanton bomb to the outside but Ultimo Guerrero powerbombed him and followed with a crossbody that wiped out the young lions at ringside. Guerrero went for a headstand on the ring post but Volador shoved him off and did another hurricanrana to the floor. Ultimo Guerrero came back, sat Volador down on a chair, and did a running dive through the barricade in a cool spot.

Volador kicked out of the Guerrero special. Volador met Guerrero on the top rope and launched off with the Spanish fly and pinned Guerrero. Volador and Ultimo Guerrero said complimentary things to one another after the match. Everyone on the tour came out to celebrate and take pictures as the show went off the air.

Final Thoughts —

This was another solid card, top to bottom like the other shows. I think out of the three this was the strongest card overall, though last night’s crowd was a bit hotter for top matches.

Regardless, all three shows were fun and did a good job in building the Junior title match for the New Beginning next month, as well as just creating a really fun atmosphere that’s unique from any other tour New Japan does in their calendar year.