Tomorrow is the first FantasticaMania show in Korakuen Hall, and the first one that’ll be aired on NJPWWorld. Start time – for all three shows this weekend – is 6:30pm in Tokyo, and 3:30am Central time. You can find the time for your time zone here. NJPWWorld costs about $8.50 USD/157 Mexican Pesos a month (auto rebilling on the first day.)
Friday’s main event is Mistico & Volador Jr. vs Mephisto & Ultimo Guerrero, an all CMLL match which builds up two singles matches for Sunday’s show. The semimain has the trio of Dragon Lee, Tanahashi and Taguchi taking on Okada, Nakamura and Virus; good on Virus for finally finding replacements for Euforia & Polvora in the Cancerberos.
The two noteworthy matches are fourth and fifth on the card. Titan faces Barbaro Cavernario for the Mexican National Welterweight championship, a rematch of a fantastic title change from May. Cavernario’s a favorite in Japan, but this should be a stellar match regardless of the outcome. Fellow Guadalajara native Mascara Dorada also gets his CMLL Welterweight title rematch against BUSHI. The member of the Ingobernables de Japon is being groomed for a IWRG Junior Heavyweight championship next month, so it’s unlikely they’d do anything to make him look weak on this shows. Dorada’s best chance might be Atlantis getting revenge for all the trouble the Ingobernables have been giving him on this tour.
The first few matches look enjoyable too, and this should be a fun show. I’m going to try and watch this live, so maybe look for a recap tomorrow morning.
I wrote about 2000 words about why Virus is awesome for Voices of Wrestling.
The first show of the FantasticaMania tour aired earlier today on SamuraiTV. I have no idea what the CMLL rights are to airing NJPW footage – sometimes it seemed like they didn’t even have a NJPWWorld account to pull video of Mascara Dorada for their news pieces – but it’s little surprising CMLL doesn’t find a way to air these big CMLL matches on a CMLL TV show.
Chris DeJoseph talked about Lucha Underground on the Wrestling Mayhem Show. Lucha Underground Season 2 will be 26 episodes over 27 hours. Ultima Lucha 2 encompasses the last three shows, and the season finale is a double length show as last year. Ultima Lucha is being taped next week, and (based on my math) should air from July 6th to July 20th. Season 3 sounds like it’s still happening, and maybe starting by that point, and I’m not sure how much of a gap there will be between seasons this year.
DeJoseph mentioned there’s a bit more backstage vignettes in the first half of the series, as they get into the backstory for characters. That’ll involved scenes away from the temple and flashbacks to previous times. (All of those wouldn’t be seen by anyone going to tapings.) It’d be more wrestling in the second half. DeJoseph said people would die in season 2, but also Bael’s death would come up again. DeJoseph mentioned he’s seen the first five episodes and liked how they’re coming, but also noted the difference in the schedule this year: they were able to make midseason adjustments last season after seeing the reaction to the first bunch of shows, but this year will be almost all done taping by the time the first episode airs.
DeJospeh said WWE came after the Lucha Underground wrestlers, trying to sign everyone else to kneecap LU, and believing they tried the same with ROH & TNA. It’s kind of strange that WWE was able to successfully raid NJPW but only could get Alberto from LU. I think that’s more an issue with NJPW.
I had the count as 28 episodes before, but it turns out the Sunday triple tapings are more like two and a half shows. They’re also doing a bit of taping out of order. I’d guess those military scenes in the trailer might be one of the flashbacks. I also wonder if the shot of Cisco in prison orange might have something to do with people figuring out what happened to Bael.
Alberto had a one day media tour of Mexico yesterday, promoting the debut of GBG Sports Magazine where he’s on the cover. You can flip thru the magazine here, though it’s kind of in tiny print. (Kind of odd to promote an interview by having someone do other interviews.) A week ago, Caristico blamed his problems in WWE on the other Mexicans who were there. Alberto was one of those Mexicans, so the press asked Alberto what he thought. Alberto said he hadn’t heard what Caristico had to say, didn’t even know he had a new name now, but Caristico should shut his mouth. Alberto said Caristico had everything on a silver platter, given opportunities no other Mexican was ever given, but still ruined his own career by not working hard. He’s happy the current Sin Cara and Kalisto are doing things the right way.
It sounds like Alberto was otherwise still being his heel WWE character, but much subtler: he declared no Mexican wrestler has had his level of success in an interview with Record. (I guess Rey is not a Mexican wrestler for the purposes of that line.) He gave credit to Kalisto but said he’d keep his title, and said the League of Nations has a lot of stars and simply needs some time to learn to work together as a team. In a group interview, Alberto praises everyone while Juventud Guerrera plays loud music.
+LuchaTV also has video clips of the magazine presentation, Alberot talking about Sombra & Kalisto, the situation with AAA (Alberto still insisting he would’ve gone back to AAA for a goodbye since he always leaves promotion on good terms if they didn’t change the schedule) and Alberto’s return to WWE which Alberto says he was talking to WWE all along.
The same magazine also has a video interview with Atlantis.
After the Copa Junior final, Puma would like to change his name. He denied he was a member of the Casas family early in the career, but now feels like he’s capable of carrying the name and would like to go by Felino Jr. or Puma Casas. He notes the choice to pick his name is out of hands, and it wouldn’t be a change happening soon. Meanwhile, Esfinge wants to face Felino (since he beat Tiger and Puma during the tournament), or team with Titan & Triton to face all three cats.
ChilangaMask 03/20 3rd Anniversary card so far
los Caifanes vs Los Traumas
Tigre Universitario vs Jeque
new: Makabre, Shiryu Dragon vs Wotan, Impulso
Box Y Lucha posted a video flip thru of issue 948 from 1970. I thought this was the one they had on the website as a download before, but I don’t actually have the lineups so it must be new.
Maximo has heard Cibernetico challenging him for the title and would be open to it. I have no idea how that match would go and hope we get it.
Cibernetico is part of a video series promoting Mexico City as a place to shoot movies. Cibernetico doing a sit down interview in Arena Mexico is still very strange.
Eric Mutter previews Friday’s Arena Mexico show.
Texano promo for Guerra de Titanes. And a Psycho Clown interview to the same effect. It’s blocked in the US, but Televisa has interviews hyping those two up as facing in Guerra de Titanes. It’s feels a little strange that a feud from 2014 which was mostly dormant in 2015 is the centerpiece of the first show of 2016, but that’s the cards AAA are holding.
An ESTO interview with Super Halcon Jr. mentions he’s also a graphic designer.
Demus hypes a February match with Yoruba.
Dr. Karonte is happy to be honored.
Lineups
DTU SN (SUN) 01/31/2016 Gimnasio Paralimpico de la Unidad Deportiva Sur, Irapuato, Guanajuato
1) ? vs ??
local wrestlers
2) ?, Eclipse, Sikma vs Destello, Perro Callejero, Perro Callejero Jr.
3) Black Fire & Tony vs Adrenalina & Vengador and Johnny Idol & Kastigador
4) Susumu vs Aero Boy, Pesadilla, Jinzo, Drastik Boy
5) Ángel o Demonio & Ovett vs Maremoto & Maremoto Jr.
6) Dragón Rojo Jr. & Stuka Jr. vs Lanzeloth & Rocky Lobo and Jimmy & Kevin Nerd
7) Psicosis II & Violento Jack vs Juventud Rebelde & Pólux and Cíclope & Miedo Extremo
This is the home build for Rebelde & Maremoto, who are often in early DTU matches. DTU also announced Ayako Hamada will appear on their March 20th.