Recapped: 2017-01-22
What happened: Volador and Mistico won the two big singles matches to close out another FantasticaMania tour.
What was good: Like yesterday, every match past the opener was worth watching (and even that would be a better than average match on an average Tuesday.) The two singles matches were great and the showcase tag match could’ve fit alongside them if the first couple minutes were smoother.
Where can I watch it: It’s on NJPW World!
Match 1: Blue Panther Jr., Henare, Soberano Jr. vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Gedo, Jado
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 01/22/2017
Winner: rudos (Cavernario on Blue Panther Jr.)
Match Time: 7:44
Review: [ok] not a lot going on here, with Henare seemingly wrestling the most of his team (and a chunk of time killed thru comedy), but Soberano still managed to be awesome in short amount of time. He’s had the best possible tour for him, and the dive was a good way to finish it. Panther is not quite the flip side, but he was noticably kept out of this match until the last minute and then submitted by the much smaller and obviously hurting Cavernario.
Match 2: Jushin Liger, Stuka Jr., Tiger Mask vs Hechicero, Okumura, Raziel
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 01/22/2017
Winner: técnicos (Tiger Mask Tiger Suplex Raziel)
Match Time: 6:58
Review: [good] great silliness, with Raziel & Tiger Mask swapping masks along the way to confusing and comedy. This was a fun match with lot of shennagings in the last few minutes and Raziel doing a Rayo de Jalisco hop. They got much more out of the lesser members of the team than expected, and only after Stuka & Hechicero started this out with a really good mat segment. This was a nice surprise.
Match 3: Dragón Lee & Titán vs Bushi & Hiromu Takahashi
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 01/22/2017
Winner: LIJ (BUSHI cradle (Bushido?) Titan)
Match Time: 9:07
Notes: BUSHI distracted the referee and snuck in a heel kick foul. Dragon Lee rushed Takahashi after the match, and had to be pulled away. Takahashi rushed Lee and pulled his mask off.
Review: [good] This didn’t quite live up to hopes, but not for trying. They tried some great sequences early on which would’ve been amazing if they hit, but their positioning was off each time. LIJ really slowed it down for a while to do some mask pulling, but they wee able to pick it up again and the last few minutes of this match was really good. Lee & Takahashi feels like it’s going to be big once again.
Match 4: Juice Robinson, Máximo Sexy, Ryusuke Taguchi vs Ephesto, Okada, Will Ospreay
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 01/22/2017
Winner: rudos (Okada Rainmaker Taguchi)
Match Time: 8:17
Review: [good] Another match heavy on comedy and succesfully so. A lot of Máximo kissing spots with some solid wrestling around it. Juice & Ospreay handled the heavy portion of it and did well, but that wasn’t really what the matchw as about. I don’t know Tekken enough to know if Okada was borrowing any moves while wrestling under the mask, but it fit the show for him to try to be wrestling that way.
Match 5: Atlantis, David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kushida vs EVIL, Naito, Rush, Sanada
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 01/22/2017
Winner: LIJ (Out Of Control on Finlay)
Match Time: 9:58
Review: [good] all the LIJ tag matches this weekend have been good. This was no different. They bring really great teamwork and hot sequences to finish matches. Evil made a nice save for his partners in this one, and my favorite extra man involvement was when Sanada came from nowhere to make a double dropkick into a triple dropkick. Atlantis brought his A game to this match, driving in his final tope hard as he continued to exceed expectations the entire tour. Rush meshed well, even if he never quite got around to dropkicking anyone in the corner. This was a nice contrast to the matches before and after in tone.
Match 6: Mistico vs Euforia
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 01/22/2017
Winner: Mistico (La Mistica)
Match Time: 11:24
Review: [great] Mistico looking impressive doing crazy spots, just as it should be. He may have peaked early by breaking back out the springboard shooting star press first, but the top rope rope diving headscissors still looked pretty cool by the time he got to it. I don’t think anyone realized he was going to leap over people for a headscissors when he went for it. Definitely not the people underneath. This would’ve been tough match to do with anyone besides Euforia, who was right there for Mistico the whole way. Mistico’s come along way in the last couple of years, and hopefully this is the start of a big 2017.
Match 7: Volador Jr. vs Último Guerrero
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 01/22/2017
Winner: Volador Jr. (Spanish Fly)
Match Time: 15:50
Review: [great] A better version of the Mexico match, with both guys doing all of the usual big spots but adding a little something extra for the occasion. I assumed that little bit extra for Último Guerrero was going to be the top rope elbow smash since he couldn’t jump over a barricade, but then he found a barricade and brought in position just so he can hurdle it. Último Guerrero is a remarkable person. Volador was just as good, with his diving headscissors to the announce side the most impressive spot to me. This was just generally paced better than a Mexico match, with less rest breaks between move. (No one missed not having two pointless falls too.) It also felt like guys got on more of a run, or at least got two moves straight in a row instead of one. There is still a sameish feeling with the other matches they’ve had, but this still felt worth watching on it’s own. I don’t need to see this again in Mexico, but I’m glad we got to see it here.
