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1/22 NJPW FANTASTICAMANIA TOUR FINALE IN TOKYO, JAPAN REPORT

By Matthew Macklin on 2017-01-22 10:45:00

NJPW/CMLL Fantasticamania, January 22, Korakuen Hall:

This was the final show of the annual tour.

Barbaro Cavernario, Gedo & Jado defeated Blue Panther Jr., Soberano Jr. & Henare.  Soberano had another standout performance here. I really hope he's part of the Best of the Super Juniors after this. His athleticism is spectacular. He hit a double springboard Asai moonsault on Jado & Gedo. This was a solid opener. Henare was worked over by team Gedo for a good portion. The finish saw Cavernario make Panther submit to La Cavernaria.

Stuka Jr, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. Hechicero, OKUMURA & Raziel.  This was a great comedy match. There was a great spot here where Tiger & Raziel unmasked each other at the same time and swapped masks. This led to Liger going after Tiger until Stuka Jr explained what was going on. Stuka hit tilt a whirl backbreakers on everyone on the floor, including OKUMURA's wife. The finish saw Tiger pin Raziel after a Tiger Driver and a Tiger Suplex.

Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Dragon Lee & Titan.  This was crazy. Titan & Lee caught the LIJ men with suicide dives during their entrance, and from there it never slowed down.  Lee is a really special talent.  BUSHI & Hiromu provided the chaos, while Lee & Titan took to the air. Titan hit a huge Asai moonsault.  Lee hit multiple dives to the floor. The finish saw BUSHI low blow and pin Titan with a BUSHI Roll.  Definitely watch this match. After the bell Lee attacked Hiromu, but Hiromu was able to turn it around and take Lee's mask. They meet for the IWGP Jr title at The New Beginning.

Kazuchika Okada, Ephesto & Will Ospreay defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson & Maximo Sexy.  Okada wore a mask and embraced the Lucha spirit. He pulled out lots of different moves and got involved in some comedy with Taguchi.  Maximo spent most of the match trying to kiss Ospreay, which eventually had its pay off.  The finish saw Okada hit a rolling elbow and a Rainmaker on Taguchi. It was a pretty fun match. After the match Maximo kissed everyone including the announcer and Okada.

RUSH, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & EVIL defeated Atlantis, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & David Finlay
This was excellent. The best of the LIJ tag matches on these shows.  The crowd were red hot for this. Rush & Atlantus went at it again. EVIL & Tanahashi showed good chemistry and teased a singles match. SANADA looked incredible and had a lightning quick exchange with KUSHIDA.  Finlay countered some of Naito's big moves before Naito & EVIL put him down with a double spinebuster. After the match LIJ continued the attack, targeting the arm of KUSHIDA. This was another dominant performance from LIJ. They're the best faction in pro wrestling, with nothing else even coming close.

Mistico defeated Euphoria.  This was great! This saw the flying and speed of Mistico vs the power of Euphoria. Mistico was sensational here. He hit a hurricanrana when he jumped off part of the stage and over some fans. He also jumped off the top rope, landing on the shoulders and hitting a perfect rana on the floor. Euphoria was able to toss Mistico around and tried to take some short cuts to win.  The finish saw Mistico win via submission with La Mistica. Well worth checking this one out.

Volador Jr defeated Ultimo Guerrero.  There wasn't much of a story to this match, but this was one hell of a crazy spectacle. It built and built with one crazy move after another. If you're into Lucha, these two are two of the absolute best at that style.  Volador flew, and Guerrero used his strength advantage. He hit a running senton over the guardrail. He caught a Volador dive and powerbombed him on the floor. Volador hit hurricanrana's from the top. Guerrero hit a Gordbuster and a powerbomb from the top. Volador kicked out of a reverse suplex from the top. The finish saw Volador hit a top rope Spanish fly to finally end the madness.

This was a great show. The whole thing was fun, and the one show of the tour you should definitely watch. It's available now at NJPWWorld.com.

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