Fantasticamania is a joint promotion tour between CMLL in Mexico and New Japan Pro Wrestling in Japan (believe it or not.) This year it was a 5-day tour, and I'm reviewing the opener of day 3. This match comes from Korakuen hall, Tokyo.
NJPW/CMLL FANTASTICAMANIA (20th JANUARY 2017)
All four of these men are fairly new to me, I've seen a lot online of Ospreay on the internet and am looking forward to seeing his work. Henare is a rookie in NJPW (or Young Lion) making his debut in 2016 and is originally from New Zealand. Ephesto is a 25 year Lucha Libre veteran but I don't have much exposure to Lucha Libre so this is the first I've heard of him. Blue Panther Jr. looks old, so this is the classic Lucha Libre and Puroseu tactic of teaming a Young Boy with an older veteran, to hide the more experienced wrestlers' limitations, and get the rookies used to working. This being Ospreay's first tour, he's going to get the rookie treatment too, which seems fair.
I don't know if there was an issue with the music they used on the tour or something, but there is no sound for Ospreay and Ephesto's entrance, Ospreay comes out with a championship belt, I can't see it, but a bit of research allows me to guess it's the RPW British Cruiserweight championship. A belt he would put on the backburner the next day as the promotion created an interim champion whilst Ospreay is in Japan and can't defend the belt. Henare charges to the ring before his opponents have really finished their entrances and old Blue Demon Jr. follows behind. We get all four men announced and the CMLL competitors start this 20-minute time limit, one fall match off.
Blue Panther Jr. soaks in some support from the crowd, and they go to lock up. Ephesto quickly gets behind BPJ and drops to a knee. BPJ gets a hammerlock but Ephesto takes him down with a single leg.Ephesto grapevines the leg, and Blue Panter Junior is able to roll onto his front. Ephesto takes his back and climbs to a backpack sleeper. BPJ uses pure power to get back to his feet, but Ephesto stretches BPJ's back over his knee. BPJ again powers out into a top wristlock, but Ephesto cuts him off with a right hand and a clubbing blow. BPJ reverses an irish whip, but Ephesto gets a sunset flip, BPJ rolls through and dives for a cover, but Ephesto quickly kicks off. Ephesto sweeps a leg again and rides BPJ, both men get back to their feet and BPJ sends Ephesto down with a shoulder block. Ospreay and Henare both get tagged in. They lock up and Henare gets control of Ospreay's arm. Ospreay rolls through and shimmies his way around the ring before kipping up and flipping Henare down to the mat, looking rather pleased with himself, congratulating himself with a dab.
Ospreay turns around into Henare charging at him with a kick to the gut. Henare gets a side headlock but Ospreay shoves him off using the ropes. Henare knocks Ospreay down with a shoulder block but Ospreay springs straight back up. Ospreay tells Henare to go again. Henare runs over Ospreay, then Ospreay leapfrogs the return journey, he helps Henare with momentum then hits a standing dropkick, sending Henare into the corner. Ospreay tells Ephesto to go for him before knocking BPJ off the apron, commenting “stop that.” Ospreay's vocals have been a highlight of this match so far, and really is an advantage to wrestlers on the independent circuit. Ephesto nails Henare with a hard chop against the ropes, and Ospreay hits a right hand, sending him down to the mat. Ospreay and Ephesto send him across the ring but he ducks a double clothesline, before knocking both men down with a flying shoulder tackle. Ospreay practically did a double rotation! BPJ gets the tag and ducks an Ospreay attack before hitting a superkick, knocking him out of the ring. Ephesto's still in and it's either scramble rules or I missed the tag. I'm not sure.
BPJ runs the ropes as Ephesto goes prone, then helps him along the way. BPJ rolls over Ephesto's back then knocks Ephesto down with The Force or something and does his best Val Venis impression. They dance around (attempted hip tosses I think? I'm new to Lucha Libre) before BPJ goes on the move again. He ducks a clothesline and hits a sloppy headscissors sending Ephesto down to the floor. Ospreay gets back in the ring as we get a time announcement over the PA system (I think 5 minutes?) Ospreay gets knocked down with a pair of clotheslines. BPJ sends Ospreay across the ring, but Ospreay handsprings back off the ropes and pulls off a backflip. Ospreay leaps into a military press (“Oh my God! What the Hell!”) before Blue Panther Junior plants him with a swinging side slam (“JESUS!”) BPJ covers but Ephesto breaks it up at 2. Ospreay rolls out of the ring and it looks like it is scramble rules. I don't know if that will be a running theme for the evening, though. Ephesto hits a shoulderbreaker but only gets a 2 count. Ephesto tells the referee he should have counted faster. Both men get to their feet and BPJ hits an overhand chop. BPJ runs and again Ephesto goes prone, Ephesto ducks a clothesline and BPJ slides out of the ring. Ephesto follows him with a tope through the ropes!
Ospreay and Henare are legal now, with Ospreay barely making it to the apron before Henare charges. Ospreay catches him and hits his head off the turnbuckle, before hitting a kick to the head. Ospreay springboards back in the ring but gets caught. Henare takes him down and locks in a boston crab. Ephesto enters the ring and chops Henare, but he keeps it locked in, saying “fuck you” to Ephesto. Ephesto hits another chop, but it just seems to fire Henare up. Running boot finally releases the hold. Ephesto runs into a jumping shoulder block and Henare locks the boston crab in on him. Ospreay's having none of that though and hits a sick jumping roundhouse to Henare! Henare rolls out of the ring and Ospreay hits a cartwheel into a no hands moonsault over the top! Ephesto stamps his feet, crowd willing him to fly too but BPJ snuck in the ring behind him, Ephesto runs into a pair of tilt-a-whirl backbreakers before Blue Panther Jr. gets El Nudo Lagunero (a standing figure four) for the submission victory.
The MVP of the match was without a doubt Ospreay. Although that could be my mind telling me what I want to hear. Ospreay was able to use his high flying style to mesh well with the Lucha guys, and his verbals whilst questionable in his environment (Japan's not a very “Westernized” country when it comes to speaking English.) but it added to the match for me personally. Henare definitely has that rookie stench, including the boston crab to try and finish the match (a “Young Lion” special in Japan) but the intensity he put into it really added to the match. Ephesto and Blue Panther Jr. didn't do a lot for me, only working the more basic Lucha stuff in the match, and BPJ isn't in great in ring shape but the match flew by and was easy enough to watch. – Rating: 3.5/10
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