Credit: Volador seems to be turning into Brian Cage.
Fantastica Mania has been slowly making its way around Japan delivering its unique blend of lucha and puroresu. As usual, most people are ignoring this weirdly wonderful NJPW/CMLLtour, but not I! I’m the weirdo using my time to review it. Come with me and embrace the fun.
Fantastica Mania is quietly one of my favourite times of the year. Post-Wrestle Kingdom the NJPW roster gets together with their CMLL pals to piss around for a tour, what’s not to love about that? There will be some build for New Beginning, but this tour will mainly be focused on wacky lucha fun. I can’t wait.
If you’re new to NJPW, think of New Year Dash as a bit like the Raw after WrestleMania. With the big show out of the way, it’s time to set-up the year ahead with recent years featuring the return of Suzuki-gun and Jay White turning down Kenny Omega and Bullet Club. With the Dome seeing a changing of the guard, it’s an interesting time for New Japan fans, and this show will give us an insight as to what we should expect.
Now we’ve got all that Christmas and New Year malarky out the way we can get down to the real business. It’s Wrestle Kingdom season, truly the most wonderful time of the year. Last year I put together a little preview/prediction post intended for people who haven’t watched much NJPW, and I’ve decided to do it again. I’m going to dive into the background of each match, how I think they’ll go and who should come out as the winner. WRESTLE KINGDOM!
With music and films out of the way, it’s time to finish the year with a list that actually reflects the name of the site, it’s wrassling time. First, though, I have a few disclaimers. This list will be New Japan heavy because I mainly watch New Japan. I’m also limiting myself to one match per a feud and as I have reviewed a lot of these before I’ll be linking to my previous reviews rather than going in depth. I will, however, talk a bit about those I haven’t had a chance to ramble about. Right, let’s do this.
Sanada looks shocked to have found himself in this position. Credit: NJPW
We’ve made it! After what feels like years, it’s time for me to close out World Tag League by reviewing the all-important final. Who will seal that hallowed spot at Wrestle Kingdom? That’s not something that you can earn by just walking through the curtain and demanding to be added to the match… Anyway, unlike the rest of the tour, I’m going to review the whole show because why not? We’re entering Dome season, so I’m in an excellent mood. Let’s do this!
Disgraceful behaviour from Red Shoes. Credit: NJPW
One of these matches is pivotal in deciding who goes to the final of this tournament and the other means fuck all. Considering the levels of effort put into this tournament when they were still supposedly wrestling for something, I’m a bit worried about what the match for pride will look like. We must treat every New Japan day like it’s Christmas, though. They might surprise me yet.
It was nice of Despy to cover BUSHI’s face for him. Credit: NJPW
I’m not going to change my tournament long policy of ignoring the undercard, but it would be remiss to not mention what happened in the final multi-man match of this show. In what has become a common theme, The Firing Squad went after Okada post-match and Tanahashi made the save. This time, rather than rejecting the Ace’s help, Okada embraced in. In fact, Okada and Tanahashi shook hands while Korakuen Hall exploded. I watched that moment spoilt, yet it still gave me goosebumps. It’s so much more than a handshake, it’s the greatest feud in pro-wrestling coming full circle. Okada and Tanahashi gave the Juniors an impossible moment to follow just by clasping hands.
We now live in a world where Lanny Poffo is commentating on New Japan shows. That’s a world I distrust. I’ve got nothing against Lanny Poffo, it’s just fucking weird. Anyway, we’re back in Korakuen which means we’re getting four tournament matches and hopefully a smidge more effort.