NJPW Fantastica Mania 2019 Day 5 Results and Review

Let’s look at night five of the NJPW Fantastica Mania tour. A full review of the first night can be found here. Here are the results of the four non-televised nights of the tour:

Night 2 – 1/12/19 – Imabari, Ehime, Japan:

Audaz, KUSHIDA & Ryusuke Taguchi def. Gedo, Taichi Ishimori & Templario
Flyer & Titan def. Forestero & Taichi
Okumura, Sanson & Yoshinobu Kanemaru def. Atlantis, Atlantis Jr. & Tiger Mask
El Barbaro Cavernario, El Cuatrero & Ultimo Guerrero def. Andel de Oro, El Soberano Jr. & Mistico
Dragon Lee, Jushin Thunger Liger & Volador Jr. def. Caristico, Gran Guerrero & Namajague
BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, Tetusuya Naito & El Terrible def. Fujin, Raijin, Satoshi Kojima & Toa Henare

Night 3 – 1/13/19 – Kyoto, Japan:

Gedo, Taichi Ishimori & Templario def. Audaz, Jushin Thunder Liger & Ryusuke Taguchi
Angel de Oro & KUSHIDA def. El Cuatrero & Taichi
Atlantis, Atlantis Jr. & Flyer def. Okumura, Sanson & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
El Soberano Jr., Mistico & Titan def. El Barbaro Cavernario, Forastero & Ultimo Guerrero
Caristico, Gran Guerrero & Namajague def. Dragon Lee, Tiger Mask & Volador Jr.
BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & El Terrible def. Fujin, Raijin, Satoshi Kojima & Toa Henare

Night 4 – 1/14/19 – Gifu, Japan:

Audaz, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask def. Gedo, Taichi Ishimori & Templario
El Cuatrero & Taichi def. Angel de Oro & Flyer
Atlantis, Atlantis Jr. & KUSHIDA def. Okumura, Sanson & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Dragon Lee, El Soberano Jr. & Titan def. El Barbaro Cavernario, Forastero & Gran Guerrero
Jushin Thunder Liger, Mistico & Volador Jr. def. Caristico, Namajague & Ultimo Guerrero
BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & El Terrible def. Fujin, Raijin, Satoshi Kojima & Toa Henare

KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi & Titan vs. Taichi Ishimori, Gedo & Sanson

The first match had four NJPW wrestlers and two CMLL luchadors. Taguchi is still wearing his emperor outfit, and KUSHIDA is still walking out with a huge robot head. Very early on Titan did an impressive dive to the outside onto Sanson. KUSHIDA and Taguchi tried following suit, but both came up short. Sanson being the rudo he is, tried unmasking Sanson only minutes deep into the contest. Sanson put Titan in his finishing move to end the bout. This was a very short bout with no real substance besides the diving spot early on. After the bell Ishimori and Gedo continued their submission moves outside the ring. Taguchi had a face-off with Taguchi after the bout as well.

Fujin & Raijin (RPG3K) vs. BUSHI & Shingo Takagi

While at first glance this match seems like it has a crossover in it, it doesn’t. SHO and YOH from RPG3K are masked and under the aliases of “Fujin” and “Raijin” for this tour. They faced BUSHI and Shingo Takagi at this event. Late in this match, Fujin and BUSHI got hot tags, with RPG3K trying for the 3K but not landing it. BUSHI did a double Huricanrana to fight off RPG3K. BUSHI and Takagi picked on Fujin, with BUSHI delivering a Backbreaker at the end of a combo. While BUSHI was laid out Takagi gave both RPG3K members a Clothesline and then took Raijin out of the equation. Fujin gave BUSHI a roll-up to end the match. This match felt disappointing from start to finish.

Namajague, OKUMURA, El Barbaro Cavernario vs. Audaz, El Soberano Jr. & Angel de Oro

This six-man tag was one where I wasn’t too familiar with anyone in it. I thought that Namajague’s mask looked very pretty. Soberano Jr. delivered a Huricanrana at one point where he got so much air that it was amazing. Soberano Jr. did a Springboard Moonsault onto OKUMURA who was hanging on the ropes to end the match. The time that he got in this match really made him stick out. The match kicked into it’s highest gear around 10 minutes in, and then just went full speed to the finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Toa Henare & Satoshi Kojima vs. Tetsuya Naito & El Terrible

In the next match, El Terrible teamed with Tetsuya Naito to face Toa Henare and Satoshi Kojima. Naito took this fight into the crowd quickly. Naito hit Henare with a chair. Henare and El Terrible had a good spot where they traded slaps. El Terrible ended the match with a Styles Clash on Henare. This was a fun match with Naito and El Terrible working well together.

Templario, Gran Guerrero & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger & Caristico

This was the final match before the two tournament matches. We saw quite a bit out of Tiger Mask in this matchup, with him doing a Crossbody to the outside at one point. Caristico did his Armbar move to win the match. The stock music he was given for this broadcast was horrible.

El Cuatrero (Horseshoe) & Sanson vs. Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. (CMLL Family Tag Team Tournament Semi-Finals)

The two final matches on this card were part of a four-team tournament running on two shows of the tour. The tournament is for families from CMLL. The newly debuted Atlantis Jr. teamed with Atlantis to face El Cuatrero and Sanson. Sanson did a dive to the outside onto Atlantis Jr. early into the match. The match ended in the corner when Atlantis Jr. and Sanson were on the top rope. Sanson reversed whatever Atlantis Jr. was planning and turned it into a slam of some type. Like I said in the first report, Atlantis Jr. looks very good despite being only days into his debut.

Flyer & Volador Jr. (Blue Spider) vs. Dragon Lee (White) & Mistico (Gold & Silver)

In the main event, Flyer and Volador Jr. faced Dragon Lee & Mistico. Dragon Lee and Flyer had a good exchange at the start. Flyer did a Moonsault off the ropes, and Volador Jr. did a Tope Suicida right after. Minutes later, Dragon Lee and Mistico returned the favour, delivering dives of their own. Dragon Lee gave Volador Jr. a double stomp in a corner of the ring, and then took a DDT from Flyer. Mistico and Volador Jr. both landed Canadian Destroyers like it was nobodies business. Dragon Lee was going to do another double stomp, but Flyer came up to the top and turned it into a Spanish Fly. This got a two count which was broken up by Mistico. Mistico got a close count by doing a Huricanrana off the second rope onto Volador Jr. He followed it up with a Moonsault outside the ring. Flyer landed a Canadian Destroyer in the ring on Dragon Lee for a two count. Flyer also kicked out of a Powerbomb from Lee. Lee landed a knee strike and then another Powerbomb to end the match. This was a very fun main event, and I have no complains at all.

Smackdown Live 1/15/19 Results and Review

Smackdown started with Becky Lynch arriving at the arena in a car. She is heading to the ring to address her Asuka match at the Rumble. Nearby we see Heavy Machinery blending eggs, pancakes and other random foods with the New Day, who were disgusted at their drink mix. Otis Dozovic was doing his same crazy character that was seen on Monday. Lynch took a sip of the drink after Otis tried it, and said it was a little weak. Lynch went to the ring and talked about how she isn’t worried about her match with Asuka. Asuka came out and said that after the Rumble, Lynch won’t be in Charlotte’s shadow, but hers. The Iiconics came out to chime in on this segment. They proclaim that they will win the women’s Royal Rumble, and then become Women’s Tag Team Champions. Lynch challenges either of them to face her in a match.

Becky Lynch vs. Peyton Royce w/ Billie Kay

After the break, we saw Peyton Royce fight Lynch. Asuka watched at ringside, as well as the other half of the Iiconics. During the match, we saw Lacey Evans watching the match from backstage. Royce eventually tapped out to Lynch via the Disarmer. Asuka came storming into the ring shouting in Japanese afterwards. Asuka dragged Billie Kay into the ring for a match to intimidate Lynch, I guess. In this match, Lynch felt like a good competitor for Royce, which isn’t what you want. The match went like 15 minutes, with Royce even having a submission move in when coming back from a break. How can Lynch be a good competitor for Asuka when she’s struggling against Royce?

Asuka vs. Billie Kay

Asuka defeated Billie Kay in a couple of minutes. This sort of reinforced the point on Lynch’s match even more. Asuka and Lynch had a face-off after the match.

Numerous Backstage Segments

AJ Styles came out to the ring and headed up the stairs through the crowd before the broadcast went to commercials. The commentary team kept asking “where is he going?” until Corey Graves straight up spoiled it and said, “he’s going to the concourse!” After the break Styles was at the concourse with hot dogs, drinks and merch. This was to He threw merch into the nearby crowd, but then got jumped by a hooded man who was, of course, Daniel Bryan. The brawl didn’t last too long, but they sure made a mess as mustard got all over Bryan.

We saw The Usos backstage doing a photoshoot. Jimmy Uso was given a box, to which he presumed was a early anniversary gift. He was given a note from Mandy Rose, and a hotel key. Samoa Joe headed to the ring but stopped walking to see EC3 backstage posing in front of a mirror. I like some of the people being called up, but, you look at how they are showing them in these segments and I can’t see any of them being cared about or taken seriously. One thing I did like here was how we had three separate segments that just flew by within a few minutes.

Samoa Joe vs. Mustafa Ali

Well, Samoa Joe was supposed to face Mustafa Ali, but the match was thrown away after he jumped Ali before the bell. Backstage we saw Sonya Deville trying to talk down Mandy Rose from meeting Jimmy Uso at her hotel room. As Rey Mysterio was walking to the ring, he saw Nikki Cross shaking a fence backstage while laughing.

Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

The next match on the show was Rey Mysterio versus Andrade Almas. Heading to the commercials, Almas Powerbombed Mysterio on the floor. After the break, Mysterio did an impressive Huricanrana off the top rope to the outside. After another break, Mysterio hit a Canadian Destroyer. Mysterio tried for a 619 but it got caught, he turned into a Crucifix Powerbomb. The crowd was going absolutely wild at this point. He landed a 619 but couldn’t hit the follow-up Frogsplash because Zelina Vega got on the apron to distract. Almas ended the match with a Draping DDT off the top rope. These two were amazing, and deserve a longer match sometime in the future. This makes both guys look very strong.

After the match, we saw Jimmy Uso head to Mandy Rose’s hotel. Wait, is this not during work hours? Smackdown is still shooting. When Jimmy entered the room there was a paparazzi member taking photos to expose him. Mandy says that his wife, Naomi, will not like when she sees the photos. Naomi was outside the room and came in to brawl. Naomi brawled in the hotel room and lost the fight. This is dumb, I don’t know what else to say. It feels like a joke to have this on the same card as the Becky Lynch versus Asuka rivalry.

Shane McMahon’s Birthday Bash / The Miz w/ Shane McMahon vs. Sheamus w/ Cesaro

The Miz hosted a birthday party for Shane McMahon’s birthday in the next segment. Corey Grave’s talked about The Miz’s parties in the past like he is Jay Gatsby. The Miz had big cakes in the ring and numerous wrapped presents. The Miz gave Shane McMahon a pair of Jordan shoes and then showed him a video package. Their opponents at the Rumble, The Bar, interrupted. Shane challenges one of them to fight The Miz, but The Miz didn’t want this. Shane eventually made him fight by encouraging him. During the match Cesaro got on the apron to interfere, but then Shane pushed him off, and through a nearby table with the cake. The Miz got a roll-up to win the match. I’m sorry but, am I supposed to cheer for The Miz? After the match Shane hit a Coast To Coast on Sheamus, landing on a cake instead of a garbage can. RAW was better than Smackdown this week but wasn’t that bad anyways.

WWE RAW 1/14/19 Results and Review

At the start of RAW, we saw a limousine. The door of the limo opened, and Vince McMahon got out. We saw him walking backstage and then went to the live crowd who got greeted by Braun Stroman. Stroman says that he knows that Lesnar is afraid of him. Lesnar can no longer be saved by Baron Corbin because he doesn’t run RAW anymore. He says that at the Royal Rumble, Lesnar will “get these hands.” Corbin then came out and says he is focusing on winning the Rumble so that he will be “somewhere you (Braun) will never be, the main event of Wrestlemania.” This seemingly hit a nerve for Stroman, as he chased Corbin backstage. Once he went backstage he couldn’t find Corbin. Stroman glanced at the same limo that Vince McMahon was near. Elias was playing his guitar backstage and said told Stroman that Corbin was in the limo. Stroman went to absolutely vandalize the limo, ripping out a door. Corbin was in fact in the limo but got away as Stroman was caught by Vince McMahon. Vince was in absolute disgust of what happened as we went to the break.

After the break, we saw Stroman try to put back together the car door that he took apart. Vince was nice enough to wait until after the commercial break to shout at Stroman. He says that the repairs will cost Stroman 100,000 dollars. Wow, pretty solid estimation on the fly from Vince. After Stroman complained, Vince also called off Stroman’s Royal Rumble match. This enraged Stroman even more, making him flip the limousine. You’d think that at this point Stroman would learn that his temper is detrimental to his career, but I guess not.

It felt like an unusual way to end it, but whatever. There was some great camerawork for this opening segment, which felt out of the ordinary for the program. Once Stroman stormed away from the limo, the camera turned to a corner where Elias was hidden away with his guitar. It seemed odd that Stroman would get this offended over Corbin thinking that he will main event Wrestlemania.

Ronda Rousey & Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax & Tamina

The first match of the evening was Ronda Rousey and Sasha Banks fighting the duo of Nia Jax and Tamina. Before the match began we saw Braun Stroman being escorted out of the building by security. When Rousey first got tagged into the match the crowd cheered. Tamina fell into an Armbar but escaped it because Nia Jax dragged her out of the ring. The finish came after 10 minutes of the match, with Sasha Banks giving Tamina the Banks Statement after Tamina ran into Nia. After the match Ronda complimented Banks, saying that it would be an accomplishment to defeat Banks at the Rumble. While Ronda wasn’t being rude, Banks took offence to this, saying that she will teach Rousey how to lose with class. Both of them had a good exchange, although it made Ronda seem very passive.

Backstage we saw a line outside Vince McMahon’s office. Jerry Lawler left the room before we went to the break. After the break, we saw Bayley and Natalya breaking up another argument between Banks and Ronda. After they got split up, Bayley and Natalya themselves got in an argument. The Riott Squad then came in to make fun of the two. They offer the two to a six-man match if they can find a third member for their team. Natalya accepts the challenge before consulting Bayley, who seemed reluctant.

Kalisto & Gran Metalik w/ Lince Dorado (Lucha House Party) vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder (The Revival)

Because of The Revival’s unfortunate loss last week due to the ref not seeing a foot on the rope, they are taking out their anger on the Lucha House Party. They didn’t lose to the Lucha House Party, but they were ringside as Lumberjacks for the match, so that makes them guilty in The Revival’s eyes. During the match, we headed backstage where Dasha Fuentes was reporting from outside Vince McMahon’s office. Apollo Crews, Curt Hawkins, EC3, The B-Team, Health Slater & Rhyno were outside the office in hopes of a match. EC3 didn’t say anything and just smiled when on camera. The wrestling was okay, but the whole point of this match relied on the finish, where Gran Metalik’s foot was taken off of the rope during a pinfall. After the match, we went back to the office where Vince McMahon said he will announce Brock’s new opponent.

Vince McMahon Makes An Announcement

Vince McMahon came out to make his announcement. Before he could finish a sentence, John Cena came out. Cena gives his pitch and says he is stepping up for the match. After he gave his speech, Drew McIntyre came out. And then came out Baron Corbin, and then Finn Balor. The first person that Vince turned down was Finn Balor. Balor says that Vince never believed in him. To change Vince’s mind, he starts a brawl. McIntyre comes out above everyone in the brawl, giving Cena a Claymore Kick. After this, Vince books a fatal-four-way match.

Backstage after the break, Jinder Mahal approached Vince McMahon backstage. Jinder doesn’t understand why he didn’t get considered for the match. Because of this, Vince gives him an odd stipulation where he can choose anyone from the fatal-four-way, and if he beats them, he gets their Rumble spot. Can we just have a show where everyone only fights once? Why does somebody have to appear twice? We saw this last week and will see it this week now as well.

Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan & Ruby Riott (Riott Squad) vs. Natalya, Bayley & Nikki Cross

For the previously announced 6-woman tag match, Natalya and Bayley got Nikki Cross as their partner. Michael Cole explained before the match that Cross will, like the other debuting talent, appear on both RAW and Smackdown before landing a home. As the match started, Nikki was acting crazy, doing the Ultimate Warrior rope shake at one point. Cross did a spot that I’ve always liked, where someone puts their opponent in-between the ring and the apron and then beat her. Bayley got the finish with an Elbow off the top rope to end the match. Lacey Evans was seen chatting backstage before the break.

Jinder Mahal w/ Sunil Singh vs. Finn Balor

Jinder Mahal got his wish, facing Finn Balor in the next match. Before the match, we saw Dean Ambrose backstage. He cut a promo on his Intercontinental Championship match which is later on. As Balor was making his entrance, he got jumped by Mahal. Balor did a dive to Mahal and Sunil Singh and then brought Mahal back into the ring for a Coup de Grace to end the match. What a busy few days it’s been for Balor, as he was just fighting on the NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool show this weekend.

Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose (Intercontinental Championship Match)

Before the match, we saw an interview with Seth Rollins. Rollins says that this might be his last chance at an IC title shot. He referenced Roman Reigns and his leukemia announcement, which feels very exploitive since it’s been months now. Early on in this match Lashley and Ambrose formed an alliance. After Rollins did a Suicide Dive to Ambrose and Lashley, Lio Rush got involved in the match. Rush got chased around by Rollins, making him get hit with a Spinebuster by Lashley. Ambrose got a Belly-to-Belly Suplex right after. After the break, Rollins was closing in on a victory. He pinned Ambrose but then got his pinfall broken up by Lio Rush. Since it’s a triple threat match, it was totally allowed. Rollins hit a Frogsplash on Lashley, and then Ambrose got rid of Rollins so he could pin Lashley. Rollins got hit with a Doomsday Device from both Lashley and Ambrose. Rollins, I think, was supposed to land on his feet but didn’t. He went off the ropes but fell out of the ring because of Lio Rush pulling down a rope. Lashley gave Ambrose a Spear to become the new champion.

While Ambrose and Rollins are in the middle of a rivalry, I think it’s a good time to give Lashley a push. Lio Rush is a big part of the Lashley gimmick right now, and he’s doing an amazing job. Rollins and Ambrose can survive as a rivalry without the need for a championship incentive. Backstage we see an employee giving Alexa Bliss a latte. Since she didn’t answer her door, he walked in uninvited and accidentally walks in on her changing. And that was it, that was the segment. Not sure why that was there.

“A Moment of Bliss” With Paul Heyman

Alexa Bliss hosted her second episode of “A Moment of Bliss” next. Before her interview with Paul Heyman, she unveiled the new Women’s Tag Team Championships. During the interview, Otis Dozovic from Heavy Machinery crashed the interview. He was brought backstage by his apologetic tag partner and other employees. This interview felt somewhat short, just like the first Alexa Bliss talk show episode.

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre vs. John Cena

The main event of the evening is the fatal-four-way to decide Brock Lesnar’s new Royal Rumble opponent. In the storyline, Balor came in at a disadvantage because he already fought tonight. Cena hit an AA late into this match onto McIntyre, but Corbin broke up the pinfall. Cena did another AA later into the match onto Balor, this time off the second rope. Corbin started to use a steel chair. McIntrye gave Cena a Claymore kick, and then Balor came in to take out McIntrye. Balor gave Cena a Coup de Grace to win the match. Balor will face Lesnar at the Rumble. After the match, Cena said he believes Balor. Balor felt like the favourite for this match since he was considered the underdog by Vince McMahon, and because he had already fought a match. This was a good match to end the show with.

In general, this wasn’t a bad episode of RAW. Lashley winning the championship was a nice surprise, and we got some enjoyable matches on top of that. This episode tops last week’s by a longshot.

NJPW Fantastica Mania 2019 Night 1 Results and Review

The first night of the Fantastica Mania tour took place on Friday at the Osaka Prefectural Gym #2 in Japan. Let’s go through the card which included CMLL and NJPW talent.

Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Audaz vs. Taiji Ishimori, Gedo & Templario

For the first match, Ryusuke Taguchi was wearing some sort of Egyptian emperor outfit. Taguchi and Tiger Mask teamed with Audaz to face Gedo, Taiji Ishimori and Templario. Ishimori was sporting his NEVER Openweight 6-man belt along with his NJPW Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Tiger Mask and Gedo started the match. Gedo was wearing a Jay White t-shirt. Very early into the match, Audaz did an impressive dive to the outside onto Templario. This made both of them crash into a commentary table. Audaz and Templario were of course given a pretty big spotlight in this match. There was quite a bit of time where both guys were specifically battling each other. Templario landed a Powerbomb onto Audaz to give his team the win. Taguchi also had some pretty good spots on this match, doing a Crossbody of some sort to Ishimori at one point.

Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Forastero vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Flyer & Titan

The next segment started off amazing because we were treated to a live performance from Taichi. If you aren’t a fan of how you can’t heat Togi Makabe’s music, you would hate this show. A chunk of the songs on the program was muted because they were CMLL songs. The CMLL fighters weren’t used to Suzuki-gun’s attack before the bell tactic and fell victim to it. Taichi took his fight against Liger to the ringside seats. Fly did a Springboard Moonsault to the outside onto Kanemaru during this match. Forastero was trying for a Powerbomb off the second rope, but Titan reversed it into a Huricanrana for a two count. The match finally came to a stop after Forastero put Titan in an Armbar of some sort for the submission. This match felt a little too short since all of these guys were really pulling off some pretty good stuff.

Okumura & Sanson vs. Atlantis & Atlantis Jr.

This match was a big one, as Atlantis Jr. made his pro wrestling debut. It was the original Atlantis that started in the match against Okumura. Jr. seemed to have a good amount of experience, being able to do moves, including dives. His second dive was followed up by a crossbody from Atlantis. His moves inside the ring seemed a little rough around the edges, but it felt like a good debut. In the ring, Atlantis did another Crossbody off the top. He then had to fight off both of his opponents at once. He tagged in Atlantis Jr., who traded chops and strikes with Sanson. Atlantis Jr. got hit with a reverse Cross-Rhodes from Okumura for the win. This was because he was distracted pleading the ref to count three when hit in the back by Okumura. I guess he has some more to learn about turning his back on opponents. After the match, Sanson and Okumura unmasked their opponents and flaunted the masks to the crowd. This was a pretty good match to be quite honest.

El Cuatrero, Gran Guerrero & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Angel De Oro, Dragon Lee & Mistico

After the last match, we saw something that we haven’t seen a while in NJPW, an intermission. The first match back was an all-CMLL wrestler match. Out of all of the six, it sounded like Dragon Lee got the biggest reaction. Although it’s hard to tell for sure since Mistico’s reaction couldn’t be heard over the broadcast’s very loud altered music. The match started with Mistico and Ultimo Guerrero. There was an interesting move where both of the Guerrero’s slammed Mistico from the top rope. Angel De Oro, Lee and Mistico all faked dives to the outside at one point. At some point I lost track of all of the dives and other crazy moves that were done in this match. It was an absolute ball. Angel De Oro and El Cuatrero were in the ring with everyone else outside the ring. Cuatrero did a Powerbomb to end the match.

Namajague, El Barbaro Cavernario & Caristico vs. KUSHIDA, El Soberano Jr. & Volador Jr.

In the next match, KUSHIDA was fighting. KUSHIDA will be leaving NJPW at the end of the month. Soberano Jr. and Barbaro Cavernario started the match with a good exchange. After a few dives from both parties, Caristico put Volador Jr. in an Armbar for the win. This, like another match earlier was way too short. I felt that Kushida didn’t get much time to shine.

Fujin (SHO) & Raijin (YOH) (RPG3K), Toa Henare & Satoshi Kojima vs. Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & El Terrible

The main event of the show was CHAOS versus Los Ingobernables in an 8-man match. El Terrible started in the ring against Kojima. SHO and YOH were dressed as Fujin and Raijin, the characters they played when working for CMLL. At one point in the match, Takagi was on a roll against RPG3K, giving one of them a Rock Bottom, throwing him on their teammate. Kojima did a crazy amount of chops to El Terrible then went to the top but got stopped. Fujin and Raijin both worked on BUSHI, giving him a Double Knees, but not being able to follow up with the 3K. After that, it was a wild amount of people who came in the ring and did a move. BUSHI got the win with a roll-up to end the match. While it was a decent match, the roll-up felt somewhat disappointing, especially for the main event. It felt like it was missing one more exchange that would have given the match a truly grand finale. After the match, Takagi and BUSHI had a face-off with Fujin and Raijin. BUSHI spoke as well.

NJPW Fantastica Mania 2019 Tour Preview

Coming off New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest annual show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom, is the Fantastica Mania tour. The tour occupies most of NJPW’s January schedule and follows the theme of NJPW collaborating with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, also known as CMLL. The Mexican Lucha promotion sends over some of their wrestlers for crossover matches with New Japan.

When it started back in 2011, the tour only ran two shows. Now this year it will run eight shows, making it only the second time they have done this. Five of the shows are shown on New Japan World, with the final two offering English commentary. Let’s look at the tour date by date.

Night 1 – 1/11/19 – Osaka, Osaka Prefectural Gym #2 (Edion Arena Osaka)

The first night of the tour is in Osaka, with the main event being an eight-man tag match. SHO and YOH from RPG3K will go under the temporary names of Fujin and Raijin when they team up with Toa Henare and Satoshi Kojima to face Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito and El Terrible. Before that, the soon to depart KUSHIDA tags with Soberano Jr. and Mistico to face Barbaro Cavernario, Namahage A.K.A El Desperado and Caristico. Also on the show is the debut of Atlantis Jr., as he tags with Atlantis to face Sanson and Okumura. The announcement of his debut was broken in late October and early November in Mexican media. Jushin Thunder Liger also competes on this show after not having any involvement in Wrestle Kingdom or New Year Dash.

Untelevised Nights

There are three shows in-between the first and second televised events. The first two of those share the same main event as night one. After the tour goes through Ehime and Kyoto they go to Gifu for the final house show. On that show RPG3k face the same main event opponents, but they team up with Volador Jr. and Mistico.

Night 5 – 1/16/19 – Chiba, Makuhari Messe

Cameras are back on the talent on Wednesday in Chiba. This show kicks off a tournament that will take place over the course of the tournament. The “CMLL Family Tag Tournament” will hold it’s semi-final matches on this show. The first match is the newly debuted Atlantis Jr. and Atlantis versus Cuatrero and Sanson. The main event of the evening will be Dragon Lee and Mistico versus Flyer and Volador Jr.

Night 6 – 1/18/19 – Tokyo, Korakuen Hall

From night 6 until the end, the rest of the shows are held at Korakuen Hall. So far only three matches have been announced for this show. The two winning teams from the first round of the Family tournament will face off in the finals. In a special singles match, Soberano Jr. and Barbaro Cavernario will fight. In a memorial match for Black Cat, the same eight-man match from night one will be done.

Night 7 – 1/20/19 – Tokyo, Korakuen Hall

On night seven Satoshi Kojima will get his first singles match since September, as he faces El Terrible. The winners of the family tag team tournament will get one last challenge as they get to face Gran Guerrero and Ultimo Guerrero, the winners of the brothers tag tournament.

Night 8 – 1/21/19 – Tokyo, Korakuen Hall

The final night of the tour is the only one to include a championship match. The Mexican National Trios Championship will be defended by Forestero, Cuatrero and Sanso. The trio challenging them will be Angel de oro, Titan and Atlantis. To promote the Japanese movie “My Dad Is A Heel Wrestler,” wrestlers Kazuchika Okada and Togi Makabe will operate under different names for one match. Okada will be known as Dragon George, and Makabe will be SweetGorilla Maruyama. They will face Ginbae Mask and Gokiburi Mask.

At the end of the month New Japan will split into two tours at the same time. The first is will be their “Road to The New Beginning” tour in Japan, with the other one being “The New Beginning USA,” which goes through California, North Carolina and Tennessee.

AEW Details Unveiled At “Double or Nothing Rally”

In Jacksonville, Florida on Tuesday, All Elite Wrestling held an official “rally” to promote the debut event for the promotion, “Double or Nothing.” At the event, the official details for the first event were unveiled, with the first show set to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 25, 2019. A second event was also announced for Jacksonville, but no date or venue was put out. It was announced that profits from that event would go towards victims of gun violence.

Along with the event reveal was a showing of the talent that is coming to the promotion. The biggest name at the event was Chris Jericho, who closed the press conference. Other names announced were Joey Janela, MJF, Adam Page, Britt Baker, So Cal Uncensored and PAC (formerly Neville). The already announced Young Bucks, Cody and Brandi Rhodes also made appearances at the event. When Cody was on-stage he emphasized that the promotion will be paying all of their talents a good amount. Brandi Rhodes, later on, echoed that statement, saying that the women’s wrestlers will be paid equally.

The first real angle shot for the promotion was PAC and Adam Page both wanting to be the first AEW Champion. PAC appeared at the event in ring attire and carrying his Dragon Gate Open The Dream Gate Championship.

During the show, it was also unveiled that All Elite Wrestling will work with Oriental Wrestling Entertainment, a Chinese based wrestling promotion.

The backers of the soon to debut promotion, Sahid Khan and Tony Khan, were both present at the event. The event was held outside the TIAA Bank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, which both Sahid and Tony own.

With the promotion’s first event finally having a time and place, the promotion will be launching soon.

Smackdown Live 1/8/19 Results and Review

Smackdown started with Daniel Bryan in the concessions stands of the venue. He was shaming the food sold at a venue, saying that the food there fills a void. He says that similarily, cheering AJ Styles fills a void. He stole an hot-dog from someone eating nearby and threw it at his face. He went on to another guy and took his drink without a plastic top and spilt it on him. He then went over to the merchandise table and asked for a “Yes Movement” shirt, but couldn’t get one because they aren’t sold. He says he doesn’t want to fill the earth with useless plastic. That last part wasn’t a bad point.

He walked down the stairs to the ring while talking to the crowd. He said he is changing the world and said that people around him are weak. He ripped apart a fan’s AJ Styles sign while saying he will fill the world with “something the world can actually be proud of.” Once he made his way near the ring, R-Truth jumped him. Their previously scheduled bout began after the break. I thought this was a pretty good segment to start the show, to be quite honest. It was nice that we had the next segment before we went to the first break. A fast, but welcomed start to the show.

Daniel Bryan vs. R-Truth

In very short time Bryan won the match, ending it with a Running Knee. As Bryan was on the ramp, AJ Styles jumped him from behind. Security came in to try to break it up. A conveniently placed steel chair was beside the ramp, but Bryan got away before Styles could use it. As Styles was still talking to the security, Rey Mysterio came out. Like, this is the best way to pace a show.

Rey Mysterio & Mustafa Ali vs. Samoa Joe & Andrade “Cien” Almas

After the break, it was explained that all of the wrestlers in this match will be in the Royal Rumble match. Mysterio got a big reaction from the crowd when he was tagged in. Ali had a good combo of moves onto Almas after being tagged in. Ali did a Crossbody to the outside but was caught by Joe. Joe made Ali bounce off the commentary table and into the floor below the desk. The commentary team just happened to be out of the way the whole time. After the break, Ali reversed Almas’s corner stomp move and then tagged in Rey. Rey did a Springboard Huricanrana to start things off. After eliminating Joe, Mysterio did a Canadian Destroyer for a two count that Joe stopped. Mysterio gave Joe a 619, and then Ali did a 450 to Joe as well. Almas came back in and went after Ali. Ali dove to outside the ring onto Joe, and Almas reversed a 619 into a Hammerlock DDT for the win. This was a great combo at the end that clearly had the crowd unglued.

Rusev Calls Out Shinsuke Nakamura

After the break, Rusev was in the ring. He sadly talked about how Lana is at how hurt because Shinsuke Nakamura hurt her. Of course, he then called out Shinsuke. We see backstage where Shinsuke is sitting in the production room. He is there to show that Lana being hurt is not his fault. He shows a replay from last week where Lana fell off of Nakamura’s back after a kick from Rusev. Rusev didn’t buy this and went backstage to find Nakamura. While trying to find him he got jumped by Nakamura. Shinsuke squished him with a crate and then kicked him. Others came in to split it up, but Nakamura got one last knee in anyways.

Sheamus & Cesaro (The Bar) vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso (The Usos)

Before the next match, the “Mean” Gene Okerlund tribute from Monday was played. The stipulation of this match is that if The Usos win they get a title shot. It makes no sense, but whatever. The Usos got a lot of offence in, with a moment where Cesaro got hit with a dive and went into the first row. After that, he got hit with a Crossbody in the ring. Sheamus got hit with a Superkick for a two count as the broadcast went to another commercial break.

Later on, Sheamus went to the second rope for a move but Jey Uso escaped and Superkicked Sheamus off the ropes. Cesaro went off the ropes and ate a Superkick as well. Before Jay went to the corner for the tag, Mandy Rose appeared on the stage in a towel. She asked Jimmy if she left her golden clothing in her hotel room. This distracted Jimmy, stopping the eventual tag. Cesaro hit the Neutralizer onto Jey Uso to end the match. I guess The Usos won’t be getting their title match. After the match, The Miz came out and introduced The Bar. He then tried to set up a Royal Rumble match against them for the tag belts. Sheamus gives The Miz a Brouge Kick, and then Cesaro accepts the match.

Backstage we saw Naomi find Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville and fight them. Jimmy came to break up the fight. This was the third pull apart brawl on the show. I don’t really have any interest in this, it just makes no sense.

After the break, we saw video packages for Lars Sullivan, Lacey Evans, Heavy Machinery, Nikki Cross & EC3. We also saw backstage that The Miz and Shane McMahon will team at the Rumble. Wait, so they don’t have to earn their title match but The Usos do?

Becky Lynch vs. Carmella vs. Charlotte

The final match of the evening was a triple threat match, with the winner getting a shot against Asuka at the Rumble. After the break, there was a nice spot where Charlotte was thrown back first onto Carmella who was already down. Late into the match, Charlotte did a Moonsault off the top rope onto the outside but everyone got out of the way. Lynch hurled Carmella across the floor right after. A Lynch tried for a Disarmer in the ring on Carmella, Charlotte did a Natural Selection off the ropes. Later on, Lynch got the Disarmer onto Charlotte but Carmella broke it up. Lynch put Carmella in a Disarmer for the win. Asuka came out to face off with Lynch after the match. This was pretty much expected, but at least they put on a pretty good match to officially make Lynch the contender. This wasn’t that bad of a Smackdown. The only segments that felt like they really dragged was the tag team part and the Rusev moment. Other than that, it was a fun viewing.

NJPW New Year Dash 2019 Results and Review

After such a big show yesterday at the Tokyo Dome, New Japan goes to the more intimate environment of Korakuen Hall for New Year Dash, the promotion’s RAW after Wrestlemania. We aren’t looking for a match of the year, but some stories are set to be told. I’m no Korakuen expert, but the venue looks extra packed since there is no projector on the wall. I could be wrong though. I’ve heard how much of a hot ticket this show is, which only makes sense since you can only put so many of those 30 something thousand from the Tokyo Dome into this small building.

Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. (Great Bash Heel) & Takashi Iizuka vs. Rocky Romero, SHO & YOH (RPG3K)

The first fight of the evening was RPG3K versus Suzuki-gun members. Right off the bat, the heels took RPG3K to outside the ring. Rocky started off against Archer in the ring. He got him outside the ring but when going for a dive was caught and thrown down. When Archer tagged in Iizuka he took off his mask, which made him go around and bit everyone. Of course, the ref had no real authority over this. Later on, Rocky was getting pummeled by Smith Jr., until he made a hot tag after doing the BUSHI kick. Both SHO and YOH came in to fight Smith Jr. The three members of Suzuki-gun got rid of SHO and then singled out YOH. YOH was Powerslammed off the second rope, but SHO broke it up. YOH escaped a Killer Bomb with the help of SHO once again. Smith Jr. was given triple stereo knees and then reversed a move into a Double Belly-to-Belly Suplex. Iizuka was tagged in once again, biting everyone. While trying to bite SHO he reversed it into a roll-up to win the match. They ran to the back to avoid possible death from their opponents. Smith Jr. beat up a ringside member, Powerslamming him onto the floor. The commentary team told us about how in their first meeting they also won via fluke, so this is a good way to continue the trend.

Yujiro Takahashi w/ Pieter & Chase Owens vs. Toa Henare & Tomoaki Honma

It was a surprise to me that we were getting a two on two match here. Although I guess it is three guys who are pretty fresh since they weren’t fighting last night. Early on Honma tried for a Kokeshi but Owens rolled out of the ring. When Henare and Takahashi were in, Henare was the most dominant wrestler. Honma got the hot tag late in the bout against Takahashi. He tried for a Kokeshi after a combo, but Yujiro dodged it. Takahashi hit a Fisherman Buster for a close count. On the second attempt, he finally landed the Kokeshi. Owens and Henare were tagged in next. Henare hit a Shoulder Tackle and then lifted Owens for a Samoan Drop, not before hitting Yujiro with him. Owens gave Small Package Piledriver for the win after giving him a mini-Superkick, countering a roll-up. Not a bad match, with some really good wrestling from Owens at the end.

Chuckie T & Berreta (Best Friends) vs. David Finlay & Juice Robinson (FinJuice)

This match was Juice’s first match after winning the US Heavyweight Championship. He seemed eccentric in his entrance. Early on in the match Berreta went into the stands and hugged his mother. Heading back to the ring the self-proclaimed “Best Friends” had some pushing and shoving before Berreta got back in the ring. Both members of FinJuice did a Crossbody to the outside. Finlay got hung on the guardrail at ringside, letting Berreta do a double stomp off the apron. When it was Juice and Berreta in the ring, Juice escaped a Dude-Buster but got hit with a kick to the head. He couldn’t connect with the Pulp Friction and got hit with a Shotgun Knee for all his troubles. Finlay got the tag against Berreta. Finlay hit a backbreaker for a close count. Chuckie T came in with a chair against Finlay to throw away the match. The storyline that Kevin Kelly was pushing was that Chuckie T has lost his mind. Juice came in to attack Chuckie T. Once Juice got hit with a chair as well, Berreta was shouting at Chuck, trying to figure out what happened. As they were leaving Chuck went back in and did a Piledriver to Finlay on a chair.

KUSHIDA, Jeff Cobb & Yuji Nagata vs. Will Ospreay, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii

This next match is Ospreay’s first one after becoming the new NEVER Openweight Champion. There was a good spot late in this match where Nagata and Ishii were trading blows. Those two battled it out in the ring where everyone else stayed at ringside. When Cobb got tagged in he had a great combo of moves with Goto. They both clotheslined each other to set up for another hot tag. KUSHIDA and Ospreay came in next. KUSHIDA landed a dropkick after some counters and took out both of Ospreay’s teammates. Will hit a Springboard Forearm. He tried for the Os-Cutter, but Cobb came in to catch him and take him down. KUSHIDA got suplexed onto Will by Cobb for a two count. That spot was very cool. After numerous reversals, KUSHIDA gave Ospreay a DDT. A Back To The Future was reversed by Ospreay, and he did a flippy move off of Ishii’s back. Ospreay gave KUSHIDA a Storm Breaker to end the match. This match was some real fun. Just wild stuff being done by KUSHIDA and Will, with the help of everyone else. Nagata and Ishii slapped each other after the belt, making others pull them apart. A similar thing happened with Goto and Cobb.

Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (Geurillas of Destiny) Taichi Ishimori w/ Jado (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Championship Match)

The only title match on this card was Taguchi Japan challenging three Bullet Club members for their 6-man belts. They won the opportunity on the pre-show of Wrestle Kingdom last night. Just like last night, Yano got distracted because he would wait for Taguchi to call a play. Yano untied a corner pad while in there with Tama Tonga. GoD claims that they are no longer cheats. Tonga proved this by putting Yano into a normal corner instead of the corner with the exposed buckles. When Taguchi was tagged in he tried for a Three Amigos, getting two of the three suplexes. Jado hit Taguchi with a kendo stick when he went on the ropes. I guess Jado doesn’t share the same philosophy as GoD. As the ref was counting a pin on Tonga Loa, Ishimori dragged the ref out. Jado came into the ring to try to hit Makabe with a kendo stick, but Yano came behind and gave him a low blow. Makabe fought off both GoD members, bringing it back to just him and Tanga Loa. He slammed Loa and then went to the top rope, but Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens came out. Takahashi pushed him off the ropes, and Owens gave him a Small Package Piledriver. Loa hit his finishing move to let the team retain. I love this gimmick. That the Guerillas of Destiny don’t cheat, but their buddies do. All of the guys too sweeted after the match, so I guess all is good with them. Though really, it shows that Bullet Club is really bad at cheating. Jado couldn’t give them an advantage, so two more were needed.

El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. w/ Taka Michinoku & Minoru Suzuki vs. Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, SANADA, EVIL & Tetsuya Naito

In a 10-man match, Suzuki-gun faced Los Ingobernables de Japon. There was lots of gold carried into the ring, as all LOS members have belts. As Naito was still getting ready for the match, Taichi clubbed him in the head with a chair. The camera shot was perfect so that you didn’t see this coming. Right off the bat, this match turned into chaos. Taichi and Naito started the match. Naito was really selling the chair shot. Naito was thrown into a press table, and Suzuki took SANADA into the hallway of Korakuen. Naito somehow got the hot tag later against Taichi, despite being beaten to a pulp. Taichi hit Naito with his IC title while the ref was distracted, and then hit his finishing move to win the match. It looks like that will be the next program for Naito. After the match, Taichi called out Naito and threw his belt. I liked this segment. It’s obvious that Taichi won’t actually become champ, but it’s a fun angle to do in the meantime.

Gedo, Bad Luck Fale & Jay White vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi

In the main event, we got the return of YOSHI-HASHI. Along with that, we also saw the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi. Early on Gedo took a chair to Yoshi. He was in no way given a slow return. Okada was given a hot tag and had a face-off with Gedo. Okada fought off Bad Luck Fale before tagging in Tanahashi against Jay White. White gave Tanahashi a Snap Side-Suplex but got hit with a Swingblade after talking to the crowd. YOSHI-HASHI got the tag against White, hitting a Huricanrana. Moments later White hit a Rock Bottom and then called for the Blade Runner. Okada came in to stop it. White tried again for a Blade Runner but it got reversed into a Twist & Shout. YOSHI-HASHI came back in to do a clothesline and a suplex for a two count. He picked up White again and tried for a move but White escaped by hurting the ref. YOSHI-HASHI did a Superkick but got his move reversed into a German Suplex. White hit the Blade Runner to win the match. Welcome back, YOSHI-HASHI. After the match, White called out Tanahashi. This made him come back to the ring. He got jumped but the Bullet Club once he was in the ring. Okada came in to try to save Tanahashi but got hit with a Grenade from Bad Luck Fale. White did his Blade Runner move to Tanahashi. As the show was ending he hoisted the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Pretty good promo from White.

In general, this show was short and sweet. No huge surprises on the show, but I left satisfied. It’s obvious based off who was left off this show that a lot of people are either gone or still in question. We got two solid angles set up from this show, with other smaller ones also being showcased. New Japan returns on the 11th for the first televised event of the NJPW/CMLL Fantasticamania tour.