By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “CMLL Fantastica Mania”
February 28, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is the second straight night here with this tour of CMLL stars. We once again have Japanese-only commentary. Like on Thursday, there are no guardrails at ringside, allowing the high-flyers to safely do some dives. When fights went into the stands, it was clear we have a sellout.
1. Raider vs. Max Star. Again, I hadn’t seen either of these two before yesterday. Raider wears a mask and he’s thick and heavily tattooed. Max Star, wearing white and also in a mask, dazzled me with some dives on Thursday. Raider immediately stomped on his smaller opponent. Max tripped doing a flip dive to the floor at 1:30 but Raider did a great job of catching him. Raider then hit an impressive flip dive to the floor! He’s a pretty big guy to do that! In the ring, Max hit a top-rope Phoenix Splash for a nearfall at 4:00. Raider hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall.
Max Star hit a sunset flip for a nearfall, then a huracanrana from the corner for a nearfall at 6:00. Raider put Max Star on his back and slammed him stomach-first to the mat. Max hit a dropkick. Max hit a springboard corkscew dive to the floor at 8:00. In the ring, Raider threw a stack of money at Max, then hit a Moonsault and Battery from the top rope for the pin! (Shane Mercer has popularized the move on the indies; Logan Paul just hit one on TV.) A really good opener; I’m so impressed with both of these guys.
Raider defeated Max Star at 9:06.
2. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Titan, Zandokan Jr., Kamaitachi, and Mascara Kantansu Tomato vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Ninja Mack, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Xelhua. Kantansu is Yota Tsuji, and Kamaitachi is Hiromu Takahashi, so both are having fun with lucha gimmicks to be part of this. Likewise, Taguchi wore his Egyptian god mask. Xelhua and Zandokan opened. Again, Zandokan is a pirate-themed wrestler. Tsuji entered (he’s wearing his regular gear with a red mask). Ninja Mack and Titan traded fast-paced reversals at 3:00 that popped the crowd; Mack missed a dive to the floor, but Titan hit a dive onto Mack.
Tanahashi and Kamaitachi (again, Hiromu in a lion’s mask) got in and traded offense. Xelhua tied Kamaitachi in a knot. Xelhua hit a top-rove dive onto three guys on the floor. Titan hit a springboard moonsault onto everyone on the floor at 6:00. Mack hit a Sasuke Special onto everyone. In the ring, Tsuji and Taguchi brawled. Tsuji tied Taguchi in a submission hold, and Taguchi tapped out. Fun, high-flying match. I hope Ninja Mack is okay; it appeared he landed hard on that dive near the end of the match.
Titan, Zandokan Jr., Kamaitachi, and Mascara Kantansu Tomato defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Ninja Mack, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Xelhua at 7:01.
3. “Bone Soldier Jr.” Taiji Ishimori, Stigma, and Atlantis Jr. vs. Satoshi Kojima, Okumura, and Ultimo Guerrero. Like in the prior match, Ishimori is dressed in military fatigues and a black mask, so he’s a different gimmick tonight. Ishimori and Kojima opened; Taiji tried some shoulder tackles but Satoshi didn’t budge, so Ishimori hit a dropkick and a Dragonscrew Legwhip. Okumura and Stigma battled at 1:30. Kojima’s team stomped on Atlantis. Ultimo dragged Atlantis to the floor and beat him up in front of the crowd. In the ring, Kojima’s team kept Atlantis in their corner. Kojima hit a DDT on Ishimori at 4:30.
Ishimori hit a double dropkick. Stigma hit a flip dive to the floor. Okumura hit some clotheslines and a Tower of London-style stunner on Atlantis for a nearfall. A woman got in the ring, so Ishimori kicked her and suplexed her! Kojima hit his rapid-fire chops in the corner at 7:00 on each of the three opponents. Kojima hit a second-rope elbow drop for a nearfall. Atlantis missed a dive to the floor and crashed. In the ring, Stigma and Guerrero fought on the ropes, and Stigma hit a Frankensteiner for a nearfall at 8:30. Guerrero hit a second-rope reverse suplex, dropping Stigma stomach-first to the mat, and got the pin. Fun match.
Satoshi Kojima, Okumura, and Ultimo Guerrero defeated “Bone Soldier Jr.” Taiji Ishimori, Stigma, and Atlantis Jr. at 8:49.
4. El Desperado, Neon, and Templario vs. Volador Jr., Rugido, and Magnus. Again, Rugido and Magnus cheated at the end of Thursday’s show to help Volador Jr. beat Templario in the main event. Templario is in teal green today. Neon (in white pants and mask today) opened against Rugido. Despe’s team all hit stereo dives to the floor at 1:00. In the ring, Despe and Rugido traded overhand chops. Templario and Magnus traded lucha offense, with Templario doing a springboard dive into an armdrag, then he hit a powerslam at 3:00. The rudos began untying Templario’s mask! Magnus hit a 619 on Desperado. The rudos again tugged at Templario’s mask and they hit a triple Mafia Kick on him.
The heels now worked over Neon. Volador accidentally kicked Magnus. Templario hit a flip dive to the floor. Volador got a rollup for a nearfall on Neon at 7:00, and he barked at the ref. Neon hit a top-rope moonsault on Volador for a nearfall. Rugido accidentally collided with Magnus. Rugido hit some rolling suplexes on Desperado. With the ref out of position, the heels yanked off Templario’s mask! Volador immediately rolled up Templario – who was trying to cover his face – and got the pin. Good action.
Volador Jr., Rugido, and Magnus defeated El Desperado, Neon, and Templario at 9:57.
5. Hechicero vs. Barbaro Cavernario. On Thursday, Barbaro was disqualified in a multi-man match for ripping off Hechicero’s mask. They traded reversals on the mat early on, then they traded forearm strikes at 1:30, then they traded rollups with neither getting an advantage. Hechicero tied him in a leg lock on the mat. He removed a corner pad at 5:00 and hit Cavernario with it. Cavernario missed a Vader Bomb. Hechicero hit a springboard clothesline for a nearfall at 7:00. Barbaro hit a DDT, then a springboard splash to the floor on Hechicero. They fought on the floor, and Barbaro hit a big backbody drop at 11:00, then a top-rope frogsplash onto Hechicero on the thin mat at ringside! Ouch! That landing has no give!
Barbaro hit him with a chairsot to the back and they fought into the shorter bleacher area, and Hechicero suplexed him onto a table (that didn’t break!) on the floor! That also couldn’t have felt good! They finally got back into the ring at 14:00 and traded forearm strikes while on their knees, then while standing. Hechicero applied a leg lock and got a nearfall, and he switched to a Rings of Saturn double armbar, and Barbaro submitted. That was really good.
Hechicero defeated Barbaro Cavernario at 15:33.
6. Soberano Jr. vs. Mascara Dorada. Well, this should be incredible. VERY quick reversals at the bell with neither man landing a big blow. Dorada hit a corkscrew plancha to the floor. In the ring, Soberano hit a senton, and they went back to the floor, and up the stairs on the longer bleachers side, and they fought on the landing. Dorada hit a flip dive off the top of the landing entrance onto Soberano, who was standing on the landing at 3:00, and they fought back down the stairs toward ringside. In the ring, Dorada went for a springboard move, but Soberano caught him with a superkick and took control. Dorada hit a top-rope 450 Splash for a nearfall at 5:00.
Dorada set up for a Razor’s Edge, but he turned it into a Lance Archer-style faceplant for a nearfall. Soberano Jr. hit a moonsault as Dorada was in the ropes for a nearfall. They got up and traded chops. Dorada hit a Lumbar Check double knees at 8:00. Dorada went for a moonsault, but Soberano Jr. got his feet up to block it. Soberano hit a piledriver along his back on the ring apron, and Dorada collapsed to the floor. Soberano immediately hit a Fosbury Flop to the floor at 10:00. He cracked a chair across Dorada’s back. Dorada hit a running Shooting Star Press off the apron to the floor. Dorada hit a flying head-scissors, leaping off the short bleachers onto Soberano on the floor. This has been sharp.
In the ring, Soberano hit a second-rope superplex for a nearfall at 12:30. He hit an enzuigiri in the corner. Dorada hit a jumping knee to the jaw. They fought on the ropes, where Dorada hit a huracanrana. He dove through the ropes onto Soberano Jr. at 14:30. Dorada then hit a flip dive from the apron onto Soberano on the floor. In the ring, Soberano hit a piledriver for a nearfall. Dorada put a Mexican flag on his back and hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press for the pin. That was a blast, and every bit as good as I hoped it would be.
Mascara Dorada defeated Soberano Jr. at 16:37.
7. Mistico (w/Templario) vs. Averno (w/El Desperado) for the MLW Middleweight Title. Mistico wore his MLW Middleweight Title. They shook hands before trading fast-paced lucha reversals and getting rapid-fire one-counts. They brawled to the floor, and Averno took control. He picked up Mistico and crotched him around the ring post at 3:00! In the ring, Averno tugged at Mistico’s mask. On the floor, Averno did a slingshot to send Mistico flying into the ring post at 6:30. In the ring, Averno hit a Mafia Kick for a nearfall. Mistico hit a huracanrana, then a corkscrew dive to the floor and they were both down.
In the ring, Mistico hit a springboard crossbody block and a satellite headscissors takedown, then a huracanrana to the floor at 9:30. In the ring, Mistico hit a springboard crossbody block for a nearfall. Mistico hit a sunset flip bomb for a nearfall at 11:30. Averno locked in a crossarm breaker; Mistico eventually reached the ropes to break it. Averno nailed a flip dive to the floor on Mistico! I didn’t expect that. Both of their cornermen waved towels to cool them off. In the ring, Averno hit a second-rope Jay Driller for a believable nearfall, and they were both down at 16:00. Mistico hit a superkick and a deep armdrag. Mistico nailed a dive through the ropes and barreled onto Averno.
Mistico hit a springboard crossbody block onto Averno, Desperado, Templario and some young boys, and they were all down on the floor at 18:00. Mistico got a rollup for a nearfall as they got back into the ring. Averno got a Magistral Cradle for a nearfall at 19:30, and he went back to a crossarm breaker! I briefly thought Mistico had actually tapped out, but he got his feet on the ropes. Averno hit his Jay Driller-type move from the apron to the floor at 22:00, and they were both down at ringside. In the ring, Averno hit an Angels Wings for a nearfall. Mistico hit a top-rope hip-toss and they both fell to the mat. Mistico spun Averno to the mat, locked in the Fujiwara Armbar, and Averno tapped out! That was really good, too.
Mistico defeated Averno to retain the MLW Middleweight Title at 23:49.
* Averno helped put the MLW belt on Mistico and they hugged. All the luchadors hit the ring and posed together. Quite a scene to end the show.
Final Thoughts: Three dazzling singles matches to end the show. This was as good as lucha looks, and the crowd was there for all of it. I personally liked Dorada-Soberano Jr. for best match of the show, ahead of Hechicero-Cavernario. The main event topped all of my expectations, as Averno put in a heck of a match, and that takes third. I wouldn’t argue with anyone who puts those top three matches in a different order. The undercard was fine. Ninja Mack is so dazzling and his dive to the floor was awesome, and I’ll reiterate that I hope he’s okay after that landing. The silliness of Tsuji, Hiromu, and Ishimori in lucha gimmicks worked for me.
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