New Japan Pro Wrestling 2/27/2025 Fantastica Mania 2025 Day 7

New Japan Pro Wrestling 2/27/2025 Fantastica Mania 2025 Day 7

Note - Only one of the other 6 days aired so far. But, that one aired on a live only stream with no warning as NJPW is testing their service. I haven't seen it around online so I haven't been able to cover it.

KAMAITACHI & Titan vs. Max Star & Xelhua

Kam is Hiromu under a mask. Max and Titan go at it. They shake hands. Max headflips and cartwheels out of a wristlock and they try to dropkick each other at the same time. They stand off and Max flying headscissors him.

Kam and Max trade chops. Kam flying headscissors him. Xel gets in and armdrags Kam. Xel flying headbutts him then tilta-a-whirl backbreakers him. Xel plancha's him. Titan then does a surprise tope outside. Max walks up the buckles and top rope moonsaults outside.

Titan gets his feet up on a 450 from Max and reverse sitout slams him. Tex does a neat sub on Titan than Kam breaks up. Max is lifted for a headscissors on his partner. Kam then lifts the ref for a headscissors on Max.

Kam running crossbodies both opponents outside. Max springboards into an armdrag off the casadora on Kam. Max walks up the ropes and tope con hilos Kam outside. Xel suplexes Titan then does a neat double arm and leg pin attempt. Titan hits kicks on Xel and spinning heel kicks him.

Titan top rope double stomps Xel and pins him.

Thoughts: It was a great opener full of high flying and fast paced action. This is exactly what you would want an they delivered. I really liked this.

Hechicero & Ninja Mack vs. El Barbaro Cavernario & El Desperado

Hech and Barb start us off. They do some bad mat wrestling and stand off. They shove each other. They roll around on the mat and trade chops. Hech dropkicks him. Barb double boots him out of the corner. Hech catches him on  springboard and ducks a superkick. Barb rolls him up for 2.

Hech boots him out of the corner and Barb does the arm. Hech dropkicks him. Mack and Despy go at it. Despy shoulders him over then side headlock takeovers him. They trade pin attempts. Mack running euros him in the corner and ends up flipping over the top. Hech and Despy slap each other on their knees.

Mack corkscrew kicks Despy then does the ninja special. Hech and Barb get in. Barb goes up and over him and Hech step up knees him in the corner. Barb takes corner lariats then a double basement dropkick. Despy is stomped on by his opponents and gets his legs split.

Barb tilt-a-whirl sarmdrags Hech then hits ataxia on Mack. Barb unties Hech's mask. Despy dragon screws Mack. Mack superkicks Despy then Despy spinebusters him for 2. Despy stretch mufflers Mack. Despy cannonballs MAck off the top. Barb top rope crossbodies Hech. Despy pulls down Barb on his leapfrog then misses an elbow drop on him.

Barb superkicks Hech and slams him. Hech rolls Barb and flips him into a grounded sleeper. Barb then pulls off Hech's mask for the DQ.

Thoughts: I didn't like this at all. The finish was dumb with Barb costing his team the win for no reason. The match went long and there were just too many styles at play here which messed up the flow of the match.

Barb tries to unmask Hech again. Barb talks to Hech on the mic after and they end end up fighting outside. Both guys send each other into the rails and Rush grabs a chair.

MLW World Tag Team Title Match - CozyMAX (OKUMURA & Satoshi Kojima) (c) (w/Mima Shimoda) vs. Los Depredadores (Magnus & Rugido)

Koji and Rug go at it. Rug top wristlocks him. Rug works the arm and side headlocks him. Rug shoulders him over. Koji hiptosses him and shoulders him over. Oku and Mag trade shoulders and various strikes.

Oku knees him in the gut and basement dropkicks him. Mag superkicks him. Oku fliyng neckbreakers him then Rug flying elbows Oku. Rug and Koji trade chops. Rug powerslams him. Koji takes a double back elbow and a double elbow drop. Oku is tripped into the ropes for a Mag 619.

Mag hits machine gun chops on Koji. Rug springboard dropkicks Koji then northern lights suplexes Oku. Mag grabs some stand-up of Mag outside an hits Oku and Koji with it. Rug and Mag then rip the stand-up.

Oku hits a backbreaker then cutters on both opponents. Koji hits machine gun chops on both opponents. Koji top rope elbow drops Rug for 2. Oku and Koji are thrown into each other then take a backcracker + german. Koji's team hits stereo cutters for 2.

Oku cannonballs Mag off the apron. Koji lariats Rug for the win.

Thoughts: Oku and Koji are kind of limited and Rugido isn't exactly the best either. It was so-so which I expected here just from looking at the line-up's.

Lightning Match - Zandokan vs Neon

Neon flips out of a wristlock and side headlocks Zand. They shoulderblock battle. Zand knocks him over and Neon kips up. Neon flips out of a german then Zand 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Neon standng moonsaults him. Zand then sentons him.

Zand flying headscissors Neon. Neon springboard headscissors Zand then tope con hilos him outside. Neon tries to jump over the top to hurricanrana him but is powerbombed on the apron. They go up into the stands and Neon is shoved in the aisle. They trade forearms. Neon uses part of the entrance area to headscissors Zand. Neon then crossbodies him off the entrance area. 

Back in the ring, Neon misses a top rope moonsault. Zand does a back body drop into a bomb on Neon. Zand superplexes Neon. Zand and Neon trade chops. Zand tiger drivers him then running lariats him. Neon hits a code red for 2. Neon twisting suplexes him. Neon hits a double jump imploding splash and wins.

Thoughts: It was basically a spotfest here with them doing cool moves without much logic or reason. It did have some nice spots and I was entertained by the second half of it, but it was not a smart one.

We get a tribute to Black Cat.

Averno, Taiji Ishimori, Raider & Soberano Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Stigma

MD = Mascara Dorada

Tana and TI go at it. TI pulls on Tana's hair then Tana pulls on his hair. Tana then hits dragon screws on all 4 opponents. Tana takes corner attacks from his opponents. Mist is group stomped on.

Av rips up Mist's mask and Raid kicks Stig in the leg. Stig is popped up, booted then chopped. Tana is chopped up by his opponents. Stig is then kicked in the leg. Tana is ganged up on in the corner. Tana fights off 4 attacks in the corner and hits a 2nd rope twisting crossbody. MD comes in and top rope double splashes opponents. MD headscissors Av while on his shoulders. MD flips off of Raid's shoulders into an armdrag on Av.

Raid pumping knees MD. MD satelitte's on Raid into a botched armdrag. TI and Stig trade chest chops. Stig ropkicks him out then tilt-a-whirl armdrags Sob. Tana and Av go at it with chops.

Tana slaps Raid down. Mist and Sob go at it. Mist flying headscissors Sob. Mist walks up the buckles and corksrew armdrags TI. Mist is then popped up into a headscissors on Av. Mist and Raid are on the 2nd rope and Mist hurricanrana's him down. Mist tilt-a-whirl armdrags Av out. Tana then does a slingshot plancha out on TI. Stig tornillo plancha's out and MD fosbury flops out. Mist then tornillo's out.

Stig pop-up powerbombs Av then Sob brainbusters Stig. MD walks up the buckles and crucifix bombs Sob. Raid has MD on his shoulders and backcrackers him. Mist spanish fly's Raid. Tana slingblades TI then Mist hits a springboard double crossbody on Sob and Av.

MD springboard headscissors Sob. Mist springboard headscissors Av. MD moonsaults off the top onto Sob outside. Mist top rope plancha's Av outside. Stig springboard crossbodies Raid. Raid backbreakers Stig. Raid misses a corkscrew swanton off the top. Stig toyota rolls into a sunset bomb on Raid to win.

Thoughts: The first half was slow with Tana. They then had a more traditional match for a while until going into  a dive sequence and a sequence with everyone getting a move in and getting out. I would say it was okay overall as they tried here even if it could have used a few less minutes. 

Sob has a fan kiss him after then asks the bell ringer to do it. The faces corner Sob outside after. Mist and Sob get in the ring. Sob kisses Mist's boot and then tries to hit him. Mist headscissors him out and Sob leaves. 

Ultimo Guerrero vs. Atlantis Jr.

UG = Ultimo Guerrero, AJ = Atlantis Jr

UG unmasks before the match after teasing that he would keep his mask on. The rumor is Atlantis' brother came out with Atlantis and was wearing an Atlantis mask.

They shake hands. UG throws him down and AJ goes for the crossface. The do a double knuckle lock. UG flips him over his back and then ties up his legs. AJ armdrags him. UG surfboards him and AJ ties the legs up.

AJ hits a nice dropkick. UG lariats him. AJ superkicks him then tope con hilos him. AJ hurricanrana's him. UG sunset flips him in the corner. They trade corner lariats. AJ flying kicks him. They get on the 2nd rope and UG 2nd gordbusters him for 2. UG 2nd rope powerbombs him for 2.

AJ spinning torture rack bombs UG for 2. UG canadian destroyers him for 2. They go up top and AJ top rope belly to belly suplexes UG for 2. AJ is crotched on the top tope and UG 2nd rope reverse suplexes him for 2. AJ powerslams UG then top rope splashes him. AJ then hits another top rope splash and wins.

Thoughts: I didn't like it at all. They got off to a slow start and just traded big moves that meant nothing. Both of these guys know better than to do this.

Volador Jr. vs. Templario

They trade forearms to start. Temp goes up and over in the corner. Vol messes up a handspring spot then Temp blocks his flying headscissors him. Temp flying headscissors him out. Temp tries to tope him but nails a young lion instead.

Vol lariats, back elbows and boots him in the ring. Temp walks up the buckles and springboard dropkicks Vol. Temp topes him outside. Temp flying forearms Vol inside. Temp corkscrew headscissors Vol. Temp goes after him outside then ends up taking a slingshot headscissors from him on the floor.

Temp waistlock slams Vol down for 2. Vol rolls into a code red on him for 2. Temp flips Vol over his back into a piledriver for 2. Temp throws Vol over the top then does a flying space tiger drop on him.

Vol superkicks him. Temp flying knees him. Vol superkicks him and they boot each other at the same time. Temp wheelbarrow suplexes Vol for 2. They go up on the buckles and Vol 2nd rope hurricanrana's him off a powerbomb attempt. 

They go up top again and Temp top rope hurricanrana's him for 2. They trade forearms on their knees. Vol canadian destroyers him for 2. Temp sitout gordbusters him for 2. Vol superkicks him and hits a codebreaker for 2. Temp 2nd rope powerbombs him then hits a powerbomb backbreaker for 2 when Mgnus pulls the ref out.

Magnus and Rugido beat up Temp then Vol backcrackers Temp. The ref is thrown back in and Vol wins.

Thoughts: I didn't like this. It was slower than what you would think. Vol was pretty sloppy here and seemed to have hurt his leg at one point. The finish wasn't very good either and they didn't sell much here.

Vol and his buddies pose on Temp after. They put the Depredadores mask on Temp and do a promo. They then try to start a fight with Okumura after.

Overall thoughts: I wasn't a big fan of the show. Some of the undercard stuff was okay but the big matches were all spotfests with big moves and not much else in between. They did try so you can't fault them, but the work just wasn't good. I'd give this one a 5 out of 10 and wouldn't recommend it. I thought the opener was the best match on here.