Fantasticamania UK got underway on Sunday afternoon in York Hall – highlighted by a fantastic outing between Connor Mills and Hechicero.
Quick Results
Stephanie Vacquer pinned Kanji in 14:05 (***)
Barbaro Cavernario submitted Robbie X in 11:10 (***¼)
Atlantis Jr., Atlantis & Dulce Gardenia pinned Okumura, Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II in 12:38 (***)
Luke Jacobs, Zack Gibson & James Drake pinned Mascara Dorada, Neon & Futuro in 15:38 (***½)
Hechicero submitted Connor Mills in 16:23 (****)
Angel de Oro & Ultimo Guerrero pinned Michael Oku & Zozaya in 18:17 (***¾)
Templario, Gabe Kidd & Magnus pinned JJ Gale, Mistico & Ricky Knight Jr. in 15:24 (***½)
— To watch this show, head over to RevProOnDemand.com
We’re live via stream from London’s York Hall for the first of two shows as CMLL returned to the UK. Commentary comes from Gideon Grey and David Francisco.
Kanji vs. Stephanie Vaquer
Vaquer had her NJPW Strong and CMLL women’s titles with her for her European (and UK) debut… but neither of them were on the line here.
Things stayed on the mat early on as Kanji went for an ankle lock… Vaquer escaped quickly as they traded holds ahead of Vaquer stomping on Kanji’s elbow. Heading outside, Vacquer throws Kanji through one of the guard rails, before some figure four headscissors allowed Vacquer to drill Kanji’s head into the mat back inside the ring.
Kanji fought back with forearms ahead of a chop through the ropes to Vacquer. Kicks to the back follow ahead of a Nigel McGuinness-esque clothesline, before a wild dropkick from Vacquer turned things around. That’s followed up with a DDT for a near-fall, before Kanji’s springboard plancha gave her some hope.
Back inside, a superkick and a suplex got Vacquer a near-fall, while running double knees set up for a crossface that forced Kanji into the ropes for a break. A back suplex keeps Kanji grounded, but she’s able to surprise Vacquer briefly with a triangle armbar. It’s powerbombed out of though, as Kanji fought back in… we have some buffering on the stream as Vacquer charged in with clotheslines and headbutts, before a trapped Dragon screw out of the corner and a packaged backbreaker finally put Kanji away. A solid opener, but could have done with having a few minutes trimmed to really make a statement to kick off the double-header. ***
Robbie X vs. Barbaro Cavernario
It’s been a few years since Cavernario’s been in London…
Robbie X looked to take control early on, but Cavernario was able to match him ahead of the double dropkick stand-off. A springboard missile dropkick has the caveman down, as did a hesitation tope atomico, before a dropkick from Cavernario knocked Robbie down… with a through-the-corner tope catching everyone off guard.
We buffer as Cavernario kicked away Robbie’s arm, returning with a seated dropkick back inside as Robbie grabbed the ropes to break the pin. A chop from Cavernario lights up Robbie X, before Cavernario snapped back with a hammerlock’d overhead suplex for a near-fall.
Robbie gets his feet up to avoid a splash… he gets kicked for it before Cavernario missed it on the second attempt. A low bridge brings Cavernario outside for an Asai moonsault, before a Molly Go Round back inside almost won it. A turnaround sees Cavernario hit an avalanche back body drop ahead of a big splash for a near-fall of his own.
Some nibbling from Cavernario led to Robbie X chopping him out of the corner, leading up to the Beyblade kick and a standing shooting star press. A Spiral Tap’s aborted as Cavernario instead… yeah, I have no idea what the hell that’s called. Good to see I’m in good company there! The springboard splash is next, but Robbie X kicks out, only to get caught with the Cavernaria submission for the stoppage. Buffering aside, this was a heck of an outing, with the closing stretch really worth your while. ***¼
Lykos Gym (Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II) & Okumura vs. Atlantis, Atlantis Jr. & Dulce Gardenia
We’re under lucha rules here, so… good luck!
Lykos II and Atlantis Jr. start off as Lykos II looked to go for the mask before a crucifix pin got Atlantis Jr. a two-count. Another exchange led to a stand-off, before tags brought in Dulce Gardenia and Okumura. The pair exchange armdrags before Gardenia’s corkscrew plancha off the top caught out Okumura.
A spot of rope-walking from Gardenia led to another armdrag, but he fakes out a dive as Okumura scurried away… before tags bring in Atlantis and Kid Lykos, with the latter kissing Atlantis’ boot. Lykos’ shoulder tackle earns him some armdrags in response, before Lykos II and Okumura joined in to put a beating to Atlantis.
Atlantis manages to outsmart all three of them, landing a trio of tiltawhirl backbreakers before tagging in Atlantis Jr. Lykos II’s back in as well, but he runs into a dropkick before Atlantis Jr. got swarmed. Lykos goes after Atlantis Jr’s mask, leading to some double-teaming from the Lykii.
Okumura’s back body drop took Atlantis Jr. to the outside… so in comes Gardenia, only for him to get triple-teamed en route to an Okumura kick. Atlantis comes in next, but he’s pounced upon… Atlantis Jr. gets similar treatment as Lykos II goes back to the mask, before headscissors from Atlantis Jr. cleared the ring, leaving Lykos II on his lonesome as he’s sent flying with a monkey flip.
Another monkey flip followed, before a tope took out Okumura on the outside. Atlantis throws Lykos II into a Gardenia kiss as things break down, with Lykos getting propelled to the outside for a moonsault from Gardenia… Atlantis dives onto the Lykii with a crossbody off the apron, before Atlantis Jr. scored a snap powerslam on Okumura back inside. From there, a frog splash squashes Okumura, and that’s enough to get the win. ***
Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) & Luke Jacobs vs. Mascara Dorada, Futuro & Neon
We’re back under lucha rules for this one…
Dorada and Jacobs start us off, grappling on the mat, leading to Dorada suplexing his way out of a guillotine choke for an early two-count. Responding, Jacobs took Dorada to the ropes, but a ducked chop started some back-and-forth off the ropes, ending with some headscissors from Dorada… before Jacobs just threw him head-first into the mat.
Dorada tries his luck with a chop, but just got slammed to the mat for his efforts as Luke proceeded to take him down with a suplex for a nonchalant two-count. Evading Jacobs in the corner, Dorada’s able to come back with a springboard tijeras to take Luke outside for a corkscrew plancha.
Back inside, Jacobs elbows Dorada to the mat as tags bring in Futuro and James Drake to trade front rolls, headlock takedowns and escapes before they both hit the ropes. Futuro crashes and burns on a springboard corkscrew out of the corner, but manages to get back in with a dropkick to Drake, before Neon came in to help with a double dropkick.
Zack Gibson rushes in to go after Neon, only to be met with a flying tijeras from Neon, before Futuro and Dorada’s flying armdrags took the “home” team outside for a trio of dives.A plancha from Neon’s caught as Jacobs lawndarted him to the ring post, while Futuro ate an assisted backbreaker on the floor.
Back inside, Drake and Gibson isolate Futuro, leading to Gibson landing a butterfly suplex on Futuro for a near-fall, before Luke Jacobs wrecked Dorada and Neon as he cleared the opposition corner. A variant of a half crab from Gibson ends with Futuro getting the ropes, before Futuro found a way back in with a Dragon suplex to Drake.
Mascara Dorada’s in with a tornillo armdrag to Gibson, then a tope to the outside, before Luke Jacobs got pulled to the outside as Futuro’s corkscrew dive wiped out the pile. Neon’s double jump moonsault adds to the mix, while Dorada added a shooting star press off the middle rope to the outside,
Back inside, a monkey flip into a powerbomb on Drake sets up for a Futuro splash for a near-fall. Drake remained isolated as the lucha lads had him cornered, only for a Jacobs superplex to Futuro to lead to a wild double Doomsday Device to Neon and Dorada… Dorada’s left alone for the Grit Your Teeth double Codebreaker, then a Jacobs lariat for the win. Aside from that slip early on, this one blossomed into a cracker of a trios match, with Jacobs showing a lot more edge here. ***½
Connor Mills vs. Hechicero
C’mon livestream, please hold steady for this…
Hechicero’s not got his fire entrance this time, but that doesn’t matter as he tied up Mills in the early going. Mills’ wristlock is escaped as Hechicero trips him up into a leg lock that ended up in the ropes, only for Hechicero to pull Mills into a Romero special.
Mills gets free and stomps Hechicero’s arm on the break, only to get rolled down as Hechicero tied up Mills in knots in a heavily-modified Figure Four. Getting free, Mills spreads Hechicero’s legs, then tied them up ahead of some see-sawing from a Magistral cradle.
Mills baited Hechicero in for some strikes, only to get tripped up as Hechicero rolled Mills into a pinning predicament. A dropkick to the knee spins down Hechicero as Mills forced an opening, but Hechicero just goes back to a rolling crucifix as he took Mills down into almost the Axel Dieter Special, rolling him around some more for a near-fall.
Jabs and chops from Hechicero trap Mills in the corner, but a missed knee allows Mills to come back with an avalanche Dragon screw. A toe hold from Mills allows him to bridge back… but Hechicero uses his free leg to break the hold. Mills goes right back to the leg though, but a cazadora turns into a flip up into a rear naked choke attempt from Hechicero.
Mills resists and tries to counter out into a cross armbreaker. He’s got more luck with a rebound lariat though, then with a double stomp off the top that almost saw him get the win. An attempt at the mask gets the crowd on Mills’ back as he proceeded to pepper Hechicero with kicks. A PK’s blocked though, allowing Hechicero back in with a Skayde special… before a swinging hammerlocked backbreaker got the crowd going.
A shotgun dropkick and a Ki Krusher almost put Mills over the line, as he stayed on Hechicero with a leg lock… I buffer briefly, as we return with chops going back-and-forth, leading to almost a Slingblade into the ropes as Hechicero snapped at Mills’ neck. Going up top, Hechichero’s flying clothesline almost wins it, as Mills found himself in deep trouble.
The step-up knee into the corner has Hechicero on the home stretch… and while protracted, he tied up all of Mills’ limbs to force the submission. Some lovely stuff, and the feed held out too, so a win all around! ****
Michael Oku & Zozaya vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Angel del Oro
Time to raise the roof…
Ultimo Guerrero and Michael Oku started things off ahead of their title match later on. A shoulder tackle dumps Oku towards the apron… so tags bring in Angel del Oro and Zozaya, with the Spaniard rolling with Angel on the mat, leading to some pinning attempts along the way.
Zozaya and Angel trade armdrags for a spell, then standing moonsaults ahead of a stand-off between the two. Tags bring us back to Oku, with Ultimo Guerrero charging into him with a back elbow ahead of some blistering chops in the corners. Oku fights back with a tijeras off the middle rope ahead of a tope… while in the ring, Angel de Oro and Zozaya took over uner lucha rules, with Angel avoiding a dropkick.
Second time was the charm for Zozaya, who took Angel outside, only for Guerrero to trip up Zozaya ahead of a dive as the rudos took over. A running kick to the leg of Zozaya took him down, before Angel dragged Oku into the ring for some double-teaming and a wishbone leg splitter. Zozaya looks to make the save, but he’s taken care of as Oku got popped up for a kick to the arse from Angel. Back elbows from Zozaya, then a missile double dropkick cleared the way as Oku got back up for the tag, coming back in with a froggy crossbody as Angel and Guerrero remained in the ring.
A satellite DDT from Oku nearly wins it, as he then turned his attention back to Ultimo Guerrero… who knocked the champion onto the apron ahead of a baseball slide off it. Zozaya’s dropkick took out Guerrero, allowing Angel back in… as a switcheroo led to a springboard body press that saw Angel del Oro come within inches of cracking his head on the walkway steps.
Back inside, Oku measures up for a Fosbury flop, smashing into Ultimo on the outside. A superplex back inside’s stuffed as Ultimo instead brought Oku down with an avalanche gourdbuster. Second time’s the charm though as a top rope ‘rana from Oku finds its mark, ahead of a frog splash to Guerrero for a near-fall. We’re back to Zozaya and Angel, this time trading uppercuts, ahead of a snap de Madrid al cielo death valley driver from Zozaya for a near-fall.
Angel de Oro scoops up Zozaya for a Michinoku driver to nearly take home the win, before a Spanish Fly off the top sent Angel down. Ultimo Guerrero breaks up the pin, but got taken outside as a double-jump plancha from Zozaya left the pair laying… we’re back to Oku and Angel back inside, as Oku’s half crab got kicked away. A PK and springboard moonsault followed, but Angel got the knees up before a Michinoku driver almost got the win.
From there, Angel looks for a powerbomb, before the pair traded superkicks… a reverse ‘rana sent Oku to the outside for a tope, with Angel rolling him back inside to hit a reverse Michinoku Driver for the win! That win left Oku in the increasingly-familiar defensive position before his title defence against Ultimo Guerrero later… and added another potential challenger to Oku’s to-do list. ***¾
Templario, Gabe Kidd & Magnus vs. Mistico, Ricky Knight Jr. & JJ Gale
Magnus and RKJ start us off as RKJ makes everything go blurry… and it’s not just the camera to blame as his rope running, leapfrogs and dropdowns ended with a dropkick. An armwringer from RKJ sets the tone as Mistico came in to work over the arm, as did JJ Gale before RKJ’s stalling suplex took Magnus back down.
Gale’s right back in after RKJ picked up a two-count, but Gale’s butterfly suplex is blocked, as were his attempts at an Irish whip as Gabe Kidd ends up tripping up Gale in the ropes, leading to all hell breaking loose. A running kick to Gale in the corner ensures Templario and Magnus were able to double-team him on the mat with dualling submission attempts.
Kidd’s in next, taking Gale into the corner for chops, stomps and palm strikes. Magnus comes in for a running double knees to a cornered Gale, which was good for a two-count, before Kidd returned and got distracted by the elongated “Gabriel” chants from the crowd. It gave Gale an opening to tag in RKJ, with those two renewing rivalries with some hard chops ahead of a snap slam from RKJ.
A springboard moonsault out of the corner gets Knight a two-count, before Gabe’s back suplex flipped RKJ inside out. Back to their feet, the pair trade chops and clotheslines before a dual clothesline left them both laid out. Tags bring us to Mistico and Templario, but Magnus just blindsides Mistico ahead of some triple-teaming…
Mistico breaks free with a tijeras, but is instantly sparked out by Kidd’s palm strike, before he was held up in the ropes for some chops. A handspring back elbow again forces an opening for Mistico, who took care of Kidd before a rebound armdrag off the ropes had Templario and Magnus in trouble.
Mistico continues to wow with a pop-up tijeras to Magnus… a regular one’s next for Templario, along with a powerslam for a two-count as the ring filled and emptied out, leaving Mistico and Templario trading shots. A kick from Templario knocks down Mistico ahead of a delayed front suplex… JJ Gale’s in to spark a Parade of Moves, planting Templario with the Gale Force cutter, before Magnus’ delayed butterfly backbreaker took care of him.
The Parade keeps going, taking in Kidd’s Bull lariat to RKJ, before Mistico’s springboard crossbody into the ring led to Kidd just charging him down seconds later. Mistico helps take the rudos outside as we begin our dives, with JJ Gale’s senton bomb to Templario in the ring, while Mistico headed up top for a crossbody to Kidd and Magnus on the floor. Back inside, Templario blocks another Gale Force, but couldn’t avoid a sunset flip for a near-fall… before he definitively put away Gale with a Project Ciampa-like powerbomb to the knees to close out a strong main event. ***½
Post-match, RKJ and Gabe Kidd brawled to the back before everyone shook hands to close out the show…
Watching the stream live, this was impossible to watch – but it’s more than worth going back to the cleaned-up VOD to fill in any blanks as the first half of Fantasticamania got off to a roaring start.