2016 FantasticaMania lineups announced

NJPW World doesn’t appear to list which shows will air, but at least the last three shows are a good bet.

CMLL NJPW (SUN) 01/17/2016 Kochi Sunpia CHRES, Kochi, Japan
1) Kushida & Stuka Jr. vs Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
all Tanaka/Komatsu matches are part of a challenge series.
2) Guerrero Maya Jr. & The Panther vs Boby Zavala & Okumura
3) Fuego & Titán vs Bárbaro Cavernario & YOSHI-HASHI
4) Dragon Lee & Jay White vs Hechicero & Virus
5) Atlantis, Juice Robinson, Máscara Dorada vs Bushi, Evil, Tetsuya Naito
6) Ryusuke Taguchi & Volador Jr. vs Mephisto & Shinsuke Nakamura
7) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jyushin Thunder Liger, Mistico vs Gedo, Kazuchika Okada, Último Guerrero

Tanaka & Komatsu are having a farewell tour in the openers. (Given tradition, it’s likely they won’t win anything.) NJPW’s press release on the tour mentions they’ll be heading to CMLL at the conclusion. Edit: CMLL’s version of the card announcement mentions they’ll be starting in Mexico on 01/31 as Fujin (Komatsu) and Raijin (Tanaka). A little bit bizarre they announced that, since they’re likely masked gimmicks – they’re Japanese weather gods. 01/31 is a Sunday, so they’re probably starting on an Elite card.

Maybe notable, maybe not: NJPW’s press release doesn’t mention anyone from CMLL going over to NJPW for a year. Maybe I missed it? Maybe Sombra really was the plan? Maybe it was just an oversight?

Hechicero doesn’t get a lot to do on this tour; this match with Virus, Dragon Lee and Jay White is probably his chance for a notable match.

CMLL NJPW (TUE) 01/19/2016 KBS Hall, Kyoto, Japan
1) Fuego & Ryusuke Taguchi vs Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
2) The Panther vs Okumura
3) Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Boby Zavala
4) David Finlay, Dragon Lee, Jyushin Thunder Liger, Titán vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Hechicero, Virus, YOSHI-HASHI
5) Atlantis, Máscara Dorada, Stuka Jr. vs Bushi, Evil, Tetsuya Naito
6) Kushida & Mistico vs Gedo & Último Guerrero
7) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Volador Jr. vs Kazuchika Okada, Mephisto, Shinsuke Nakamura

Singles matches are setting up a later Coliseo matches. Third match is the rematch of the En Busca de un Idolo final.

CMLL NJPW (WED) 01/20/2016 Osaka Prefectual Gymnasium, Osaka, Japan
1) Jushin Liger & Stuka Jr. vs Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
2) The Panther vs Boby Zavala
3) Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Okumura
4) Jay White, Kushida, Ryusuke Taguchi, Titán vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Gedo, Hechicero, YOSHI-HASHI
5) Atlantis, Fuego, Máscara Dorada vs Bushi, Evil, Tetsuya Naito
6) Juice Robinson, Mistico, Volador Jr. vs Mephisto, Shinsuke Nakamura, Último Guerrero
7) Dragon Lee & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Okada & Virus

That’s a main event I’d never thought I would see. I don’t have any record of Virus & Okada teaming up in Mexico, but I’d guess they crossed paths before.

The other half of the singles matches in the first few matches.

CMLL NJPW (FRI) 01/22/2016 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1) Fuego & Stuka Jr. vs Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
2) David Finlay, Guerrero Maya Jr., Jyushin Thunder Liger, Kushida, The Panther vs Boby Zavala, Gedo, Hechicero, Okumura, YOSHI-HASHI
3) Atlantis & Juice Robinson vs Evil & Tetsuya Naito
4) Titán vs Bárbaro Cavernario © [MEX WELTER]
Barbaro second defense
5) Máscara Dorada vs Bushi © [CMLL WELTER]
BUSHI first defense
6) Dragon Lee, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi vs Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, Virus
7) Mistico & Volador Jr. vs Mephisto & Último Guerrero

First night of Korakuen and two really good title matches, both rematches of the title change. If Cavernario is going to NJPW, Titan could take the title back. (Or it could just sit around doing nothing like Dorada’s title.)

Main event is a all CMLL tag match main event, a rarity on these shows. Also rare: Atlantsi teaming with the NXT’s ex-CJ Parker. Atlantis doesn’t really have a role on these shows besides getting annoyed by the Ingobernables de Japon.

CMLL NJPW (SAT) 01/23/2016 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1) Máscara Dorada & Titán vs Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
2) Fuego, Juice Robinson, Kushida vs Gedo, Hechicero, YOSHI-HASHI
3) Guerrero Maya Jr. & The Panther © vs Boby Zavala & Okumura [Arena Coliseo TAG]
first defense
4) Ryusuke Taguchi & Stuka Jr. vs Bárbaro Cavernario & Shinsuke Nakamura
5) Atlantis, Jyushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask vs Bushi, Evil, Tetsuya Naito
6) Dragon Lee © vs Virus [CMLL SL]
Dragon Lee fifth defense
7) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Mistico, Volador Jr. vs Kazuchika Okada, Mephisto, Último Guerrero

Lee and Virus is also a rematch of the title change. This is a good point to note Kamaitachi didn’t make this tour. No idea when he’s going back now, but missing these shows seemed likely when he just wasn’t leaving Arena Mexico.

Maybe we should pretend THIS is the title shot Zavala gets for winning En Busca de un Idolo?

CMLL NJPW (SUN) 01/24/2016 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1) Guerrero Maya Jr. & The Panther vs Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
2) Fuego, Kushida, Stuka Jr., Tiger Mask IV, Titán vs Boby Zavala, Gedo, Hechicero, Okumura, Yoshihashi
3) Jyushin Thunder Liger vs Virus
Lucha de Maestros
4) Atlantis, Máscara Dorada, Ryusuke Taguchi vs Bushi, Evil, Tetsuya Naito
5) Dragon Lee, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura
6) Mistico vs Último Guerrero
7) Volador Jr. © vs Mephisto [NWA WELTER]
7th defense

Main event is the annual Volador crazy spot exhibition, probably similar to their October title match. Mistico seems like the underdog in the semimain, a lot different from where we’d thought he’d be a few years ago. Liger/Virus is not a match I’d ever think I’d see and justifies the tour alone.