Fantastica Mania 2020
Fantastica Mania 2020 was a professional wrestling show tour, scripted and co-produced by the Japanese New Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion and the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre promotion. The tour started on January 10 and ran until January 21, 2020, with shows taking place in Osaka, Ehime, Kyoto, Aichi, and four shows in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall.
The 2020 tour was the tenth year in a row that NJPW and CMLL has co-promoted shows in Japan under the Fantastica Mania name. With a total of eight shows, the tour tied the 2018 tour and the 2019 tour as the longest in Fantastica Mania history. Select events were shown on Fighting TV Samurai and TV Asahi, or live on NJPW World with subsequent video-on-demand options.
Background
The 2020 Fantastica Mania tour was the tenth year in a row where Japanese wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling promoted a series of shows with their Mexican partner promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. Due to the co-promotional nature of the shows, they rarely feature any development in ongoing NJPW or CMLL storylines, instead the shows generally focus on inter-promotional matches between CMLL and NJPW.The 2020 tour included 8 shows, the same as the 2019 tour. Starting on Friday January 11 in Osaka at the Edion Arena Osaka, the show then runs through Ehime, Kyoto, Aichi and four shows in Tokyo at the Korakuen Hall. The shows from Korakuen Hall were streamed live on NJPW World.
Storylines
Each of the 2020 Fantastica Mania shows features a number of professional wrestling matches scripted by CMLL and NJPW with some wrestlers involved in scripted feuds. Wrestlers portray either heels or faces as they perform.The CMLL participants for the 2020 tour were announced on October 16, 2019, and included:
during the 2017 Fantastica Mania tour.
Rank | # of tours | Show |
Ángel de Oro | 3 | 2019 2018 2015 |
Audaz | 1 | 2019 |
Bárbaro Cavernario | 5 | 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 |
Carístico | 2 | 2019 2011 |
Negro Casas | 0 | |
El Cuatrero | 2 | 2019 2018 |
Dulce Gardenia | 0 | |
Euforia | 2 | 2017 2013 |
Forastero | 1 | 2019 |
Flyer | 1 | 2019 |
Fuego | 3 | 2018 2016 2014 |
Guerrero Maya Jr. | 1 | 2016 |
Luciferno | 0 | |
Niebla Roja | 2 | 2018 2014 |
Okumura | 9 | 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 |
Sansón | 2 | 2019 2018 |
Soberano Jr. | 3 | 2019 2018 2017 |
Stuka Jr. | 4 | 2017 2016 2015 2014 |
Tiger | 0 | |
Titán | 5 | 2019 2017 2016 2014 2013 |
Último Guerrero | 6 | 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 |
The 2020 tour marked the Fantasticamania debut for CMLL wrestlers Negro Casas, Dulce Gardenia, Lucifierno and Tiger. Casas was originally scheduled for the 2018 tour but had to miss it due to injury. For the first time in six years neither Volador Jr. nor Místico participated in the tour. Okumura is the only wrestler to participate in every Fantastica Mania tour, in part because of his role of liaison and translator for those that only speak Spanish on the CMLL contingent. Okumura and Carístico are the only two 2020 participants who were also on the first tour, at the time Carístico was known as "Místico".