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Matches from Nights 14-16

Night Fourteen
1.Ishii vs Toru Yano ***1/2
2.White vs Moxley ***1/2
3.Naito vs SHINGO ****1/2
Night Fifteen
4.Ospreay vs KENTA ***1/2
5.Kota vs Sabre ***3/4
6.Okada vs EVIL ****
Night Sixteen
7.White vs Juice ***1/4
8.SHINGO vs Ishii ****3/4

Thoughts:
Trying to catch up as fast as possible. Props to all the people who watched every show live during the G1. With everything else I watch and cover, plus real life, that just wasn't an option for me. I do hope these review posts and the blog in general are to service to some but I enjoy the outlet as well, so win-win?

Night 14 pulls start with a surprising one. I was told I had to see Ishii and Toru Yano but I didn't expect what turned out to be a very good contest between the two. The comedy was kept to a minimum (for a Yano match) and it was just really fun entertainment. White and Mox also had a pretty good outing, as expected. The real must-see encounter, though, was a MOTYC between LIJ mates. Naito might get the strangest booking calls in New Japan, but this was done perfectly and both worked their asses off. I hope Naito isn't ever kicked from the group, but if he was SHINGO would be perfect as a replacement leader.

Night 15 pulls kicked off with a very good battle that saw KENTA fall to Ospreay. It was a bit sloppy at times, mainly from KENTA, but they made up for it. Kota and Sabre had a great match, though I did expect a bit more. Still, the format worked and both came off looking well. The main from the show closed things with one a high note with a fantastic contest. The closing minutes in particular were awesome!

Two more pulls before we get to the last three nights, starting with White and Juice. The match was good, but never really hit full gear for me. The last match, on the other hand, is one of my favorite matches of the year and a fucking war. Ishii and SHINGO lived up to all of my expectations and delivered a near classic. Watch that one as soon as possible.

Two match of the year contenders, both featuring SHINGO.

The rest of the G1 tour will be reviewed soon.