These NOAH matches are generally tough to rank. They are entertaining and have a lot of good on them but they are also long and NOAH mixed in one of the bigger guys with underneath guys so in this type of setting, you still feel like you are watching the entire show which can be a bit jarring. I think there is misnomer that Ikeda didn’t mix well with the NOAH guys but I’m prepared to debunk that as both him going toe to toe with Misawa here but going down to the forearm like everyone else and him overtaking Marufuji and him and Ogawa going on a long attack of him fit. Once Misawa gets the hot tag, Ikeda actually takes back on offense on him and gets some nearfalls.  Ogawa vs Misawa was something to watch throughout this match as you had some vibes of Marufuji being Misawa’s new understudy and Ogawa trying to placate how that makes him feel.  Overall, coming in cold this is probably just a run of the mill decent to good tag match, but within the confines of knowing all the characters and where their career arcs had been and would be going, this felt more like a substantial time stamp than just a semi-main on the first show of the year. ***1/2 (6.8)

I thought this was a good take charge Ogawa performance and he left me most impressed, carrying portions are of this with his poise and savvy.  I do think Ikeda feels a half step off at moments but it might be his mesh with Misawa here as I found Misawa's outing to be a tad listless.  Marufuji does fine getting beaten on and gets a few moments to shine as he progresses little by little before Ogawa shuts him down with a backdrop hold.

***