The Second Navigation 2010 - Tag 9: WrestleFile Historical Verdict

Yoshinari Ogawa and Masao Inoue against Katsuhiko Nakajima and Takashi Okita is a useful generational opener rather than a major destination match. Nakajima brings the most upward momentum, while Ogawa and Inoue give the younger side experienced opposition. Inoue submitting Okita keeps the result within NOAH's veteran hierarchy. The 15-minute runtime gives the teams enough room to establish the show without stealing focus from the heavyweight attractions later on.

Akira Taue and Buchanan defeating Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Genba Hirayanagi is an unusual heavyweight-junior mixture. Buchanan scoring the fall over Hirayanagi keeps the larger team protected and gives the bout a straightforward hierarchy. Taue's presence adds historical stature, but the pairing is more useful as roster texture than as a match with lasting consequences. It is brisk supporting material that helps the Budokan card move toward its stronger second half.

Tamon Honda, Taiji Ishimori and Ricky Marvin versus Akitoshi Saito, Eddie Edwards and Bobby Fish offers one of the card's best blends of NOAH veterans and younger junior talent. Ishimori pinning Edwards after the 450 Splash gives the finish to an ascending homegrown star while Edwards and Fish supply international depth. The match is not central to the title stories, but its personnel make it a strong snapshot of the company's junior ecosystem in early 2010.

Jun Akiyama and Kensuke Sasaki against Naomichi Marufuji and NOSAWA Rongai is built around heavyweight credibility and star contrast. Akiyama and Sasaki are natural power anchors, while Marufuji gives the opposing side speed and top-level NOAH identity. Akiyama pinning NOSAWA protects Marufuji while still giving the veteran team a decisive result. The match functions well as a bridge from the undercard into the card's featured singles and championship stretch.

Minoru Suzuki against Atsushi Aoki closes Aoki's Shining Magic ten-match series with exactly the kind of stern veteran test the concept promises. Suzuki winning by cross armbreaker fits both wrestlers' technical identities and gives Aoki a credible final obstacle without requiring an upset. The 15:51 runtime lets the match breathe more than the early undercard bouts. In hindsight, it also has added interest because Aoki would become a major junior heavyweight figure after leaving NOAH.

Toshiaki Kawada versus Takeshi Morishima is the card's most direct clash of eras. Kawada represents the All Japan lineage from which NOAH emerged, while Morishima had already been GHC Heavyweight Champion and embodied the promotion's next heavyweight generation. Kawada winning in just over ten minutes gives the match a sharp, physical identity instead of stretching it into an epic. Its historical appeal is stronger than its storyline consequence, but the pairing alone makes it essential context.

Takeshi Rikio and Mohammed Yone defending the GHC Tag Team Championship against Yoshihiro Takayama and Takuma Sano gives the semi-main event a clear championship purpose. Rikio and Yone retain in 19:36 for their first successful defense, with Yone pinning Sano after the Double Muscle Buster. The challengers bring veteran credibility, while the champions leave Budokan with their reign strengthened by a meaningful defense. It is the card's most conventional title match and a strong setup for the main event.

Takashi Sugiura defending the GHC Heavyweight Championship against Togi Makabe is the event's defining match. Makabe arrives from New Japan as a credible outside challenger, and the 26-minute main event lets NOAH frame Sugiura as a champion capable of surviving heavyweight opposition beyond his own roster. Sugiura wins with an avalanche Olympic Slam for his second successful defense. Makabe's later 2010 IWGP Heavyweight Championship run gives the result extra retrospective weight and makes the defense age particularly well.