Togi Makabe

Togi Makabe

Birthdate: September 29th, 1972
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 242 lbs.
Debut: February 15th, 1997
Background: Judo
Promotion History: New Japan (1997 to present)
Alliances: GBH
Ring Attire: Black or red short pants
Card Position: Mid-Card
Major Tournaments Won: None
Current Title Held: IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Championship History:

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with Toru Yano:
- Defeated Travis Tomko and Giant Bernard on 2/17/08

WEW Heavyweight Championship:
- Defeated Kintaro Kanemura on 9/24/06 and lost to Kintaro Kanemura on 6/24/07

Biggest Matches:
- October 14th, 2002 with Minoru Fujita vs. Suzuki and Tanahashi
- September 24th, 2006 vs. Kintaro Kanemura (title win)
- April 8th, 2007 vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- August 8th, 2007 vs. Yuji Nagata
- February 17th, 2008 with Yano vs. Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko (title win)

Pictures:
- Makabe with a double lariat
- A Chain Lariat to a standing opponent
- And a Chain Lariat to a sitting opponent
- Makabe puts a bloody Nakamura to sleep
- A bloody Nakanishi is choked by Makabe

Signature Moves:
- Death Valley Driver
- German Suplex Hold
- Lariat
- Prison Lock
- Short Lariat
- Spear
- Spider German Suplex

Super Signature Moves:
- Lariat with a Chain
- Top Rope King Kong Kneedrop

2005 Recap:
After a quiet first half (mostly participating in mid-card tag matches), Makabe was set to make a difference at the G-1 Climax in the summer. Unfortunately, he was injured during the tournament and would miss the rest of 2005.

2006 Recap:
Makabe made his return in early 2006, showing even more fire then when he left. In the New Japan Cup, he defeated Tatsutoshi Goto in less then two minutes in the first round, but lost to Yuji Nagata in the second round of the tournament. At the 2006 G1 Climax, Makabe came in 4th place in his bracket. Makabe suddenly caught on fire, however, when on September 24th he would defeat Kanemura for the WEW Heavyweight Championship. Makabe suddenly became a death match king, wrestling in barbed wire matches and using a chain as his primary weapon. His success in Apache Army carried over to New Japan where he became respected as more then just a mid-card heel. In December Makabe joined Tenzan's GBH heel faction and as the year ended he was still the WEW Heavyweight Champion.

2007 Recap:
Makabe continued his surge in 2007 as he began a feud with Shinsuke Nakamura to start off the year. After splitting their first two meetings, Makabe would win the rubber match on May 3rd. In the New Japan Cup, Makabe defeated Tomko, Iizuka, and Tenzan before falling to Nagata in the finals. Makabe was also in the G1 Climax, and he won his block after defeating Giant Bernard, Nagata, and Masahiro Chono. He would lose in the semi-finals to Tanahashi, however, making Tanahashi the only main eventer he failed to defeat in 2007. Makabe also continued wrestling in Apache Pro, but he was defeated on June 24th by Kanemura for the WEW Heavyweight Championship. In the G1 Tag League, Makabe teamed with GBH teammate Yano and they would reach the semi-finals before falling to Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko. On December 9th he would lose to Nakamura in a Number One Contenders match, failing once again to get a shot at the elusive IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

2008 Recap:
2008 started poorly for Makabe, as he and Yano lost to Brother Ray and Brother Devon at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th. They quickly turned things around however, as on February 17th they defeated Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. They would have four successful defenses for the rest of the year, defeating Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Takashi Iizuka, Giant Bernard & Rick Fuller, Shinsuke Nakamura & Hirooki Goto, and Manabu Nakanishi & Yutaka Yoshie. In the New Japan Cup, Makabe defeated Iizuka and Tenzan before falling to Tanahashi. He also took part in the G1 Climax, and reached the finals before losing to Goto. As part of the Zero-1 MAX vs. New Japan feud, Makabe took part in the Fire Festival but lost to Masato Tanaka in the finals. Makabe would team with Yano in the G1 Tag League, and they would reach the finals before losing to Tenzan and Kojima. So in 2008, Makabe reached the finals of three major tournaments but failed to win one of them. At the end of the year Makabe was still the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion was the leader of GBH, the largest faction in New Japan.

Back to New Japan Roster