page_title: Togi Makabe
section_title: 2009–present
hierarchical_section_title: Togi Makabe / Professional wrestling career / New Japan Pro-Wrestling / 2009–present
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: 2015年3月22日 ベイコム総合体育館「Road to INVASION ATTACK 2015」真壁刀義
context_page_description: Shinya Makabe, better known by his ring name Togi Makabe is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, two-time NEVER Openweight Champion and one-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion.
  Debuting in 1997, Makabe originally wrestled under his birthname as a junior heavyweight, before gaining several kilograms during a global excursion in 2001 and 2002. He changed his given name to "Togi" during the 2004 G1 Climax tournament. His status in New Japan rose significantly in 2007, making it to the finals of the New Japan Cup and the semifinals of the G1 Climax, and challenging Yuji Nagata for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. After a number of unsuccessful challenges at the title, Makabe finally won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on May 3, 2010, by defeating Shinsuke Nakamura.
  Makabe's wrestling style and character is heavily influenced by the late Bruiser Brody.
context_section_description: On January 4, 2009, Makabe and Yano were scheduled to defend the IWGP Tag Team Championship at Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome in a three way dance against Team 3D of TNA Wrestling and Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, but an injury to Tenzan turned it into a match between Makabe & Yano and 3D, which 3D won. 3D also won the subsequent rematch a month later. This failure inevitably lead to the Makabe/Yano team dissolving when Yano cost Makabe a match against Shinsuke Nakamura in early April. While Makabe was out due to a head injury suffered at the hands of Yano, most of GBH, Yano included, went on to form CHAOS with Shinsuke Nakamura, leaving Makabe and Tomoaki Honma on their own. In August 2009 Makabe finished first in his block of the G1 Climax tournament for the third year in a row and then defeated Takashi Sugiura and Shinsuke Nakamura to win the entire tournament. After Hiroshi Tanahashi was forced to vacate the IWGP Heavyweight Championship due to an injury, Makabe and Nakamura were booked in a rematch to determine the new champion. Nakamura defeated Makabe with the Boma Ye to become the 53rd champion. At Wrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome Makabe defeated Muhammad Yone in an interpromotional match between New Japan and Pro Wrestling Noah.
  In January Makabe along with his ally Honma, would compete on Noah's Global Tag League. They only won one match, but Makabe left a huge mark by pinning GHC Heavyweight Champion Takashi Sugiura in a non-tournament tag team match. On February 28, Makabe failed to claim the GHC Heavyweight Championship from Takashi Sugiura at Budokan Hall. In March 2010 Makabe entered the 2010 New Japan Cup and defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and Tetsuya Naito to advance to the finals, where he was once again defeated by Hirooki Goto in a rematch of their 2008 G1 Climax final match. After Goto failed in his title match against the IWGP Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Makabe laid a challenge for the belt and on May 3, 2010, at Wrestling Dontaku 2010, defeated Nakamura to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. On June 19 at Dominion 6.19, Makabe made his first successful title defense, defeating Pro Wrestling Noah's Go Shiozaki. On July 19 Makabe successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against previous champion Shinsuke Nakamura. The following month Makabe entered the 2010 G1 Climax tournament. After a rocky start, which included losses to Tetsuya Naito and former tag team partner Toru Yano, Makabe came back with a four match winning streak, only to lose to Hiroshi Tanahashi on the final day of the tournament and thus miss advancing to the finals. On October 11 Makabe lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to G1 Climax winner, Satoshi Kojima. During the 2010 G1 Tag League, where he teamed with Tomoaki Honma, Makabe suffered a neck injury in a match against Masato Tanaka and Tomohiro Ishii that would sideline him indefinitely. Makabe and Tanaka would settle their grudge on January 4, 2011, at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, in a match, where Makabe was victorious. On May 3, Makabe formed a new partnership with Satoshi Kojima, after their match against each other, when the rest of Kojima-gun, aided by the returning Minoru Suzuki, turned on their leader. Later that same month, Makabe took part in New Japan's first ever tour of the United States, the Invasion Tour 2011, during which he feuded with Rhino. Makabe and Rhino main evented the final day of the tour on May 15 at the Asylum Arena, where Makabe was victorious in a South Philadelphia Street Fight. Makabe continued his rivalry with the Suzuki-gun by scoring victories over Taichi, Taka Michinoku and Lance Archer, before being defeated by the group's leader Minoru Suzuki in a grudge match on October 10 at Destruction '11. In the 2011 G1 Tag League, Makabe teamed with Satoshi Kojima as the "Beast Combination". After picking up three wins and one loss in their first four matches, Makabe and Kojima were defeated by the Billion Powers (Hirooki Goto and Hiroshi Tanahashi) on November 4, causing them to narrowly miss advancing 
caption: Makabe in March 2015
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