Shinya Makabe Shinya Makabe ( September 29 , 1972 ) , better known by his ring name Togi Makabe is a Japan ese professional wrestler , trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling ( NJPW ) , where he is a former IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Tag Team Champion . Debuting in 1997 , Makabe originally wrestled under his birthname as a junior heavyweight ( 220 lbs ( 100 kg ) ) , 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 . Known as the " Unchained Gorilla " , Makabe is known for his violent , bloody style , often illegally employing steel chairs and chains into his offense , including a lariat with a chain wrapped around his arm ( like Brody ) . He also uses Brody ' s All Japan Pro Wrestling theme " Immigrant Song " ( albeit a cover made by Tomoyasu Hotei ) as his own . Career . New Japan Pro Wrestling ( 1997 - present ) . 1997 – 2000 . Pursuing judo while enrolled in Tokyo ' s Teikyo University , Shinya Makabe passed an NJPW admission test in February 1996 and enrolled in the New Japan dojo in April of that year , training there for ten months . He made his debut the following year , losing to Shinjiro Otani on February 15 , 1997 . Makabe began wrestling in the undercard , obtaining his first victory 20 months after his debut by defeating Yutaka Yoshie on October 15 , 1998 . Makabe continued to wrestle in lesser matches through 1999 against other young wrestlers such as Wataru Inoue and Katsuyori Shibata , and defeating future IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi in his debut match on October 10 , 1999 . In April 2000 , Makabe entered the Super J Cup , a 16 - man single - elimination tournament held in Michinoku Pro , involving junior heavyweights from a number of different promotions ; he was eliminated in the first round by Gran Hamada . Later that month , Makabe also participated in NJPW ' s Young Lion Cup , a six - man round - robin tournament exclusive to young wrestlers ; he finished in first place for the group stage , defeating all of his opponents ( Kenzo Suzuki , Hiroshi Tanahashi , Wataru Inoue , Katsuyori Shibata and Masakazu Fukuda by forfeit ) , though he lost to second - place finisher Kenzo Suzuki in the final . Shinya continued his tournament participation in May and June , entering New Japan ' s Best of the Super Juniors ( BOSJ ) round - robin tournament to decide the company ' s top junior heavyweight wrestler . Makabe finished in last place out of six in Block A , scoring two points by defeating Dr . Wagner , Jr . He later defeated Minoru Fujita , who finished in last place for Block B to determine the tournament ' s 11th place finisher , leaving Fujita at # 12 . Makabe received the first title shot of his career on September 12 , 2000 , teaming with Jushin Liger to unsuccessfully challenge Koji Kanemoto and Minoru Tanaka for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship . 2001 – 2002 . Makabe made his debut in the Tokyo Dome , one of the largest venues in Japan , during NJPW ' s annual event there on January 4 , 2001 , teaming with Tatsuhito Takaiwa in a loss to Koji Kanemoto and Minoru Tanaka . For the following few months , Makabe began competing amongst heavyweights , even teaming with Riki Chōshū to challenge Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan for the IWGP World Tag Team Championship , falling to a Kojima lariat . However , he returned to the Best of the Super Juniors tournament in June , finishing in fifth place out of six in his block , earning 4 points by defeating Katsuyori Shibata and AKIRA . On June 8 , 2001 , as part of a series of interpromotional matches , Makabe and Yuji Nagata entered All Japan Pro Wrestling ( AJPW ) to challenge for the vacant AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship , losing to Masahito Kakihara and Mitsuya Nagai . In August 2001 , Makabe announced that he would be leaving Japan indefinitely to wrestle overseas in Canada , Great Britain and Puerto Rico . He wrestled his farewell match on August 12 , 2001 , in a tag team loss with Yutaka Yoshie against Riki Chōshū and Kenzo Suzuki . Makabe wrestled in the aforementioned countries for the following 14 months , gaining a considerable amount of muscle and returning to New Japan on October 14 , 2002 in the Tokyo Dome as a heavyweight , teaming with Minoru Fujita to defeat Kenzo Suzuki and Hiroshi Tanahashi ; he continued to team with Fujita and his fellow Kaientai Dojo member TAKA Michinoku over the next few tours . 2003 – 2004 . In January 2003 , Makabe suspended his contract with NJPW , wrestling under his own terms . Makabe once again wrestled at NJPW ' s annual Tokyo Dome event on January 4 , 2003 , competing in the four - man Young Generation Cup tournament , losing in the first round to Yutaka Yoshie . Shinya once again teamed with Minoru Fujita in February 2003 , competing in an 8 - team tournament to decide the # 1 contenders to the IWGP Tag Team Championship ; they were eliminated in the first round by Tatsutoshi Goto and Hiro Saito . Regardless , Makabe challenged for the belts with a different partner , Yoshihiro Takayama , on March 9 , 2003 , losing to champions Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan . Around the same time , Makabe participated in the G2 U - 30 Climax , a round - robin tournament featuring only wrestlers under the age of 30 to decide the first IWGP U - 30 Champion . Makabe finished in first place out of five in Block A , defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi , Masahito Kakihara and Dan Devine , and losing to Makai # 2 . He would go on to defeat Blue Wolf in the semifinals before losing to Hiroshi Tanahashi in the final on April 23 , 2003 . On July 1 , 2003 , Makabe travelled to Pro Wrestling Noah , teaming with Yoshihiro Takayama and NOAH ' s Takashi Sugiura to defeat Jun Akiyama , Akitoshi Saito and Makoto Hashi . He and Takayama would go on to challenge Kenta Kobashi and Tamon Honda for the GHC Tag Team Championship , Makabe getting pinned after a Kobashi lariat . Makabe continued to wrestle mid - and uppercard wrestlers in NJPW throughout 2003 and much of 2004 , before making his first appearance in New Japan ' s annual G1 Climax heavyweight tournament , changing his name to Togi Makabe and defeating Mitsuya Nagai on August 7 , 2004 to gain entrance into the competition . Makabe finished in seventh out of eight in his block with four points , defeating Osamu Nishimura by pinfall and Yoshihiro Takayama by forfeit . 2005 – 2006 . Makabe again participated in the G1 Climax in August 2005 , though he was in only two matches before tearing his achilles tendon in a match against Shinsuke Nakamura . Makabe was forced to forfeit the rest of his matches due to the injury , finishing with zero points and taking him out of action for five months . He returned on January 8 , 2006 , teaming with Toru Yano in a losing effort against Osamu Nishimura and Naofumi Yamamoto . Makabe entered the second annual New Japan Cup in April 2006 , defeating Tatsutoshi Goto in the first round before losing to Yuji Nagata in the quarterfinals . On July 2 , 2006 , Makabe teamed with Shiro Koshinaka in a one - night tournament to crown the provisional holders of the IWGP Tag Team Championship , after primary champions Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan became inactive . The duo defeated the teams of Yuji Nagata and Naofumi Yamamoto and Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko to win the provisional title ; the reign would be short - lived however , as Koshinaka and Makabe would lose the honor to Manabu Nakanishi and Takao Ōmori just 15 days later . Makabe entered the 2006 G1 Climax in August , finishing with three points in his block with a win over Naofumi Yamamoto and a double count out against Yuji Nagata . On September 24 , 2006 , Makabe entered Apache Pro Wrestling , defeating Kintaro Kanemura on their third anniversary show to revive the WEW Heavyweight Championship , the first official Japanese title of his career . On October 2 , 2006 , Hiroyoshi Tenzan announced a new faction featuring himself , Makabe and Shiro Koshinaka , naming it Great Bash Heel ( GBH ) shortly afterward ; Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii , who had been feuding with Makabe and Koshinaka , also joined the group . Makabe teamed with Koshinaka in the G1 Tag League later that month , finishing in last place in their block out of five , ending with two points via a victory over eventual winners Masahiro Chono and Shinsuke Nakamura . Makabe entered another tag team tournament in November , the National Area Tag League , in which teams were organized by home region ; Makabe teamed with Gedo , representing the Kantō region . They lost both of their matches in Block D , falling to Hiroshi Tanahashi and Naofumi Yamamoto of Kansai as well as Milano Collection AT and Prince Devitt , representing Hokkaidō . On November 18 , 2006 , Makabe made his first defense of the WEW title on New Japan ' s LOCK UP brand , defeating Kintaro Kanemura in a rematch . Makabe and Koshinaka teamed once again on December 10 , 2006 , unsuccessfully challenging the interpromotional team of Manabu Nakanishi and Pro Wrestling Zero1 ' s Takao Ōmori for the official IWGP Tag Team title after losing the provisional belts in July . 2007 – 2008 . Makabe teamed with GBH allies Yano and Ishii on January 4 , 2007 at Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome , defeating Travis Tomko and AJPW ' s D ' Lo Brown and Buchanan . Four days later , Makabe retained the WEW title against Tetsuhiro Kuroda at an event co - produced by Apache Pro and Takashi Sasaki ; he would defend the championship for a third time on February 4 , 2007 at LOCK UP ' s first show in Korakuen Hall , defeating Mammoth Sasaki in a cage death match . On February 18 , 2007 , Makabe faced and lost to Shinsuke Nakamura in a match pitting GBH against Nakamura and Masahiro Chono ' s BLACK faction , subtitled " SANCTIONS " . Makabe again entered the New Japan Cup in March 2007 , making it to the finals with victories over Travis Tomko and Takashi Iizuka by pinfall and Hiroyoshi Tenzan by disqualification , before losing to Yuji Nagata in the final . On April 8 , 2007 , Makabe faced Nakamura in a rematch of their February contest , defeating Shinsuke in a chain death match . Makabe made his fourth defense of the WEW title on April 15 , 2007 in Apache Pro , again defeating Mammoth Sasaki . Makabe battled Nakamura for a third time on May 3 , 2007 in a match dubbed " Reality or Revenge " , winning once more . On May 20 , 2007 , GBH battled a BLACK and NJPW sekigun alliance of Yuji Nagata , Riki Chōshū , Masahiro Chono , Shinsuke Nakamura and Naofumi Yamamoto ; Makabe and Hiroyoshi Tenzan survived , Makabe last eliminating IWGP Heavyweight champion Nagata by pinfall . On June 24 , 2007 , Makabe lost the WEW Heavyweight Championship in Apache Pro to Kintaro Kanemura in their third meeting . Makabe followed up his pinfall over Nagata in May with a challenge to Nagata ' s title , his first singles title shot in New Japan , on July 6 , 2007 in front of a sold out Korakuen Hall ; Nagata won with a backdrop in just under 20 minutes . Makabe had his strongest showing to date in the G1 Climax in August , finishing first place in his block with six points with pinfall victories over Giant Bernard , Yuji Nagata , and Masahiro Chono before losing in the semifinals to eventual winner Hiroshi Tanahashi . Makabe also made it to the semifinals in the G1 Tag League in November , scoring 8 points with Toru Yano in the tournament ' s single block by defeating the teams of Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi , Akebono and Masahiro Chono , and Gedo and Jado , as well as Giant Bernard in a handicap match when his partner Travis Tomko no - showed the event ; Bernard and Tomko , the eventual winners , would defeat Makabe and Yano in the semifinals . On December 9 , 2007 , Makabe and Shinsuke Nakamura faced off in their fourth and final match of the year , this time with the winner receiving a shot at Hiroshi Tanahashi ' s IWGP Heavyweight title at the Tokyo Dome in January ; Nakamura was victorious , tying their series at 2 - 2 . On January 4 , 2008 at Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome , fresh off of winning Tokyo Sports ' Tag Team of the Year award for 2007 , Makabe and Toru Yano were defeated by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ' s ( TNA ) Team 3D ( Brother Ray and Brother Devon ) as part of an interpromotional card between TNA and NJPW . Makabe and Yano would later defeat Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko for the IWGP Tag Team Championship on February 17 , 2008 . Earlier in the night , GBH leader Hiroyoshi Tenzan was betrayed and attacked by fellow GBH members Tomohiro Ishii , Jado and Gedo , kicking him out of the faction . Makabe and Yano made their first title defense on March 9 , 2008 , retaining over Giant Bernard and Shinsuke Nakamura when interference from both teams ' respective factions led to a no contest ; as a result the match was stricken from the record , and is not considered an official defense . Later that month , Makabe participated in the New Japan Cup for the third straight year , defeating Takashi Iizuka and ousted GBH leader Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the first two rounds , before falling to eventual winner Hiroshi Tanahashi in the semifinal . Makabe and Tenzan battled the following week in a non - title tag team match , Tenzan and Takashi Iizuka defeating Makabe and Yano when Tenzan pinned Makabe . The two teams battled again , this time for the championship , on April 27 , 2008 ; Makabe and Yano came out on top in their first official defense after Iizuka betrayed Tenzan and allowed the champions to retain , seemingly joining GBH . In August Makabe once again finished first in his block of the G1 Climax tournament and advanced to the finals , where he was defeated by Hirooki Goto , despite interference from Makabe ' s GBH team mates . 2009 – present . 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 Mohammed 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 Naitō 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 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 Naitō 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 Climax 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 Army , 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 , 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 Kojima Army 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 . In the 2011 G1 Climax 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 to the semifinals of the tournament . In late 2010 , Makabe shifted from feuding with Minoru Suzuki to his partner Yoshihiro Takayama , which built to a match on January 4 , 2012 , at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome , where Makabe defeated Takayama in a singles match .