Watch Free NJPW World Tag League 12/05/2019 Live

Watch Free NJPW World Tag League 12/05/2019 Live DX-TV

Togi Makabe is one of the most beloved veterans on the New Japan roster. The star of ring, stage and screen, Makabe is beloved in

Japan for his appearances in major motion pictures like the Japanese version of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, and regular outings on

television, his penchant for sweets making the nickname ‘sweets Makabe’ arguably more of a household utterance than ‘Unchained Gorilla’.

Makabe brings the sweets to TV and other media, but the sourness comes in ring, where he’s a brutal hard hitter. Makabe

debuted on February 15 1997, and despite being a favourite of NJPW legend Riki Choshu, he struggled as a junior heavyweight

under his birth name of Shinya Makabe. Unable to break through to the upper echelons of NJPW, his progress was stalled

further by an Achilles tendon injury in August 2005.

When he returned however, it was with a redoubled passion. Always a New Japan loyalist, Makabe decided to participate in

some independent events alongside his NJPW schedule. Winning Apache Pro’s WEW Heavyweight Championship,

Makabe found a love of punishing hardcore brawls, and wasn’t afraid to swing chains and draw blood from his opponents.

Finally with a sense of identity, Makabe brought his new bloodthirstiness to locker room politics. When Hiroyoshi Tenzan

succumbed to injury, Makabe staged a coup that put him at the top of the Great Bash Heel stable. From 2007 to 2009,

GBH ran rampant through NJPW, and Makabe became an IWGP title contender who reached the finals of the 2007

New Japan Cup and 2008 G1 Climax.

In April 2009, Toru Yano betrayed Makabe and took most of the GBH stable to form CHAOS under Shinsuke Nakamura.

With only Tomoaki Honma left at his side, Makabe earned sympathy and love from the fans, which resulted in an emotional 2009