{"id":21418,"date":"2018-07-05T11:51:15","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T15:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=21418"},"modified":"2018-07-12T19:57:04","modified_gmt":"2018-07-12T23:57:04","slug":"inside-g128-does-makabe-have-one-last-run-left","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2018\/07\/05\/inside-g128-does-makabe-have-one-last-run-left\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside G128: Does Makabe Have One Last Run Left?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inside G128 is an in-depth look at the 20 participants of New Japan Pro Wrestling\u2019s 2018 version of the G1 Climax tournament. The G1 is considered to be the most prestigious tournament in wrestling. Every individual in the field has their own unique story, as they prepare to make their claim as the best endurance wrestler in the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

The 45-year-old “Unchained Gorilla” Togi Makabe<\/strong> is in his twenty-first year as a member of New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). During his long career, he has become an IWGP Heavyweight Champion, 2x IWGP Tag Team Champion, and 2x NEVER Openweight Champion. In 2009, Makabe was able to win the G1 Climax, a tournament he has competed in every year since 2004.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In March of this year, Makabe unsuccessfully challenged Minoru Suzuki<\/strong> [19:04] for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at the NJPW 46th Anniversary Show<\/em>. His performance during the match, and his consecutive G1 appearance streak, led to him gaining an entry in the ‘A Block’ this year over competitors David Finlay<\/strong>, Yujiro Takahashi<\/strong>, and Taichi<\/strong>. However, Makabe is going to need a strong performance for this to not be his last ever G1.<\/p>\n

Below is a list of Makabe’s G1 opponents, the date he wrestles them, and his G1 record against them:<\/p>\n

Yoshi-Hashi, July 14th, 1-0
\nMinoru Suzuki, July 16th, 0-1
\nEvil, July 20th, 0-0
\nKazuchika Okada, July 22nd, 1-3
\nHiroshi Tanahashi, July 27th, 2-7-1
\nBad Luck Fale, July 30th, 0-3
\nHangman Page, August 2nd, 0-0
\nJay White, August 5th, 0-0
\nMichael Elgin, August 10th, 0-0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

His July 16th matchup against the newly crowned British Heavyweight Champion, Minoru Suzuki,\u00a0<\/strong>could result in Makabe challenging for the title later in the year if he’s able to secure a victory. However, his July 27th match against Hiroshi Tanahashi<\/strong> stands out.<\/p>\n

While one of his losses against Tanahashi came by forfeit in 2005, he has only been able to defeat the ‘Ace’ one-time in their nine previous G1 matches. The two wrestled to a draw [30:00] during 2009.<\/p>\n

If Makabe is going to have a respectable showing he will need wins over Michael Elgin<\/strong>, Hangman Page<\/strong>, and YOSHI-HASHI<\/strong>. Any other victories for him would have to be considered as a bonus for Makabe and his fans. Although, it wouldn’t be surprising if he were only able to score four points (two wins) during block action.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps with his Great Bash Heel (GBH)<\/strong> tag team partner, Tomoaki Honma<\/strong> returning from injury in June we could see an inspired Makabe pick up several upset victories.<\/p>\n

Makabe has compiled the following record during his G1 entries:<\/p>\n

49 Total Wins (47 Total Block Wins
\n57 Total Losses (55 Total Block Losses)
\n2 Total Draws
\n1-1 IN G1 FINALS
\n45.3 Winning Percentage<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Makabe made it to the semi-final round in 2007 and 2009, during the era of the tournament commonly having the extra round of competition. He would lose to Tanahashi in 2007 [15:24]. In 2008 (no semifinal round), Hirooki Goto would defeat Makabe in the G1 finals [22:25]. In 2009, he would defeat Takashi Sugiura<\/strong> (NOAH) and Shinsuke Nakamura<\/strong> (WWE) in the semi-final and finals in 2009.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s hard to say just how much fire Makabe has left to keep him competitive in singles competition, yet throughout his career, he has commonly overcome doubts of him not being considered a headliner when compared to other members of the NJPW roster. He faced those same doubts at Wrestling Dontaku<\/strong><\/em> in May 2010 when he defeated Nakamura [18:18] for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Does Makabe have another surprise in hand for his doubters, or has the new generation surpassed him?<\/p>\n

Catch Up On The Inside G128 Series:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Part 1: Can Tetsuya Naito Go Back To Back?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 2: Who Can Stop Kenny Omega?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 3: Will YOSHI-HASHI Finally Break Out?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 4: Is Juice Robinson About To Get Loose?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 5: Will Michael Elgin Find Redemption?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 6: The Curious Case of Tomohiro Ishii<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 7: Is The Hangman Ready To Take A Big Step?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 8: Does Makabe Have One Last Run Left?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 9:\u00a0Decorated Goto Looks To Add Another G1 Trophy<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 10:\u00a0Will The Cold Skull Heat Up In Time?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 11:\u00a0Good Luck For Bad Luck Fale<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 12: Does The Ace Have Something To Prove?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 13: Yano Is Going To Spoil Someone’s G1<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 14:\u00a0Oh The Web Tama Tonga Has Begun To Weave<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 15: Will G128 Be EVIL?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 16: The King Is Coming For His Throne<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 17: Just Tap Out!<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 18: Is Kota Ibushi Prepared To Soar?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 19: Will The G1 Breathe With The Switchblade?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 20:\u00a0Can Okada Bring Rain A Third Time In The G1?<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Inside G128 is an in-depth look at the 20 participants of New Japan Pro Wrestling\u2019s 2018 version of the G1 Climax tournament. The G1 is considered to be the most prestigious tournament in wrestling. Every individual in the field has their own unique story, as they prepare to make their claim as the best endurance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2048,"featured_media":21425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,13,14],"tags":[2975,2974,1493,1029,339,620,385,188,1031,2973,618],"class_list":["post-21418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international","category-njpw","tag-gbh","tag-great-bash-heel","tag-hangman-page","tag-hiroshi-tanahashi","tag-michael-elgin","tag-minoru-suzuki","tag-new-japan-pro-wrestling","tag-njpw","tag-togi-makabe","tag-tomoaki-honma","tag-yoshi-hashi"],"modified_by":"Jamie Greer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2048"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}