is a Japanese professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
and professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
executive currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah
(stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...
(Noah), where he is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion
The is the professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight currently defended in the Pro Wrestling Noah brand division. It is one of CyberFight's two top men's world titles, alon ...
. He is best known for his work as in World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
(WCW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
(NJPW) during the 1980s and 1990s, and from his runs in other American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
, Puerto Rican, and Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
promotions. He was the president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...
(AJPW) from 2002 to 2013 and representative director
Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization.
The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...
of Wrestle-1
was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, founded in July 2013 by Keiji Mutoh following his resignation from All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The core of the promotion's roster was formed by ...
(W-1) from 2013 to 2020.
Considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Muto is also one of the first Japanese wrestlers to gain an international fanbase. "The Great Muta" gimmick
A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...
is one of the most influential in puroresu
is the predominant style of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of , which is shortened to puroresu. The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu Tanabe's act ...
, emulated by many wrestlers, including Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but makes appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrest ...
(as The Great Koji), Kazushi Miyamoto
is a Japanese professional wrestler.
Career
Kazushi Miyamoto will forever have the distinction of being the first post-split graduate of the All Japan Pro Wrestling dojo. While in the Dojo Miyamoto was trained by Hiroshi Hase, Johnny Smith, and ...
(as The Great Kazushi), Atsushi Onita
is a Japanese actor, politician, and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and is credited with introducing Japan to the deathmatch style of professional wrestling.
He founded ...
(as The Great Nita), and Seiya Sanada
, better known by his ring name Sanada (stylized as SANADA), is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a member of the stable ''Los Ingobernables de Japón''.
As part of NJPW, Sanada is mostly ...
(as The Great Sanada). Others copied or modified some of the moves that he popularized or innovated, such as the ''Shining Wizard'', ''Moonsault'', ''Muta Lock'' and the ''Dragon screw leg whip''. He took part in what was generally considered to be one of the bloodiest professional wrestling matches at the time against Hiroshi Hase
is a Japanese politician who is currently the governor of Ishikawa Prefecture. He served as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Prior to his appointment in the Cabinet, he also se ...
, leading to the creation of the "Muta scale
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...
", which rates the bloodiness of matches relative to this one's 1.0 value.
Muto is one of the four wrestlers to win the three major championships of puroresu (AJPW's Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Japanese All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion.
History
The championship was established after the unification of its then-flagship title the PWF World Heavyweight Championshi ...
, NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...
, and Noah's GHC Heavyweight Championship
The is the professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight currently defended in the Pro Wrestling Noah brand division. It is one of CyberFight's two top men's world titles, alon ...
) with Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and founder of the now-defunct wrestling promotion Diamond Ring.
Sasaki is the first of four men ever to hold all three of '' puroresus major heavyweight titles (the IWGP Heav ...
, Yoshihiro Takayama
is a former Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Debuting for UWF International (UWFI) in the 1990s, Takayama joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1997 after UWF-i folded. In 2000, he joined Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), and ...
and Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but makes appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrest ...
. He is the only of them to also win the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is in ...
and the Wrestle-1 Championship
The was the top professional wrestling title owned by the Wrestle-1 (W-1) promotion. In Japanese the title's name includes the katakana term for "championship", , derived from the English language instead of the more common kanji term . The title ...
making him a ten-time world champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
. He is a thirteen-time world tag team champion: five AJPW World Tag Team Championship
The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championships in professional wrestling promotions.
Nomenclature
The name of the promotion is often preceded to the term "world tag team championship" as the ...
s, six IWGP Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...
s, one GHC Tag Team Championship
The Global Honored Crown (GHC) Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah. It was created on October 19, 2001, when Scorpio & Vader defeated Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito in a tourname ...
and one WCW World Tag Team Championship
The WCW World Tag Team Championship (previously NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship) was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). ...
. In total, he has held 32 championships.
In 2013, Muto founded W-1, where he also wrestled semi-regularly. He made special appearances for the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
(TNA), as part of a TNA/W-1 talent exchange, as well as All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...
(AEW).
Professional wrestling career
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1984–1988)
Muto was an accomplished amateur wrestler
Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...
and a judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
black belt with experience in many national competitions prior to being trained by Hiro Matsuda
(July 22, 1937 – November 27, 1999) was a Japanese professional wrestler and trainer best known by his ring name . He trained many professional wrestlers including Hulk Hogan, The Great Muta, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Scott Hall, Lex Lug ...
in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
Dojo. He debuted on October 5, 1984, against Masahiro Chono
is an American-born Japanese-American retired professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26 year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader of nWo Japan, Team 2000 and Black New Japan, he was the promotion's top heel for m ...
. In 1985, Muto was sent on his first learning excursion to the United States. Primarily wrestling in the southern U.S. as the "White Ninja", Muto teamed with Kendo Nagasaki
Kendo Nagasaki is a professional wrestling stage name, used as a gimmick of that of a Japanese Samurai warrior with a mysterious past and even supernatural powers of hypnosis. The name derives from the modern martial art of Japanese fencing ( K ...
. During his first excursion, Muto became a one-time NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion and a one-time NWA Southeastern United States Junior Heavyweight Champion. Muto returned to New Japan in 1986, where he was nicknamed "Space Lone Wolf", a space-age type character that was briefly revived in 2005 by NOSAWA Rongai
, better known by his ring names Nosawa and , (born December 17, 1976) is a Japanese freelance professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling and various independent promotions.
Career Early career (19952004)
Nos ...
.
In March 1987, Muto won the IWGP Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...
with Shiro Koshinaka
is a Japanese professional wrestler who has competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Wrestle Association "R" (WAR) during the 1980s and 1990s. He was also the first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Career
...
, before losing the titles to Akira Maeda
(born Go Il-myeong (Hangul: 고일명, Hanja: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is a Japanese mixed martial arts promoter, writer and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist of Korean descent. Maeda was also known by the ring name K ...
and Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada ( ja, 高田伸彦, ring name: ) (born April 12, 1962) is a Japanese former mixed martial artist, retired professional wrestler, actor, and writer. He competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Universal Wrestling Federation (UW ...
six days later. In the summer of 1987, Muto took part in the NOW vs. NEW feud, in which he aligned himself with Antonio Inoki
Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homag ...
and his group, teaming with the likes of Inoki, Seiji Sakaguchi
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and judoka, Sakaguchi holds a 7th dan red and white belt in Judo. Sakaguchi was a mainstay of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and also competed for the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the Nati ...
, Yoshiaki Fujiwara
is a Japanese Professional Wrestler and trainer. He is famous for his long career in wrestling, having worked in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE (ZERO-ONE), and the two incarnations of shoot style promotion Universal Wrest ...
, and Kantaro Hoshino
(born Yeo Geon-bu (여건부) on October 9, 1943 – November 25, 2010) was a Japanese born, Korean professional wrestler, manager, and promoter best known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. As a wrestler, he was half of The Yamaha Brother ...
, and battling the likes of Tatsumi Fujinami
(born December 28, 1953) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE on a legend's contract. Fujinami is most well known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. H ...
, Riki Choshu
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler who is best known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as both a wrestler and a booker. He is considered one of Japan’s most influential wrestlers ...
, Akira Maeda, Kengo Kimura
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, best known under the ring name and for his many years working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in Japan.
Professional wrestling career
Japan Wrestling Association (1972–1973)
Kimura made his pr ...
, and Super Strong Machine
(born December 20, 1956) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a trainer for the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion, known primarily by his ring name .
Career
Hirata applied and was approved to the New Japan do ...
.
Excursion to Puerto Rico and Texas (1988–1989)
In January 1988, Muto went on another excursion, this time in Puerto Rico for the Capitol Sports Promotions (CSP) under his new ring name, "The Super Black Ninja". He feuded with Miguel Perez Jr., with whom he lost a hair vs. hair match to that April. It was in Puerto Rico he formed The Three Musketeers
''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...
with Masahiro Chono and Shinya Hashimoto
was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and actor. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the "Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the mid-1980s and dominated the prom ...
. He wrestled only one match in New Japan during this period on July 29, before returning to Puerto Rico. In the fall of 1988, Muto moved to the Dallas, Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling
World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA) (1986–1991) was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed ...
, where he reunited with Kendo Nagasaki and had a very short lived feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
with Kevin Von Erich
Kevin Ross Adkisson (born May 15, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kevin Von Erich. A member of the Von Erich family, Von Erich is best known for his appearances with his father's World Class Ch ...
before departing the organization in March 1989. Muto's personality and ring skills shown in his early American matches earned him a high billing within the National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
(NWA).
World Championship Wrestling (1989–1990)
Muto first appeared as "The Great Muta" in the NWA's World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
territory on the March 18, 1989, edition of '' Saturday Night''. His manager Gary Hart
Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination until he dropped out amid revelations of extramarital affairs. ...
introduced him as the son of the Great Kabuki
, better known as , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is famous as the first to blow Asian mist in his opponents' faces.
Professional wrestling career
Mera was born on September 8, 1948 in Nobeoka, Japan. He started wrestling in 1 ...
, whom Gary Hart also had managed years earlier. He defeated Cougar Jay in his debut match. Muta would feud with stars like Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for ...
, Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...
, and Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
, from whom he would capture the NWA World Television Championship
The NWA World Television Championship is a world television championship owned and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The inaugural champion was Ricky Starks. The current champion is Jord ...
on September 3, 1989. Muto eventually lost the championship to Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde (born September 20, 1958), better known by the ring name Arn Anderson, is an American professional wrestling road agent, author, and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a m ...
on January 2, 1990, which aired on the January 12, 1990, edition of '' Power Hour'', and some time after the Clash of the Champions X
''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...
on February 6, Muto would return to New Japan, going between his real name and his Muta gimmick as he pleased.
Return to NJPW
Rise to prominence (1990–1992)
Muto quickly rose in the ranks upon returning to New Japan in March 1990. He made his in-ring return to NJPW on April 27 by teaming with Masahiro Chono
is an American-born Japanese-American retired professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26 year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader of nWo Japan, Team 2000 and Black New Japan, he was the promotion's top heel for m ...
to defeat Shinya Hashimoto
was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and actor. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the "Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the mid-1980s and dominated the prom ...
and Masa Saito
was a Japanese professional wrestler better known as Mr. Saito or , who wrestled for 33 years around the world. He had success as a singles wrestler, winning the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1990, and as a tag team wrestler with multip ...
to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...
, marking Muto's second reign with the title. He and Chono would hold the titles for over six months, before finally losing them to Hiroshi Hase
is a Japanese politician who is currently the governor of Ishikawa Prefecture. He served as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Prior to his appointment in the Cabinet, he also se ...
and Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and founder of the now-defunct wrestling promotion Diamond Ring.
Sasaki is the first of four men ever to hold all three of '' puroresus major heavyweight titles (the IWGP Heav ...
on November 1. During this time, Muto also entered the Kyushu Cup tournament on June 12, in which he defeated Chono to advance to the finals of the tournament, where he lost to Hashimoto. On September 7, Muto introduced his Great Muta moniker for the first time in NJPW during a match against Samurai Shiro, which Muto won. Muto would occasionally perform the Muta gimmick for major matches while competing under his real name for regular matches. On September 30, Muta picked up a huge win over Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promot ...
.
Muto revived his Great Muta moniker at the WCW and NJPW-jointly promoted Starrcade in Tokyo Dome event on March 21, 1991, where he defeated Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
. Later that year, Muto and Chono, along with Hashimoto, cemented their status as the next generation of New Japan, surpassing Antonio Inoki
Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homag ...
, Tatsumi Fujinami
(born December 28, 1953) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE on a legend's contract. Fujinami is most well known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. H ...
, and Riki Choshu
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler who is best known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as both a wrestler and a booker. He is considered one of Japan’s most influential wrestlers ...
, after the finals of the first G1 Climax
The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...
tournament on August 11. He lost to Scott Norton
Scott Norton (born June 15, 1961) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, in which he was a member of the New World Order (professional wrest ...
but defeated Tatsumi Fujinami and Big Van Vader
Leon Allen White (May 14, 1955 – June 18, 2018), better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader, was an American professional wrestler and professional football player. Throughout his career, he performed for New Japan Pro-Wrestli ...
in his block to advance to the final against Chono, which turned out to be an epic thirty-minute match in which Muto was bested by Chono and, together with Hashimoto, the three celebrated in the ring, then afterwards they were officially labeled "The Three Musketeers" of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In October, Muto paired with Hiroshi Hase to participate in the 1991 Super Tag League, where they lost three of their tournament matches and won three, narrowly missing the chance to qualify for the knockout stage. However, shortly after the tournament, the duo found success as they defeated Rick Steiner
Robert Rechsteiner (born March 9, 1961) is an American real estate broker and retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Rick Steiner.
Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he was ...
and Scott Norton to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship at Budokan Hall on November 5.
On January 4, 1992, Muto headlined the Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome event as Great Muta by teaming with Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
for the first time ever to defeat The Steiner Brothers
The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner.
The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team ma ...
at the Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...
. This was the first January 4 Tokyo Dome Show
The January 4 Tokyo Dome Show is a professional wrestling event produced annually on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), a Japan-based professional wrestling promotion. NJPW has promoted events in the venue every Janua ...
, which would become the flagship event for NJPW in years to come. At the NJPW 20th Anniversary Show on March 1, Muto and Hase lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship to Big Van Vader and Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow
Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close to 400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned mos ...
. Muto continued to rise as a singles competitor, gaining his first title shot at the prestigious IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...
against Riki Choshu on May 17, which he failed to win. Muto participated in the 1992 G1 Climax for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is in ...
, defeating Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham (born July 4, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler. The son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan, he is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). ...
in the opening round in Shizuoka on August 6 and Steve Austin
Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...
in the quarterfinals on August 10, before losing to the eventual winner Masahiro Chono in the semi-finals on August 11.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion (1992–1996)
On August 16, Muto, donned his Great Muta persona to beat Japanese legend Riki Choshu to win the Greatest 18 Club Championship
The was a championship created and promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
History
The title was established on September 29, 1990 during Antonio Inoki's career 30th anniversary as an addition to creation of the Greatest 18 Club (a hall of fa ...
and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the first time, thus winning the first world championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
of his professional wrestling career. He successfully defended both titles against Shinya Hashimoto on September 23 and then retired the Greatest 18 Club Championship to focus on defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He successfully defended the title against Scott Norton on October 18 and Sting on November 22. On December 14, Muta faced Hiroshi Hase in a winning effort in a famous match where Hase used a foreign object to beat at Muta's forehead, as payback for their previous encounters, including the September 14, 1990, encounter, in which Muta busted Hase open. Muta bladed and cut very deeply into his forehead. As a result of this, Muta bled profusely for the rest of the match, and to this day he still bears scars from where he sliced.
On January 4, 1993, Muta defeated Masahiro Chono in a title versus title match at Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome
Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotions. The show took place on January 4, 1993 in Tokyo's Tokyo Dome. Officially, the sho ...
(known in North America as WCW/New Japan Supershow III
WCW/New Japan Supershow III (known as Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome in Japan) took place on January 4, 1993, in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The show would be the third and final show available on pay-per-view (PPV) in America under the name W ...
) to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, thus becoming the second of the only two men to hold both titles at the same time, the first being Tatsumi Fujinami
(born December 28, 1953) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE on a legend's contract. Fujinami is most well known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. H ...
. After losing the NWA title in WCW, Muta had a variety of challengers in title matches and exhibitions throughout the year. He lost to Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
at Wrestling Dontaku
is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
It was originally held from 1993 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2001 in Fukuoka at the Fukuoka Dome. The event was revived in 2009 and has since been held a ...
in May and then successfully defended his IWGP title against The Great Kabuki
, better known as , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is famous as the first to blow Asian mist in his opponents' faces.
Professional wrestling career
Mera was born on September 8, 1948 in Nobeoka, Japan. He started wrestling in 19 ...
on June 15. After holding the title for longer than a year, Muta finally lost the title to Shinya Hashimoto on September 20. Following this title loss and a match with Hogan against the Hell Raisers ( Hawk Warrior and Power Warrior
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and founder of the now-defunct wrestling promotion Diamond Ring.
Sasaki is the first of four men ever to hold all three of ''puroresus major heavyweight titles (the IWGP Heavywe ...
) on September 23, Muto returned to fighting primarily under his real name, reviving the Muta name for certain matches. On December 10, Muto received a rematch against Hashimoto for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which he failed to win.
Muto resumed teaming with Hiroshi Hase in the fall of 1993 and the duo wrestled the Steiner Brothers
The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner.
The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team mad ...
in a losing effort at Battlefield
A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...
on January 4, 1994. Muto reprised his Great Muta moniker for a dream match against the legendary Antonio Inoki
Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homag ...
at May's Wrestling Dontaku
is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
It was originally held from 1993 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2001 in Fukuoka at the Fukuoka Dome. The event was revived in 2009 and has since been held a ...
, which Muta lost. In October, Muto and Hase entered the Super Grade Tag League
__NOTOC__
The is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of ...
, where they lost only two matches in the tournament, winning rest of their matches and scored fourteen points, thus advancing to the finals on October 30, where they defeated Masahiro Chono and Super Strong Machine
(born December 20, 1956) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a trainer for the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion, known primarily by his ring name .
Career
Hirata applied and was approved to the New Japan do ...
to win the tournament, thus earning an IWGP Tag Team Championship opportunity against Hell Raisers on November 25, which Muto and Hase won, thus marking their second reign as a team and Muto's fourth individual tag title reign. They successfully defended the titles against Steiner Brothers in their first title defense at Battle 7
Battle 7 was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) that took place on January 4, 1995 in the Tokyo Dome. Battle 7 was the fourth January 4 Tokyo Dome Show held by NJPW. The show drew 52,500 spectators and $4,800 ...
on January 4, 1995.
On February 3, Muto lost to Scott Norton in a #1 contender's match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. However, Muto received an opportunity for the title against Shinya Hashimoto at Wrestling Dontaku
is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
It was originally held from 1993 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2001 in Fukuoka at the Fukuoka Dome. The event was revived in 2009 and has since been held a ...
on May 3, where he defeated Hashimoto to capture his second IWGP Heavyweight Championship and subsequently vacated the IWGP Tag Team Championship three days later on May 6 to focus on defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Muto successfully defended the title against Hiroyoshi Tenzan
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G ...
on June 14 and Hawk Warrior on July 13, before winning the G1 Climax
The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...
in August, beating Hashimoto in the finals to become the first of two men to win the G1 Climax as IWGP Heavyweight Champion as Kensuke Sasaki would achieve this feat in 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
. Muto held the IWGP title throughout the rest of the year. On September 25, Muto successfully defended the title against Junji Hirata. He would then lead New Japan in the opening battles of the feud with Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada ( ja, 高田伸彦, ring name: ) (born April 12, 1962) is a Japanese former mixed martial artist, retired professional wrestler, actor, and writer. He competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Universal Wrestling Federation (UW ...
and the UWF-i army, defeating Takada in his fourth title defense on October 9. Muto closed the year with his fifth successful title defense against Shiro Koshinaka
is a Japanese professional wrestler who has competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Wrestle Association "R" (WAR) during the 1980s and 1990s. He was also the first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Career
...
on December 11. Muto finally lost the title to Takada at Wrestling World on January 4, 1996.
nWo Japan (1996–2000)
The latter half of 1996 had Muto pitted against Masahiro Chono's Ookami Gundan, which eventually blossomed into a war with the Chono-led nWo Japan
The New World Order (commonly abbreviated as nWo) is an American professional wrestling stable that originally consisted of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash.
The stable originated in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) with the ...
. In the process, Muto began teasing at a possible turn to the side of the nWo, proclaiming himself to be the true successor to Antonio Inoki's legacy, and "accidentally" attacking his own partners in the middle of a match. During this period, Muto underwent a long slump in big matches, losing not only to members of the nWo, but fellow New Japan wrestlers including Power Warrior at Wrestling World on January 4, 1997, and Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on June 5. The turn was teased many times. Muto would even wear an nWo shirt only to proclaim days later that he refused to join Chono's army. Muto further raised confusion by playing both sides of the feud; fighting as a member of New Japan under his real name, and as The Great Muta in nWo Japan, before being The Great Muta full-time for several months in 1997. The full turn came in September 1997, when Muto, after teasing a turn on his nWo teammates, double-crossed Kensuke Sasaki and Kazuo Yamazaki
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, wrestling instructor and commentator who is known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and shoot-style promotions Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) and UWF International (UWFi). He curr ...
, sealing away the Muta name and formally joining nWo Japan as himself. Almost immediately following this, he and Chono dominated the tag team scene in NJPW, defeating Yamazaki and Sasaki for their second IWGP Tag Team Championship reign as a duo on October 19, and spray-painting the plates of the belts black as a show of disrespect for the championship's legacy. They continued their dominance in the tag team division by winning the Super Grade Tag League
__NOTOC__
The is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of ...
by defeating Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-time IWGP Tag Team Champi ...
and Shinya Hashimoto in the final on December 8.
On January 4, 1998, Muto headlined Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome
Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It took place on January 4, 1998 in the Tokyo Dome. Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome was the seventh January 4 Tokyo Dome Show held by NJPW. ...
as he unsuccessfully challenged Kensuke Sasaki for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Muto and Chono were forced to vacate the IWGP Tag Team Championship on April 21, when Muto injured his knees, as his years of using the moonsault press were finally catching up to him. During this time, he took a hiatus from action, returning just before the 1998 G1 Climax, from which he was eliminated by Genichiro Tenryu
, better known as is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his ...
in the first round. Despite his return, Muto was plagued by this nagging injury, fighting through his pain throughout the rest of 1998 and all of 1999. Towards the end of 1998, Muto took the leadership of nWo Japan, after Chono suffered a neck injury and was out of action, turning the nWo into a face stable. Muto would then team with teammate Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but makes appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrest ...
as they won the Super Grade Tag League
__NOTOC__
The is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of ...
by defeating Shinya Hashimoto and Tatsumi Fujinami in the final on December 6.
At Wrestling World on January 4, 1999, Muto defeated one of Chono's right-hand men, Scott Norton
Scott Norton (born June 15, 1961) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, in which he was a member of the New World Order (professional wrest ...
to win his third IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The following month, Masahiro Chono returned to NJPW and disagreed with Muto over Muto's philosophy and leadership of the nWo Japan, thus leaving the group and Muto feuded with Chono for the name of the nWo, which evolved into a war between the nWo, led by Muto, Hiroyoshi Tenzan
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G ...
, and Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but makes appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrest ...
and Chono's new Team 2000
Team 2000 was a professional wrestling stable that competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Throughout its tenure, T2000 was New Japan's top heel stable.
History
Background
In August 1998, Masahiro Chono was leader of nWo Japan and won the IWGP He ...
unit, with himself, Don Frye
Donald Frye (born November 23, 1965) is an American former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and actor. In MMA, he was one of the sport's earliest well-rounded fighters and won the ''UFC 8'' and ''Ultimate Ultimate 96'' tournaments an ...
, Super J, and others from the old generation of the nWo. Muto successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kensuke Sasaki at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Team 2000 member Don Frye at Strong Style Symphony, Genichiro Tenryu
, better known as is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his ...
on May 5 and Satoshi Kojima on July 20.
In August, Muto entered the G1 Climax
The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...
, where he lost only one match to Tatsumi Fujinami while winning the rest of his matches in the block thus qualifying to the final against Manabu Nakanishi, which he lost, leading to a match between Muto and Nakanishi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Final Dome, where Muto retained. Muto revived Great Muta character at Jingu Climax on August 28 for a No Rope Explosive Barbed Wire Barricade Explosive Land Mine Double Hell Deathmatch against Great Nita, which Muta won. The following month, Muto entered the Super Grade Tag League
__NOTOC__
The is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of ...
with stablemate Scott Norton, which they won by defeating Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
A two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, World Heavyweight Champion and a GHC Heavyweight Champion, making him a four-time world champion in major professional ...
in the final. On December 10, Muto finally lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Genichiro Tenryu. The war between Chono and Muto was lost by Muto at the 2000 Wrestling World event as he was defeated by Chono. Muto took an extended hiatus to rehabilitate his damaged knees after that, focusing instead on one last run in America for WCW, thus marking the dissolution of nWo Japan as it merged into Chono's Team 2000.
Bad Ass Translate Trading (2001–2002)
After a planned tag team match with FMW's Hayabusa
was a robotic spacecraft developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to return a sample of material from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa to Earth for further analysis.
''Hayabusa'', formerly known as MUSES-C ...
for Wrestling World 2001 was cancelled due to Hayabusa's injury to both his elbows that required reconstructive surgery, it seemed as if Muto reached a confusing crossroads in his career; however, he chose to completely change his image, shaving his head bald (he had a pronounced receding hairline throughout much of 2000), growing out a goatee, and aligning himself with a fellow NJPW wrestler who had gone overseas for an extended period of time, Shinjiro Otani
is a semi-retired Japanese professional wrestler and the current acting president of Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1). He is currently inactive from pro-wrestling competition due to a cervical spine injury substained in April 2022. A product of the N ...
. The two returned to New Japan on January 4, 2001, at Wrestling World, making short work of Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-time IWGP Tag Team Champi ...
and Jushin Liger
, better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since h ...
. Shortly after, Muto also began appearing for All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...
, where he debuted at King's Road New Century by defeating Taiyō Kea
Maunakea Mossman (born November 18, 1975) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, better known under his stage name . He is the only wrestler to have held the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, the World Tag Team Championship and t ...
. On March 18, Muto debuted his new trademark move, the '' Shining Wizard'' to defeat Kazunari Murakami
(born November 29, 1973) is a Japanese professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah. Murakami is best known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) during the late 1990s and early 2000s, ...
. Since its creation, it has become an extremely popular move on both sides of the Pacific, used by Muto's allies, rivals, and fans of his work. Muto would begin appearing in both New Japan and on a part-time basis All Japan, which led to Muto creating a new stable with Don Frye and Shinjiro Otani which later came to be known as BATT (Bad Ass Translate Trading).[ Added to their ranks were Taiyō Kea of ]All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...
and Jinsei Shinzaki
Kensuke Shinzaki (新崎 健介 ''Shinzaki Kensuke'', born December 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive, better known by his ring name, Jinsei Shinzaki (新崎 人生 ''Shinzaki Jinsei''). He is curr ...
of Michinoku Pro Wrestling
(originally known as North Eastern Wrestling) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded by The Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rather ...
. Muto defeated AJPW's veteran Toshiaki Kawada
(born December 8, 1963) is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In All Japan, he was a 5 time Triple Crown Heavyweight ...
in a dream match at Champion Carnival One Night Special on April 14. At Super Force Group Declaration, Muto defeated Hiroshi Hase, then a member of All Japan, which led to Hase joining BATT as well.
Muto would then enter the 2001 G1 Climax, where he won all matches in his block, with the exception of a loss to Satoshi Kojima, thus qualifying for the semi-final on August 11, in which he defeated Tadao Yasuda
is a Japanese retired sumo wrestler (''rikishi''), professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He competed in sumo from 1979 to 1992 under the ''shikona'' of Takanofuji Tadao, achieving the rank of ''komusubi'', and afterwards turned to prof ...
and then lost to Yuji Nagata in the final a day later. Muto would then defend the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the first time in New Japan against Scott Hall
Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...
on September 23, which Muto retained. Muto and Hase would then lose to Yuji Nagata and Jun Akiyama
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Champion. He is best known for his time working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he was the president, representative director, co-he ...
at Indicate of Next.
Muto captured more gold by winning All Japan's World Tag Team Championship
The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championships in professional wrestling promotions.
Nomenclature
The name of the promotion is often preceded to the term "world tag team championship" as the ...
alongside stablemate Taiyō Kea by defeating Genichiro Tenryu and Yoji Anjo
(born March 28, 1967) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist.
Professional wrestling career
Universal Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1985–1988)
A former practitioner of judo, sumo and muay th ...
on October 22. Muto would then successfully defend the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship against Masahiro Chono at an All Japan event on October 27. The following day, at a New Japan event, Muto and Kea defeated Osamu Nishimura
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer. Nishimura formerly worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and MUGA World Pro Wrestling (MUGA).
Professional wrestling career
Early years (1991–1998)
Nishimura debuted ...
and Tatsumi Fujinami in a title versus title match to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship as well, thus giving Muto a total of six belts at one time. Muto and Kea would win that year's Real World Tag League
__NOTOC__
The , more commonly known in the West as the Real World Tag League, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1977, usually, run on the first weeks of December. The first tournament was actually ...
by defeating Mitsuya Nagai
, better known as , is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and former kickboxer. He is known for his work in Fighting Network RINGS and later in professional wrestling companies like Battlarts and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJ ...
and Toshiaki Kawada in the final. Muto closed out the year with a successful title defense of the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship against Tatsumi Fujinami at a New Japan event on December 11.
Muto wrestled his last match as a member of the New Japan roster at Wrestling World on January 4, 2002, where he alongside his teammate Hiroshi Hase defeated Osamu Nishimura and Tatsumi Fujinami. Muto would then defect full-time to All Japan, which led to him and Kea being stripped off the IWGP Tag Team Championship on February 2.
Return to WCW
Sporadic appearances (1990–1999)
Meanwhile, in World Championship Wrestling, it was announced on Clash of the Champions XIII
''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...
that The Great Muta would be returning at Starrcade '90 to team with Mr. Saito. Less than a month later Muto teamed with Saito in the Pat O'Connor Memorial Tag-Team Tournament at Starrcade. The duo defeated The New Zealand Militia in the quarterfinals, then Victor Zangiev
Victor Dzantemirovich Zangiev (russian: Виктор Дзантемирович Зангиев, os, Зæнджиаты Дзантемиры фырт Виктор; born 26 May 1962) is a retired Soviet and Russian freestyle wrestler of Ossetian ...
and Salmon Hasimikov (representing the USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
) in the semi-finals. Muta and Saito were defeated by then US Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers
The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner.
The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team ma ...
in the finals.
Muta continued to make sporadic appearances within WCW during 1991 while wrestling regularly in New Japan. He was shown in attendance at WrestleWar 91, and then defeated old rival Sting at the combined New Japan/WCW Starrcade event on March 21, 1991, in Tokyo, Japan. Muto was entered into a match with United States Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for ...
to determine the Number One Contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. On June 12 at Clash of the Champions XV
''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...
, Muta was pinned by Luger to earn the right to challenge Ric Flair at The Great American Bash '91. He went on to wrestle several house shows that month before returning to Japan.
In May he returned again to WCW and began appearing on house shows in tag-team matches with Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson on March 9, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, World Championship Wrestling between 1984 and 1992, where ...
against Big Van Vader and Rick Rude. He returned to television on the May 30 episode of ''WCW Saturday Night
''WCW Saturday Night'' is an American weekly Saturday night television show on TBS that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Launched in 1971 initially by Georgia Championship Wrestling, the program existed through various incarna ...
'', defeating Brad Armstrong in a best of three contest. On June 7 Muta was pinned by Scott Steiner at a house show at the Omni in Atlanta, GA. He finished out his short run facing Larry Zybysko
Lawrence Whistler (born December 5, 1951), better known by the ring name Larry Zbyszko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, during the early 1980s as well as his w ...
on successive house shows, then returned to New Japan. On December 25, he returned to WCW to begin another short stint, losing to Sting in a non-title match in Jacksonville, Florida. He wrestled Sting again on the house show circuit, as well as Steve Austin. On December 28 he made his fourth successive Starrcade appearance, teaming with Barry Windham to defeat Brian Pillman
Brian William Pillman (May 22, 1962 – October 5, 1997) was an American professional wrestler and professional football player best known for his appearances in Stampede Wrestling in the 1980s and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Ch ...
and 2 Cold Scorpio
Charles Bernard Scaggs (born October 25, 1965) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name 2 Cold Scorpio (sometimes spelled Too Cold Scorpio). He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Extrem ...
. Later that night Muta eliminated Windham to win the Starrcade 92 BattleBowl.
On April 17, 1994, Muto returned to WCW to face Stunning Steve Austin at Spring Stampede for the WCW United States Championship. Austin defeated him by disqualification. This would be his last US appearance for nearly a year, and he would not return until February 19, 1995, when he was shown in the crowd at SuperBrawl IV
SuperBrawl IV was the fourth SuperBrawl professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The event took place on February 20, 1994 from t ...
. He returned to WCW on May 21, 1995, to defeat Paul Orndorff at Slamboree '95.
Dark Carnival (2000)
After suffering a knee injury in early 2000, Muto took a hiatus from NJPW and returned to WCW in mid-2000 to team with Vampiro
Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler who most recently served as director of talent for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Unde ...
. Due to the bad booking and the decline of WCW in its last years, however, Muto could not recapture the previous popularity he had in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He returned to television on the July 11, 2000, episode of ''Thunder
Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...
'' and teamed with The Jung Dragons
The Jung Dragons were a professional wrestling faction and tag team. Originally formed in World Championship Wrestling, the Dragons consisted of Kaz Hayashi, Yang and Jamie-San, and their manager Leia Meow. The Jung Dragons were notable for thei ...
against Three Count and Tank Abbott
David Lee "Tank" Abbott (born April 26, 1965) is an American retired mixed martial arts fighter, professional wrestler, and author. He currently hosts his own podcast series titled "The Proving Ground with Tank Abbott." Abbott is perhaps best kno ...
. A week later he appeared on ''Nitro
Nitro may refer to:
Chemistry
*Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed:
**Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2
**Nitroalkene, ...
'', defeating Vampiro in the quarterfinals of the United States Heavyweight Championship tournament. Later that night he was pinned by Mike Awesome
Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestl ...
in the semifinals. He won the WCW World Tag-Team Championship with Vampiro at New Blood Rising
New Blood Rising was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It took place on August 13, 2000 from the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia. The name is a reference to the New ...
against KroniK
KroniK (also stylized as Kroniꓘ) was an American professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), composed of Brian Adams and Bryan Clark in the e ...
. They lost it the next night on ''Nitro'' against the team of Rey Mysterio
Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...
and Juventud Guerrera
Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera.
Guerrera is best known for his appearances with the Mexican professional wrestling promot ...
. His last WCW match came at a house show on September 23, 2000, in Lubbock, TX against Sting.
After leaving WCW, a no-compete clause in his WCW contract prevented him from competing in the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
.
All Japan Pro Wrestling
Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion (2001–2003)
Muto, as a member of New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
, made part-time appearances to All Japan in 2001, fighting Toshiaki Kawada
(born December 8, 1963) is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In All Japan, he was a 5 time Triple Crown Heavyweight ...
and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams in major singles matches on pay-per-view. 2001 proved to be Muto's year of renewal besides the formation of his BATT unit in New Japan, as he challenged, and defeated Genichiro Tenryu for All Japan's coveted Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Japanese All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion.
History
The championship was established after the unification of its then-flagship title the PWF World Heavyweight Championshi ...
on June 8. In Muto's first title defense on July 14, Steve Williams lost to Muto for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in a pay-per-view main event, where it ended in an altercation. After leaving the backstage area Williams would then going on a huge swearing tirade, where he kicked a trash can, was about to cry in tears, and then throwing his armpads to the ground while swearing again. Such scenes never happened in the traditional All Japan and was characteristic to the "crash TV" style of Vince Russo's writing. This would ultimately lead Muto to a grudge feud with Williams into 2002.
On January 11, 2002, following the end of a year-long cross-promotional ''angle'' with New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
, Keiji Muto shocked the Japanese wrestling world by defecting to All-Japan as a full-time competitor, taking Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but makes appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrest ...
and Kendo Kashin
Tokimitsu Ishizawa (''Ishizawa Tokimitsu'', born August 5, 1968), better known by his ring name Kendo Kashin (ケンドー・カシン, ''Kendō Kashin''), is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his time in New Japan Pr ...
with him. In his first match as an AJPW contracted wrestler, Muto and Taiyo Kea successfully defended the World Tag Team Championship
The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championships in professional wrestling promotions.
Nomenclature
The name of the promotion is often preceded to the term "world tag team championship" as the ...
against Mike Barton and Jim Steele
The tag team of Mike Barton and Jim Steele was a professional wrestling tag team that competed in several puroresu promotions including All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
History
All Japan Pro Wrestling (2000-2002)
Barton and ...
on January 14. Muto would then lose the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship to Toshiaki Kawada
(born December 8, 1963) is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In All Japan, he was a 5 time Triple Crown Heavyweight ...
on February 24. Returning to his grudge feud with Steve Williams, Muto had a singles match againt Williams on pay-per-view, which Williams ultimately won and got his revenge for losing the year prior. In April, Muto participated in the 2002 Champion Carnival, where he lost only two matches in his block while winning the rest of his matches and thus advancing to the knockout stage on April 10, where he defeated Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but makes appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrest ...
in the semi-final and Mike Barton (Bart Gunn) in the final to win the tournament. Three days later, at Grand Champion Carnival, Muto faced Genichiro Tenryu
, better known as is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his ...
in a match for the vacant Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship after Kawada was forced to vacate the title due to injury. Muto lost the match. The following month, on May 12, Muto teamed with George Hines
George Hines (born June 1, 1963) is a retired American professional wrestler, best known by his ringname Jackie Fulton, who competed in regional and independent promotions including the American Wrestling Association, East Coast Championship Wrest ...
and Kaz Hayashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler known simply as . He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where in addition to being a wrestler for the promotion, he also served as the head booker for the company's junior heavyweight ...
as the trio won the Giant Baba Six-Man Cup tournament. On July 17, Muto and Kea lost the World Tag Team Championship to KroniK
KroniK (also stylized as Kroniꓘ) was an American professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), composed of Brian Adams and Bryan Clark in the e ...
.
At the Nippon Budokan on July 20, Muto wrestled as three different characters on the card: "Kokushi Muso", defeating Kaz Hayashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler known simply as . He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where in addition to being a wrestler for the promotion, he also served as the head booker for the company's junior heavyweight ...
on the second match, himself in a six-man tag team match in the mid-card, and in the second-to-last match, he defeated Satoshi Kojima, under his "Great Koji" persona, as The Great Muta. On September 30, during an All Japan 30th Anniversary party at the famed Tokyo City Hotel, Mokoto Baba officially announced Muto's appointment as the new president of All Japan, transferring all of the Baba family stock to him.[ Despite this position, however, Muto continued to wrestle full-time for the promotion.
At Royal Road 30 Giant Battle In Budokan Final Battle on October 27, Muto under his Great Muta moniker, defeated Genichiro Tenryu to win his second Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. The following month, he lost to ]Bob Sapp
Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combine ...
in a non-title match at Wrestle-1. Muto then entered the Real World Tag League
__NOTOC__
The , more commonly known in the West as the Real World Tag League, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1977, usually, run on the first weeks of December. The first tournament was actually ...
alongside Animal Warrior but failed to advance in the tournament. Muta successfully defended the title against The Gladiator
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
in his first title defense on January 13, 2003. On January 19, Muto teamed with Goldberg Goldberg or Goldberger may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Goldberg Ensemble, a British string ensemble
* ''Goldberg Variations'', a set of 30 keyboard variations by Johann Sebastian Bach
* ''The Goldbergs (broadcast series)'', American radio ...
to defeat KroniK in a tag team match, which led to KroniK being injured in the match and being forced to retire. On February 23, Muta lost the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship to Shinya Hashimoto
was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and actor. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the "Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the mid-1980s and dominated the prom ...
.
Various feuds and title reigns (2003–2008)
Shortly after his title loss, Muto entered the 2003 Champion Carnival, defeating John Tenta
John Anthony Tenta Jr. (June 22, 1963June 7, 2006) was a Canadian professional wrestler and sumo wrestler (''rikishi'') best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as Earthquake, though initially known as Canadian Earthquake.
...
in the quarter-final but lost to Arashi
is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 1999 ...
in the semi-final. On June 8, Muto teamed with Arashi to participate in a tournament for the vacant World Tag Team Championship, which they won by defeating Gigantes
In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, the Giants, also called Gigantes (Ancient Greek, Greek: Γίγαντες, ''Gígantes'', Γίγας, ''Gígas''), were a race of great strength and aggression, though not necessarily of great size. ...
and The Gladiator in the semi-final and Jimmy Yang
James Carson Yun (born May 13, 1981) is an American professional wrestler and actor of Korean and German descent. He is also best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Ente ...
and Satoshi Kojima in the final. On July 13, Muto failed to become the #1 contender for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship by losing to Toshiaki Kawada. After successfully defending the tag team titles, Muto and Arashi entered the Real World Tag League
__NOTOC__
The , more commonly known in the West as the Real World Tag League, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1977, usually, run on the first weeks of December. The first tournament was actually ...
but they failed to advance in the tournament. On December 27, Muto made a return to the United States, wrestling for the Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
promotion as part of an interpromotional ''All Japan vs. ROH'' card, which hosted a series of cross-promotional "dream" matches. In the main event, Muto reverted to his Great Muta persona and teamed with Arashi to defeat Prophecy
In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or prete ...
members Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kno ...
and Dan Maff
Daniel Lopez (born October 28, 1973), better known by his ring name Dan Maff, is an American professional wrestler, known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH).
Professional wrestling career Da Hit Squad
Lopez attended Jersey All Pro Wrestling (J ...
. Muto and Arashi finally lost the tag titles to Kaz Hayashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler known simply as . He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where in addition to being a wrestler for the promotion, he also served as the head booker for the company's junior heavyweight ...
and Satoshi Kojima on January 18, 2004.
Muto would then support AJPW in its feud with Roughly Obsess and Destroy
Roughly Obsess & Destroy (abbreviated in writing as RO&D, spoken as R.O.D.) was a professional wrestling stable founded in 2003 in All Japan Pro Wrestling by Taka Michinoku, and later reformed in Pro Wrestling Noah as a tag team consisting of f ...
and spent most part of the fall of 2003 and 2004 by competing in several matches against RO&D members. Muto found success in 2004 by entering that year's Champion Carnival
The is a professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The tournament is also known by the nickname and is sometimes abbreviated to CC. Created by AJPW founder Giant Baba, the tournament has been held annually since ...
, which he won by defeating Takao Omori
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a one-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and seven-time World Tag Team Champion. He is also part of the All Japan Board of Directors. He ...
in the semi-final and Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and founder of the now-defunct wrestling promotion Diamond Ring.
Sasaki is the first of four men ever to hold all three of '' puroresus major heavyweight titles (the IWGP Heav ...
in the final on April 20. Muto picked up a major win against Osamu Nishimura at Battle Banquet. In November, Muto teamed with Nishimura to participate in the 2004 Real World Tag League but could not advance in their block. In 2005, Muto defeated his pupil Hiroshi Tanahashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...
of NJPW at Realize. On July 26, Muto received a title shot against Satoshi Kojima for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship but failed to win the title. While continuing to feud with RO&D, Muto and his supporters from the AJPW roster also began feuding with the Voodoo Murders
Voodoo-Murders (stylised in all capital letters), or more simply as VDM, is a professional wrestling stable and the main heel group in All Japan Pro Wrestling between 2005 and 2011. In 2013, the group was reformed in Diamond Ring. They perform ...
. In November, Muto teamed with Akebono as they entered the 2005 Real World Tag League, making it to the final against Team 3D
The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...
, which they lost.
On March 10, 2006, Muto revived his Great Muta moniker as he unsuccessfully challenged Satoshi Kojima for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. Muto failed in the 2006 Champion Carnival and continued his feud with Voodoo Murders throughout the year. At the end of the year, Muto was paired with Toshiaki Kawada in the 2006 Real World Tag League, where they tied Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan with eight points in the round robin stage, which led to a match between the two teams on December 2 to determine the final round opponents for the top-ranked team in the tournament, RO'Z and Suwama
is a Japanese professional wrestler better known simply as . He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former record eight-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and a seven-time World Tag Team Champion. He is also ...
. Muto and Kawada lost their match. On December 15, Muto teamed with Kannazuki
Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with t ...
to defeat Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Akimasa Haraguchi to become the inaugural F-1 Tag Team Champions.
He made his British debut on January 12, 2007, wrestling for Real Quality Wrestling at the York Hall
The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure complex in Bethnal Green, London, and is situated on Old Ford Road. The building opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200 and is now an inter ...
in Bethnal Green, London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, where he defeated RQW Heavyweight Champion Martin Stone in a non-title match. On February 17, Muto competed as Great Muta for a special tag team match in which he teamed with Tajiri to defeat Goldustin and Hakushi
Kensuke Shinzaki (新崎 健介 ''Shinzaki Kensuke'', born December 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive, better known by his ring name, Jinsei Shinzaki (新崎 人生 ''Shinzaki Jinsei''). He is curr ...
. In March, Muto participated in the 2007 Champion Carnival, competing in Block A and finishing with 6 points total; Muto defeated Toshiaki Kawada
(born December 8, 1963) is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In All Japan, he was a 5 time Triple Crown Heavyweight ...
in the finals on March 30, winning the tournament for a third time. Around that time, while Muto was in Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
, in order to establish a working agreement between All Japan and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
(TNA), he made an appearance for the company, under his Great Muta gimmick, at the Destination X
Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches.
It w ...
pay-per-view, in a segment with Christian Cage
William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Christian Cage. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Christ ...
. In February 2009 Muto was featured in multiple interview segments, taped in Japan, where he spoke of his student Akira Raijin
(born July 17, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working under the ring name . He is a two-time holder of the Gaora TV Championship. He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) under the ring name and is al ...
, who had just begun working for TNA. At Pro-Wrestling Love In Yokohama, Muto unsuccessfully challenged Minoru Suzuki
(born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a freelancer. In NJPW, Suzuki has held the IWGP Intercontinental Championship as well as twice hol ...
for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.
In the fall of the year, Muto and his partner Joe Doering participated in the World's Strongest Tag Determination League#2007, 2007 Real World Tag League, which they won by defeating Satoshi Kojima and Suwama in the final on December 9. This earned them a title shot for the World Tag Team Championship against Kojima and Yoshikazu Taru, TARU on January 3, 2008, which Muto and Doering won. In April, Muto entered the Champion Carnival#2008, 2008 Champion Carnival, winning only two matches and failing to advance in the round robin stage. Muto and Doering lost the World Tag Team Championship to Minoru Suzuki and Taiyo Kea after a five-month reign on June 28.
Dual world champion (2008–2009)
Muto had won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in NJPW earlier in 2008 and successfully defended the title in All Japan against Hirooki Goto at Pro-Wrestling Love in Ryogoku Vol. 5. On September 29, Muto wrestled as The Great Muta as he defeated Suwama
is a Japanese professional wrestler better known simply as . He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former record eight-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and a seven-time World Tag Team Champion. He is also ...
to capture the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the third time, becoming only the second wrestler, after Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but makes appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrest ...
, to hold the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the same time. Muta successfully defended the title against Minoru Suzuki at Pro-Wrestling Love in Ryogoku Vol. 6. Muto closed out the year with an unsuccessful stint in the World's Strongest Tag Determination League#2008, 2008 Real World Tag League alongside Ryota Hama.
In 2009, Muto took part in a tournament for the vacant All Asia Tag Team Championship by teaming with Kaz Hayashi, defeating Ryota Hama and Shuji Kondo in the quarter-final before losing to Minoru Suzuki and Nosawa Rongai in the semi-final. On March 14, Muto defended his Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship against Yoshihiro Takayama
is a former Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Debuting for UWF International (UWFI) in the 1990s, Takayama joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1997 after UWF-i folded. In 2000, he joined Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), and ...
. He bloodied him severely, as is his trademark, and even used the ''Shining Wizard'' to his opponent on the barricade. During the course of the match, however, his mask was ripped off, and he was bleeding profusely. Towards the end of the match, Takayama dominated Muta, but Muta reversed a kick into a Professional wrestling throws#Dragon screw, Dragon Screw, and attempted to use the Asian Mist against him, but Takayama blocked it, and performed an Everest Suplex Pin on Muta, and won the match. Muta subsequently walked away in shock of what had happened.
Following the title loss, Muto participated in the Champion Carnival#2009, 2009 Champion Carnival, where he won four out of five matches in his block, losing only to Kaz Hayashi. As a result, Muto advanced to the semi-final of the tournament, where he lost to Minoru Suzuki. Muto would spend the entire year representing All Japan in matches against Voodoo Murders, Tokyo Gurentai and F4. In November, Muto teamed with Masakatsu Funaki to participate in the World's Strongest Tag Determination League#2009, 2009 Real World Tag League. The duo won the tournament by defeating Masayuki Kono and Suwama.
World Tag Team Champion (2010–2011)
The 2009 Real World Tag League win earned Muto and Masakatsu Funaki, a title match for the World Tag Team Championship against Minoru Suzuki and Taiyo Kea on January 3, 2010, which Muto and Funaki won. On January 30, Muto, under his Great Muta gimmick, made a special appearance for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in Los Angeles, California, during the WrestleReunion 4 weekend, teaming up with Kai (wrestler), Kai in a match, where they defeated the team of Joey Ryan (wrestler), Joey Ryan and Scott Lost. On March 9, Muto and Funaki were forced to vacate the titles due to Muto going through a reconstructive knee surgery that kept him out of the ring for the rest of the year. Muto returned to All Japan as Great Muta at Pro-Wrestling Love in Ryogoku Vol.10 in August, where he lost to Kenzo Suzuki, Kenso in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. On September 10, Muto faced his former tag team partner Masakatsu Funaki in a special return match, which ended in a thirty-minute time limit draw. On October 24, Muto unsuccessfully challenged Kaz Hayashi for the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship, World Junior Heavyweight Championship. On December 12, Muto and Kannazuki
Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with t ...
lost the F-1 Tag Team Championship to Ryota Hama and Koriki Choshu after a four-year reign.
Muto would win the junior heavyweight and heavyweight battle royals at the Korakuen Hall on January 1 and 3, 2011, respectively. At Pro-Wrestling Love In Ryogoku Vol. 12, Muto and KENSO defeated SMOP ( Akebono and Ryota Hama) to win the World Tag Team Championship, marking Muto's fifth and final reign with the title. At All Together (professional wrestling)#Tokyo, All Together, Muto teamed with Kenta Kobashi to defeat Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano in a tag team match. On October 23, Muto and KENSO lost the World Tag Team Championship to Dark Cuervo and Dark Ozz, thus ending Mutoh's final championship reign in All Japan.
Final years and departure (2011–2013)
On June 7, 2011, Muto announced his resignation as the president of All Japan Pro Wrestling, remaining in the promotion as an active wrestler and a member of the Supervisory Board.[ Muto's decision stemmed from a real-life incident where Yoshikazu Taru assaulted Nobukazu Hirai backstage at an All Japan Pro Wrestling show, which led to Hirai suffering a stroke after competing in a match. Muto took the blame for the incident, which led to All Japan suspending not only Taru, but also Kazuhiko Masada, Masayuki Kono and Minoru Tanaka (wrestler), Minoru Tanaka who were present when the attack took place. After being on the midcard and without a big feud for most of 2011, Muto became the main challenger for Noah's ]Jun Akiyama
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Champion. He is best known for his time working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he was the president, representative director, co-he ...
, who had won the Triple Crown Championship from Suwama
is a Japanese professional wrestler better known simply as . He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former record eight-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and a seven-time World Tag Team Champion. He is also ...
. Muto reunited with Kenta Kobashi at All Together (professional wrestling)#Sendai, All Together to defeat Akiyama and Takao Omori
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a one-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and seven-time World Tag Team Champion. He is also part of the All Japan Board of Directors. He ...
. Akiyama challenged Muto to a match for the title that took place on March 20, 2012, which Muto eventually lost.
On June 1, Muto returned to the United States to make an appearance for Pro Wrestling Syndicate (PWS) in Rahway, New Jersey, teaming with Kai to defeat Tony Nese, Anthony Nese and Sami Callihan in a tag team match. In November 2012, Muto and his business partners sold all of their All Japan shares to the Speed Partners corporation for Japanese yen, ¥200 million.[ On June 1, 2013, Speed Partners president Nobuo Shiraishi took over as the new president of All Japan, firing the previous president, Muto's longtime right-hand man Masayuki Uchida, in the process, which led to Muto resigning from the promotion, effective June 30, 2013.]
Sporadic appearances in NJPW
2004–2005
Muto returned to NJPW as a member of the All Japan roster at Wrestling World 2004, Wrestling World on January 4, 2004, to team with Bob Sapp
Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combine ...
to defeat Cho-Ten. Muto next appeared at Pro-Wrestlers Be Strongest by teaming with Osamu Nishimura
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer. Nishimura formerly worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and MUGA World Pro Wrestling (MUGA).
Professional wrestling career
Early years (1991–1998)
Nishimura debuted ...
in a loss to Hiroshi Tanahashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...
and Shinsuke Nakamura. Muto would wrestle only one match for NJPW in 2005 at Nexess VI, where he defeated Ron Waterman.
2007–2009
He then appeared at Wrestle Kingdom I in 2007 where he reunited with former partner and rival Masahiro Chono
is an American-born Japanese-American retired professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26 year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader of nWo Japan, Team 2000 and Black New Japan, he was the promotion's top heel for m ...
to defeat Tencozy in a "Super Dream Tag match" pitting NJPW and AJPW wrestlers together.
On January 4, 2008, at Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome, under the Great Muta persona, he defeated Hirooki Goto. On April 27, Muto defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win his fourth IWGP Heavyweight Championship, this was his second appearance in 2008 for NJPW and he had not held the title for eight years and four months prior to the win. After retaining the title against Manabu Nakanishi and Togi Makabe, Muta defended the title against former champion Shinsuke Nakamura at Destruction '08, Destruction on October 13 and retained following a Frankensteiner. He would lose the title to his former student Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom III on January 4, 2009 after Tanahashi used his signature Frog splash, High Fly Flow twice to get the pin. After the match, Muto said backstage that he had passed Tanahashi his sash after doing his best for over half a year to raise the worth of the title, and suggested that he would withdraw and leave New Japan to move their company forward.[ Muto would make his second appear in NJPW on October 12 to commemorate Masahiro Chono's twenty-fifth year in professional wrestling as Muto teamed with Chono and Kenta Kobashi to defeat Jun Akiyama, Manabu Nakanishi and Satoshi Kojima in a six-man tag team match.
]
2012–2014
On January 4, 2012, Muto made a return to New Japan at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, where he defeated Tetsuya Naito in a singles match. A year later at Wrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome, Muto teamed with Shinjiro Otani, a replacement for an injured Daichi Hashimoto, in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima. Muto returned to New Japan again a year later at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome, now working as The Great Muta in a tag team match, where he and Toru Yano defeated ''Suzuki-gun'' (Minoru Suzuki
(born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a freelancer. In NJPW, Suzuki has held the IWGP Intercontinental Championship as well as twice hol ...
and Shelton Benjamin, Shelton X Benjamin). As the only face in the match, Muta turned on Yano towards the end of the match, but his green mist accidentally hit Suzuki instead, leading to Yano pinning him for the win.
2019–2023
Muto, in his Great Muta persona, was the last entrant in the ROH/NJPW Rumble at the G1 Supercard Show on April 6, 2019. This marked his first appearance for the promotion in 5 years. On February 19, 2020 Muto made an appearance at the Tiger Hattori Retirement Show, appearing alongside fellow NJPW alumni Riki Choshu
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler who is best known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as both a wrestler and a booker. He is considered one of Japan’s most influential wrestlers ...
, The Great Kabuki
, better known as , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is famous as the first to blow Asian mist in his opponents' faces.
Professional wrestling career
Mera was born on September 8, 1948 in Nobeoka, Japan. He started wrestling in 19 ...
, and Hiroshi Hase
is a Japanese politician who is currently the governor of Ishikawa Prefecture. He served as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Prior to his appointment in the Cabinet, he also se ...
.
On January 8, 2022, at Wrestle Kingdom 16, Muto teamed with Kaito Kiyomiya in a losing effort against Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...
during the event's main event match. On November 20, Muto, in his Great Muta persona, competed in his penultimate NJPW match at the Historic X-Over event. At the event, Muta teamed with Chaos (professional wrestling), Chaos (Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano) to defeat United Empire (Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, and Aaron Henare).
Wrestle-1 (2013–2020)
On July 10, 2013, Muto announced the foundation of a promotion named Wrestle-1
was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, founded in July 2013 by Keiji Mutoh following his resignation from All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The core of the promotion's roster was formed by ...
, bringing over many of the former wrestlers of All Japan Pro-Wrestling that left in June. At the promotion's Wrestle-1 Hataage Sen, inaugural event on September 8, Muto teamed with Bob Sapp
Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combine ...
in a main event tag team match, where they defeated René Duprée and Aaron Aguilera, Zodiac. During Wrestle-1's second show on September 15, Muto made his first Japanese appearance as The Great Muta in two years, when he and Tajiri defeated Duprée and Zodiac in a tag team match. On October 18, Muto announced his semi-retirement, saying that in the future he would only work Wrestle-1's larger events. On March 2, 2014, Muto put his career on the line at Kaisen: Outbreak, Wrestle-1's first event in Ryōgoku Kokugikan. Muto teamed with Rob Terry and the debuting Taiyō Kea in a six-man tag team match, where they defeated Masayuki Kono, René Duprée and Samoa Joe, thus saving his career. Through Wrestle-1's working relationship with TNA, Muto, working under his Great Muta persona, returned to the American promotion on March 9 at Lockdown (2014), Lockdown, where he, Sanada and Yasu defeated Chris Sabin, Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, Kazarian in a six-man tag team Steel Cage match, steel cage match. Muta returned to TNA on the July 25, 2014, defeating Robbie E at an ''Impact Wrestling (TV series), Impact Wrestling'' taping in New York City. After the match, Sanada turned on Muta. This led to a match at Wrestle-1's Shōgeki: Impact event on July 6, where The Great Muta defeated Sanada in a main event singles match. On September 22, Muto suffered his first direct loss since March 2012, when he was submitted by Masayuki Kono in a four-on-three handicap match, where he and the Novus stable (Jiro Kuroshio, Koji Doi and Rionne Fujiwara) faced the Desperado stable (Kono, Kazma (wrestler), Kazma Sakamoto and Ryoji Sai). On October 12, Muto, as the Great Muta, worked TNA's Bound for Glory (2014), Bound for Glory event in Tokyo, teaming with Tajiri in a tag team main event, where they defeated James Storm and The Great Sanada. On November 1, during an event celebrating his 30th anniversary in professional wrestling, Muto defeated Masayuki Kono to become the second Wrestle-1 Championship, Wrestle-1 Champion. He made his first successful title defense on December 22 against Seiya Sanada. His second defense took place on January 30, 2015, when he defeated Manabu Soya. On February 16, Muto, as the Great Muta, returned to TNA, defeating Ken Anderson (wrestler), Mr. Anderson as part of TNA One Night Only#Global Impact: USA vs The World, Global Impact: USA vs The World. On March 8, Muto lost the Wrestle-1 Championship to Kai in his third defense. On March 27, 2017, Muto announced he was stepping down as the president of Wrestle-1 with Kaz Hayashi taking over the position. Muto remained with the promotion as its representative director. On June 8, 2019, Muto returned to Impact Wrestling, wrestling as The Great Muta in the main event of their Impact Wrestling A Night You Can't Mist, A Night You Can't Mist event in a tag team match where he teamed with Tommy Dreamer to defeat Michael Elgin and John Morrison (wrestler), Johnny Impact. On April 1, 2020 at Wrestle-1's final event, Muto team with Kaz Hayashi, Masayuki Kono, and Shuji Kondo unsuccessfully against Kuma Arashi, Shotaro Ashino, Daiki Inaba, and Koji Doi.
All Elite Wrestling (2019, 2022)
On November 9, 2019, Mutoh made a surprise special appearance at All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...
's Full Gear (2019), Full Gear as one of the judges for the AEW World Championship match, in the event of a draw.
On September 23, 2022, he made a surprise appearance at AEW Grand Slam (2022), ''AEW Rampage'': Grand Slam, saving Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
from The House of Black (professional wrestling), The House of Black.
Pro Wrestling Noah (2020–present)
On February 12, 2021, Mutoh successfully won the GHC Heavyweight Championship
The is the professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight currently defended in the Pro Wrestling Noah brand division. It is one of CyberFight's two top men's world titles, alon ...
in a match against Go Shiozaki at the Destination 2021 event in Nippon Budokan.
On March 14, He made his first successful title defense, defeating Kaito Kiyomiya at the Noah: Great Voyage 2021. He made another successful defense against Masa Kitamiya on April 29 at Noah: The Glory 2021. On June 6, at CyberFight Festival 2021, CyberFight Festival, Mutoh lost the title to Naomichi Marufuji.
On June 12, 2022, at CyberFight Festival 2022 Mutoh announced his intention to retire from professional wrestling in 2023.
Professional wrestling style and persona
Muto frequently wrestled under two ring names: the first as Keiji Muto and the second, The Great Muta. Muto innovated the ''Professional wrestling holds#Muta lock, Muta Lock'', named after him, and the ''Professional wrestling attacks#Shining wizard, Shining wizard''.[ He is also known for using the Figure-four leglock] and the Moonsault as finishing moves as well as the Asian mist.[
]
Characters
The Great Muta is Muto's best-known gimmick
A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...
, which he has wrestled as often throughout his career, switching back and forth between this alter ego and his real name since March 1989. He was originally billed as the son of Japanese wrestler Great Kabuki
, better known as , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is famous as the first to blow Asian mist in his opponents' faces.
Professional wrestling career
Mera was born on September 8, 1948 in Nobeoka, Japan. He started wrestling in 1 ...
(unrelated in real life), who used a similar gimmick, but the connection is rarely mentioned nowadays. Like his father, Great Muta is a mysterious, manifestly supernatural character who distinguishes himself through his macabre looks and magical skills. His appearance is highlighted by his lavish, exotical entrance costumes, which are taken off to reveal a horrifically painted face, later replaced by an organic-looking mask after Muto shaved his head. Muta uses Muto's moveset with little variation (his version of the ''Shining Wizard'' is named ''Senkou Youjutsu'' ("Flash Magic") instead),[ though Muta tends to be much more aggressive and weapon-friendly. Muta can also spit Asian mist, green or red mist and plays mind games to distract his opponents. The Great Muta is the gimmick most fans in the United States know Muto for, as he wrestled as The Great Muta throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s for the National Wrestling Alliance, NWA, and in his later stints in World Championship Wrestling, WCW.
The gimmick was deeply expanded during the 2000s in the promotion Hustle (professional wrestling), Hustle, where he appeared in a storyline in which he gained a son in the form of "The Great Bono" (played by Muta's wrestling trainee Akebono Tarō, Akebono), forming a tag team reminiscence of Muta's team with his own father Great Kabuki. Some of those elements were later used in ]All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...
as well.
Kokushi-Muso, a gimmick used on special occasions, is a play-off of Jinsei Shinzaki
Kensuke Shinzaki (新崎 健介 ''Shinzaki Kensuke'', born December 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive, better known by his ring name, Jinsei Shinzaki (新崎 人生 ''Shinzaki Jinsei''). He is curr ...
's mystic character Hakushi. Muto debuted it in Michinoku Pro Wrestling in 2001, but it later migrated with him to All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he used it when teaming with Shinzaki. ''Kokushi'' means "Black Master" in the same line ''Hakushi'' means "White Master", while ''Muso'' means "Unparalleled"; together, they are a pun with the ''kokushi musou'' Japanese Mahjong yaku. Like Hakushi, Kokushi is characterized for sporting Buddhist shakyo painted all over his body, though interspersed with English phrases like Muto's motto "Puroresu Love", and wearing black garments instead of white. Similarly, he uses wrestling moves associated with Hakushi while at the same time retaining mannerisms and moves used by The Great Muta. He finally completes it with Buddhist monk paraphernalia like carrying an Buddhist prayer beads#Japanese Beads, ojuzu and meditating in the ring.
White Ninja, a Japanese ninja gimmick, was used in Championship Wrestling from Florida between November 1985 and October 1986.
Super Black Ninja, a gimmick similar to that of the White Ninja, was used in World Class Championship Wrestling
World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA) (1986–1991) was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed ...
in Texas and also was used in the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico, between January 1988 and March 1989. This was Muto's first gimmick to sport face paint.
Space Lone Wolf, a space-age type character, was used in New Japan between October 1986 and December 1987. Space Lone Wolf's entrance attire would feature the numbers "610" which means "Muto" in Japanese numerics. Muto had also stated that NJPW founder Antonio Inoki insisted on wearing a helmet to the ring in order to attract sponsorship from a Japanese motorcycle helmet manufacturer.
Other portrayers of the Great Muta character
*Troy Endres (2002–2003): Endres, a professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, briefly used the Great Muta gimmick in New Japan Pro-Wrestling from 2002 to 2003. Endres died on August 3, 2014 at age 46.
*Johnny Stamboli (2004–2005): After being released by WWE, Stamboli worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling as the Great Muta from 2004 to 2005, where he feuded with Muto. In his penultimate match under the gimmick on December 5, 2004, Stamboli, as the Great Muta, lost a match to Muto's version of the character. In 2007, Stamboli began portraying a new character "Rellik" in TNA, which was based on the Great Muta gimmick.
Other media
Muto has appeared in a vast number of media appearances in Japan, including many commercials and films. Muto was interviewed for wrestling documentary ''Bloodstained Memoirs''.
In 1995, Muto starred in the Japanese thriller ''Yajuu Densetsu: Dragon Blue'', as Ryusaki, a suave detective who joins forces with a beautiful young spiritualist named Mazuki (played by Hiroko Tanaka) to solve a bizarre case of killings from a mystical sea creature.
In 2004, he played the role of Harold Sakata in the movie ''Rikidozan (film), Rikidōzan'', a film based on the real-life story of a wrestler who would eventually be known as the "Father of Puroresu"; Harold Sakata took Rikidozan under his wing and introduced him into the world of professional wrestling.
In 2006, he appeared as a guest star in the Japanese historical drama series ''Saiyūki (TV series), Saiyūki'', playing a village headman who is helped by Sun Wukong, Son Gokū (played by Shingo Katori).
Muto has worked extensively with Japanese clothing company A Bathing Ape, helping them to produce a number of t-shirts featuring his likeness and the All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...
logo. Muto was also responsible for organizing ''Bapesta Pro Wrestling'', a previously annual wrestling event sponsored and promoted by Bape.
Muto appears as a gang member in the 2017 video game ''Yakuza Kiwami 2'', alongside Genichiro Tenryu
, better known as is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his ...
, Masahiro Chono
is an American-born Japanese-American retired professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26 year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader of nWo Japan, Team 2000 and Black New Japan, he was the promotion's top heel for m ...
, Riki Choshu
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler who is best known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as both a wrestler and a booker. He is considered one of Japan’s most influential wrestlers ...
and Tatsumi Fujinami
(born December 28, 1953) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE on a legend's contract. Fujinami is most well known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. H ...
.
Personal life
In 1992, Muto married his wife, Hisae Ashida. Together they have two children, a son (born 1996) and a daughter, Airi (born 2000), who is an actress and has made an appearance for Wrestle-1.
Outside of Pro-Wrestling, Muto also owns a yakiniku restaurant, opened in 2015, called "Dining 610" (焼肉Dining 610) which was inspired by Mutoh's early "Space Lone Wolf" gimmick. It is also worth noting that the numbers 610 (which were featured on Lone Wolf's entrance attire) means "Muto".
Championships and accomplishments
*All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...
**F-1 Tag Team Championship (F-1 Tag Team Championship#Reigns, 1 time) – with Kannazuki
Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with t ...
1[
**]Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Japanese All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion.
History
The championship was established after the unification of its then-flagship title the PWF World Heavyweight Championshi ...
(Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship#Reigns, 3 times)[
**]World Tag Team Championship
The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championships in professional wrestling promotions.
Nomenclature
The name of the promotion is often preceded to the term "world tag team championship" as the ...
(World Tag Team Championship (AJPW)#Title history, 5 times) – with Taiyō Kea
Maunakea Mossman (born November 18, 1975) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, better known under his stage name . He is the only wrestler to have held the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, the World Tag Team Championship and t ...
(1), Arashi
is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 1999 ...
(1), Joe Doering (1), Masakatsu Funaki (1) and Kenzo Suzuki, KENSO (1)[
**Akiho Yoshizawa Cup (2010) – with Masakatsu Funaki and Ryota Hama, S1 Mask]
**Champion Carnival (Champion Carnival#2002, 2002, Champion Carnival#2004, 2004, Champion Carnival#2007, 2007)
**Giant Baba Memorial Six Man Tag Team Tournament, Giant Baba Six Man Cup (2002) – with Jackie Fulton, George Hines and Kaz Hayashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler known simply as . He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where in addition to being a wrestler for the promotion, he also served as the head booker for the company's junior heavyweight ...
**January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (2011)
**January 3 Korakuen Hall Junior Heavyweight Battle Royal (2011)
**World's Strongest Tag Determination League (World's Strongest Tag Determination League#2001, 2001) – with Taiyō Kea
**World's Strongest Tag Determination League (World's Strongest Tag Determination League#2007, 2007) – with Joe Doering[
**World's Strongest Tag Determination League (World's Strongest Tag Determination League#2009, 2009) – with Masakatsu Funaki][
*Championship Wrestling from Florida
**NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time)][
*Continental Wrestling Federation
**NWA Southeastern United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (NWA Southeastern United States Junior Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time)2][
*Jim Crockett Promotions/]World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
**WCW World Television Championship, NWA World Television Championship (List of WCW World Television Champions, 1 time)
**WCW World Tag Team Championship
The WCW World Tag Team Championship (previously NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship) was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). ...
(List of WCW World Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with Vampiro
Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler who most recently served as director of talent for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Unde ...
[
**Starrcade (1992), BattleBowl (1992)
*]New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
**IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...
(List of IWGP Heavyweight Champions, 4 times)[
**]IWGP Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...
(List of IWGP Tag Team Champions, 6 times) – with Shiro Koshinaka
is a Japanese professional wrestler who has competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Wrestle Association "R" (WAR) during the 1980s and 1990s. He was also the first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Career
...
(1), Masahiro Chono
is an American-born Japanese-American retired professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26 year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader of nWo Japan, Team 2000 and Black New Japan, he was the promotion's top heel for m ...
(2), Hiroshi Hase
is a Japanese politician who is currently the governor of Ishikawa Prefecture. He served as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Prior to his appointment in the Cabinet, he also se ...
(2) and Taiyō Kea (1)[
**]NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is in ...
(List of NWA World Heavyweight Champions, 1 time)
**Greatest 18 Club Championship, Greatest 18 Championship (Greatest 18 Club Championship#Title history, 1 time)
**G1 Climax (G1 Climax#1995, 1995)
**G1 Tag League, Super Grade Tag League/G1 Tag League (G1 Tag League#1993, 1993, G1 Tag League#1994, 1994) – with Hiroshi Hase[
**G1 Tag League (G1 Tag League#1997, 1997) – with Masahiro Chono][
**G1 Tag League (G1 Tag League#1998, 1998) – with ]Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but makes appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wrest ...
[
**G1 Tag League (G1 Tag League#1999, 1999) – with ]Scott Norton
Scott Norton (born June 15, 1961) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, in which he was a member of the New World Order (professional wrest ...
**MVP Award (2001)
**Singles Best Bout (2001) vs. Yuji Nagata
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
A two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, World Heavyweight Champion and a GHC Heavyweight Champion, making him a four-time world champion in major professional ...
on August 12[
**Tag Team Best Bout (2001) with Hiroshi Hase vs. ]Jun Akiyama
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Champion. He is best known for his time working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he was the president, representative director, co-he ...
and Yuji Nagata on October 8[
*''Nikkan Sports''
**Match of the Year (1999) vs. Genichiro Tenryu on May 3]
**Match of the Year (2001) with Hiroshi Hase vs. Yuji Nagata & Jun Akiyama on October 8
**Outstanding Performance Award (1998)
**Tag Team of the Year (2009) with Masakatsu Funaki
**Technique Award (1997)
**Wrestler of the Year (1999, 2001, 2008)
*''Pro Wrestling Illustrated''
**''PWI'' ranked him No. 3 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the ''PWI 500'' in 2002
**''PWI'' ranked him No. 25 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the ''PWI Years'' in 2003
* Pro Wrestling Noah
(stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...
** GHC Heavyweight Championship
The is the professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight currently defended in the Pro Wrestling Noah brand division. It is one of CyberFight's two top men's world titles, alon ...
(GHC Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time)
** GHC Tag Team Championship
The Global Honored Crown (GHC) Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah. It was created on October 19, 2001, when Scorpio & Vader defeated Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito in a tourname ...
(GHC Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with Naomichi Marufuji
*''Tokyo Sports''
**Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Best Bout Award, Best Bout Award (2021)
**Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Best Bout Award, Match of the Year (1999) with Genichiro Tenryu on May 3, 1999
**Match of the Year (2011) with Kenta Kobashi vs. Takayuki Iizuka, Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano (August 27 at All Together (professional wrestling), All Together)
**Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Outstanding Performance Award, Outstanding Performance Award (1998)
**Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Newcomer Award, Rookie of the Year (1986)
**Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Special Award, Special Award (1989)
**Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Best Tag Team Award, Tag Team of the Year (1990) with Masahiro Chono
**Tag Team of the Year (2005) with Akebono
**Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#MVP Award, Wrestler of the Year (1995, 1999, 2001, 2008)
*Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
**TNA One Night Only#Global Impact: USA vs The World, Global Impact Tournament (2015) – with Team International
*World Wrestling Council
**WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time)
**WWC World Television Championship (WWC World Television Championship#Title History, 1 time)
*Wrestle-1
was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, founded in July 2013 by Keiji Mutoh following his resignation from All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The core of the promotion's roster was formed by ...
**Wrestle-1 Championship
The was the top professional wrestling title owned by the Wrestle-1 (W-1) promotion. In Japanese the title's name includes the katakana term for "championship", , derived from the English language instead of the more common kanji term . The title ...
(List of Wrestle-1 Champions, 1 time)[
**F-1 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with ]Kannazuki
Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with t ...
*''List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, Wrestling Observer Newsletter''
**Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best Wrestling Maneuver, Best Wrestling Maneuver (2001) Shining Wizard
**Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Match of the Year, Match of the Year (2001) vs. Genichiro Tenryu
, better known as is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his ...
on June 8, Tokyo, Japan
**Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Most Improved Wrestler, Most Improved Wrestler (2001)
**Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year), Wrestler of the Year (2001)
**Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Readers' Favorite Wrestler, Readers' Favorite Wrestler (2001)
**Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame#Inductees, Class of 1999)
*Other achievements
**Bahamut Championship (1 time) – with Sugi-chan
1 Championship not officially recognized by All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...
.
2 Championship reign not officially recognized due to outside interference.
References
External links
Keiji Mutoh's Wrestle-1 profile
The Great Muta's Wrestle-1 profile
Unofficial English website
*
Official blog
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutoh, Keiji
1962 births
All Japan Pro Wrestling
IWGP Heavyweight champions
Japanese male judoka
Japanese male professional wrestlers
Living people
Masked wrestlers
New World Order (professional wrestling) members
NWA/WCW World Television Champions
NWA World Heavyweight Champions
People from Yamanashi Prefecture
Professional wrestling executives
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions
GHC Heavyweight Champions
GHC Tag Team Champions
World Tag Team Champions (AJPW)
Triple Crown Heavyweight Champions
WWC Puerto Rico Champions
Wrestle-1 Champions
F-1 Tag Team Champions
NWA Florida Heavyweight Champions
WCW World Tag Team Champions