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Another GOAT-tier pick. Lovely!It’s now time to unveil the fourth of our five inductees of 2023.
Following the virtuosic Jushin “Thunder” Liger is a man whose career would frequently intertwine and parallel the charismatic super junior. In fact, the two men were even apart of the same historic New Japan Dojo training class, which also featured luminaries and likely future Hall of Famers in their own rights - Shinya Hashimoto and Masahiro Chono. Yes, many of you clearly know where I’m going with this. We are inducting one of the Three Musketeers of NJPW today. A man whose expansive career would be a humbling task to try and cover at length in such a write-up as this. What is probably most important to remember about this man is the ways that he pushed the sport forward with the art he created in the ring. The popularity of several moves is owed to this man. He also influenced future generations of characters with his mesmerizing showmanship. Over a career that went close to 40 long years, this man would capture the IWGP Heavyweight Title, the All Japan Triple Crown, the GHC Heavyweight Championship, as well as the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, putting him in an elite class of competitors to have captured all four of these legendary belts… only alongside Satoshi Kojima and the aforementioned Shinya Hashimoto. So, let’s get to the announcement! Please welcome to the Wrestling Smarks Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame –
"THE GREAT MUTA"
KEIJI MUTO
What is a Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame without “The Genius of Wrestling”? We would be foolish not to enshrine the man who popularized such moves as the moonsault and shining wizard… the man who became a megastar in pro wrestling under two different, distinct identities which he juggled simultaneously… the man upon whom the fabled “Muta Scale” is based. Well, no need to worry about that. Muto joins an already rich and growing tapestry of superstars in our Hall of Fame who are noted for their versatility and ability to adapt as their careers went along. The likes of Mick Foley and Jushin Liger share this quality with the man that WCW loved to call “The Pearl of Orient”. What perhaps makes Muto distinct from his peers is the fact that he continually kept his personas separate, never intending for Keiji Muto and The Great Muta to be looked at as the same person. He would keep the mystique by changing everything from his body language, to his emotions, to his overall style of wrestling when he would switch between personas, essentially carving out two different first ballot Hall of Fame careers at the same time, and you could even argue on two different continents. North American fans will have no issue seeing the man known as Muta being honored by a Hall of Fame induction because his runs with WCW are nothing if not memorable. Muta would famously feud and tag alongside “The Icon” Sting throughout the years, and even main-evented WCW’s Halloween Havoc 1989 alongside Terry Funk, against Sting and Ric Flair. Over the years, he would continue to crop up in places like Impact, ROH and PWG, always being treated with the due reverence.
Meanwhile in Japan, Muto will undeniably go down as one of the most influential figures in the country’s pro wrestling history. He was an ahead-of-his-time agile heavyweight competitor, who captivated audiences in the 90s with long and storied feuds against Shinya Hashimoto, Hiroshi Hase and Masahiro Chono. In the 2000s, Muto defected to AJPW where he would also become the company’s president, following the defection of Mitsuharu Misawa, setting into motion much debate over his reign in the company. However, during this time, as he aged beyond his 40s and the wear and tear of his knees began to catch up to him, he would change styles further to keep his offense more grounded and the focus shifted more towards his aura and schtick, than his actual workrate. However, this did not mean that Muto was headed towards retirement by any means. Muto turned back the clock and won New Japan’s IWGP Heavyweight Title from Shinsuke Nakamura in 2008, and then doubled down by winning the All Japan Triple Crown Heavyweight Title under the Muta moniker, simultaneously holding the two most storied titles in all of Japan at the age of 45. In 2012, he was forced to resign as AJPW president following a shift in ownership and a scandal that took place on his watch, going on to open up a new promotion known as Wrestle-1, which would form a memorable partnership with TNA. After 7 years of running W-1, Muto moved on to Pro Wrestling NOAH where he would pursue the only prize which had eluded him up to this point: the GHC Heavyweight Title. In February 2021, he would accomplish his goal by defeating Go Shiozaki at the age of 58. Of course, Muto winded down his iconic career very recently with a retirement tour that would put just about anyone else to shame. As The Great Muta, he would battle WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura at NOAH The New Year 2023, returning the favor and putting over the “King of Strong Style”. He then had his final match in a New Japan ring, teaming with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shota Umino to defeat Los Ingobernables de Japon. In his final match under the Great Muta persona, he would team with Sting and Darby Allin to defeat a trio of his past rivals under the NOAH banner. And finally, in his last bout, “The Genius of Wrestling” Keiji Muto battled “The Stardust Genius” Tetsuya Naito in a poetic final chapter to the career of one of Japan’s all-time icons, going a competitive 30 minutes and leaving fans with an eternal memory of an absolute legend, finally leaving the ring at the age of 60 and walking directly into multiple Halls of Fame… notably, this one!
Everyone please give a round of applause and warm welcome to the next member of the Wrestling Smarks Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, class of 2023, “The Great Muta” Keiji Muta!
