{"id":117389,"date":"2022-12-29T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2022-12-29T15:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=117389"},"modified":"2022-12-28T20:23:04","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T01:23:04","slug":"the-great-muta-best-matches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/12\/29\/the-great-muta-best-matches\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Muta: Guide To The Legend\u2019s Last Matches\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Legendary Japanese wrestler<strong> The Great Muta<\/strong> will retire after completing his final matches in the first week of 2023.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It is a testament to the legend of The Great Muta that both WWE and AEW have offered up talent to compete against him during his swansong. He will also share the ring with some of his biggest former foes from NJPW.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We look at Muta\u2019s final three matches and moments of his career that have helped forged them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The Great Muta&#8217;s Final Matches<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"GREAT MUTA vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA\uff5c&quot;NOAH: THE NEW YEAR 2023&quot; at BUDOKAN #noah_ghc #wwe #wrestling\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JN2M3gBRZlo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Miracle New Year Dream Match<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Match:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Great Muta vs. Shinsuke Nakamura\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Event:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pro Wrestling NOAH The New Year (1\/1\/23)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The History: <\/span><\/strong>The Great\u00a0<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Muta will <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/10\/30\/shinsuke-nakamura-vs-great-muta\/\" target=\"_self\">wrestle in a singles match against WWE wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura<\/a> on January 1, 2023. \u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It is an unprecedented case of WWE allowing one of its stars to compete for another promotion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Muta &#8211; wrestling under his real name &#8211; won his 4th and final IWGP Heavyweight Championship from <strong>Shinsuke Nakamura<\/strong> in NJPW in April 2008. He captured the title after a top-rope moonsault. The two men feuded over the gold for the rest of 2008 with Muta coming out on top. Nakamura said although he&#8217;s faced Muto, he&#8217;s never faced the Great Muta character so it&#8217;ll be a different experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Great Muta&#039;s last NJPW match live on NJPW World PPV!\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eJ4bxMoca18?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WrestleKingdom 17 \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Match:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Keiji Muto, Hiroshi Tanahashi &amp; Shota Umino vs. \u201cLos Ingobernables De Japon\u201d Tetsuya Naito, SANADA &amp; BUSHI<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Event:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">NJPW WrestleKingdom 17 (1\/4\/23)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The History:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A decade after the Great Muta debut, he was in NJPW and did things that would make <strong>Terry Funk, Mick Foley,<\/strong> or <strong>Rob Van Dam<\/strong> wince. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He had a No Rope Explosive Barbed Wire Barricade Explosive Land Mine Double Hell Deathmatch.<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">During his time in NJPW, Muta also feuded with both <strong>Hiroshi Tanahashi<\/strong> and <strong>Tetsuya Naito<\/strong> who will be in the ring for his final NJPW match.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Muto&#8217;s teammate Tanahashi defeated him for the IWGP Championship at WrestleKingdom 3, 2009. This marked the end of his reign since winning the gold from Nakamura. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WrestleKingdom 17 will also mark the 10-year anniversary of Muto defeating Naito at WrestleKingdom 7.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What Happened When The Great Muta &amp; Sting came Face to Face | AEW Rampage: Grand Slam, 9\/23\/22\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LVQ0sFRRnx8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Muta\u2019s Career Will Finish Full Circle With Sting &#8211; Sort Of!\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Match:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Great Muta, Sting &amp; Darby Allin vs. Unannounced<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Event:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pro Wrestling NOAH: Great Muta Final Bye-Bye (1\/22\/23)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The History:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In 1989 &#8211; then five years into his career &#8211; Keiji Muto launched The Great Muta character. Muta was presented by Gary Hart in NWA\u2019s World Championship Wrestling. He wowed audiences with a full face of paint and mystical spitting mist. His move set of kicks and aerial attacks drew cheers from crowds despite him being a heel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His early feuds with <strong>Ric Flair<\/strong> and <strong>Sting<\/strong> in NWA and WCW introduced the US audiences to the Japanese style and put him on the map. He won his first major title when he defeated Sting for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2019\/11\/30\/nick-aldis-challenges-great-muta-to-a-nwa-title-match\/\" target=\"_self\">NWA World<\/a> Television Title.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It\u2019ll be 33 years since Sting and The Great Muta began their feud when they compete in a ring for the final time. Muta and Sting will team with <strong>Darby<\/strong>\u00a0Allin against an unannounced team. Part of the Pro Wrestling NOAH event Great Muta Final Bye Bye, it\u2019ll be Muta\u2019s final match.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What To Expect From The Matches\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Hopefully some spitting. Forget what your parents told you &#8211; spitting is cool. The Great Muta spat directly into other wrestlers&#8217; faces his whole career and it was very cool.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He spat at his rivals, mates, first-time opponents, and referees. He created the most grotesque image of Flair when he sprayed him with green mist after a bloody match against Funk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Muta even used his mist to extinguish a fire on an electrified cage sparked by a pre-match pyro as Flair and Funk became embroiled in the Sting and Muta feud.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This happened before the Thunderdome match as he teamed with Terry Funk to take on Ric Flair and Sting. Can\u2019t get much cooler than that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em><span class=\"s1\">Header photo &#8211; NJPW. <\/span><\/em><em><span class=\"s1\">Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.\u00a0 You can rewatch all 2021 NJPW events and plenty more tremendous wrestling content from New Japan Pro-Wrestling on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/njpwworld.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NJPWWorld.com<\/a>; The King of Sports Streaming.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Legendary Japanese wrestler The Great Muta will retire after completing his final matches in the first week of 2023.\u00a0 It is a testament to the legend of The Great Muta that both WWE and AEW have offered up talent to compete against him during his swansong. He will also share the ring with some of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3852,"featured_media":117403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,14,24],"tags":[491,2082,1029,8494,8504,588,781,6174],"class_list":["post-117389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-njpw","category-noah","tag-darby-allin","tag-great-muta","tag-hiroshi-tanahashi","tag-keiji-muto","tag-shinsuke","tag-sting","tag-tetsuya-naito","tag-the-great-muta"],"modified_by":"Dominic Padula","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3852"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}