Keiji Muto, known to millions of pro wrestling fans for his work as The Great Muta in promotions around the world, will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on WrestleMania weekend in Los Angeles.
Ric Flair made the official reveal today on “The Bump,” calling him a great person and a great athlete. Flair says he wrestled Muto “probably 500 times” over the course of his career, and while the Nature Boy was exaggerating for dramatic effect, the two icons did cross paths on numerous occasions in the 1980s and 1990s.
🚨 It's official! The Great Muta will be inducted into the #WWEHOF this year! @RicFlairNatrBoy shares a special message about his longtime friend and rival.#WWETheBump pic.twitter.com/pg5zLPumnz
— WWE (@WWE) March 15, 2023
Interestingly, Muto never wrestled in an official WWF/WWE match during the course of his nearly 40-year career. However he did compete on a number of WCW cards during the 1990s and early 2000s, and WWE has consistently honored talent whose primary contributions were to that company in its Hall of Fame since buying what was left of WCW in 2001.
Regardless, Muto was such an influential performer that no one would likely object to his inclusion in the WWE Hall of Fame. He is one of only five wrestlers to ever win the top titles from Japan’s three biggest wrestling promotions (NJPW, AJPW and Noah), and one of the true pioneers of spreading Japanese wrestling style and culture around the world.
Muto is credited with either inventing or popularizing a number of wrestling holds and moves fans take for granted today, including the moonsault and dragon screw. Far from only a technician, he had a history of participating in bloody matches of all kinds, and that influence can also be felt throughout pro wrestling to this day.
Such is Muto’s influence that for one of his final matches as The Great Muta, WWE allowed Shinsuke Nakamura to return to Japan and appear on a Noah card.
The 2023 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles following SmackDown on Friday, March 31, the night before WrestleMania 39. Besides Muto, the only other inductee announced so far has been Rey Mysterio.
