Tag: Keiji Muto

Keiji Muto wrestles final match as The Great Muta at Great Muta Final Bye-Bye

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Keiji Muto wrestled his final match as The Great Muta on Sunday morning.

Teaming with AEW’s Darby Allin and Sting, Muta defeated AKIRA, Hakushi, and Naomichi Marufuji in the main event of The Great Muta Final Bye-Bye event. The finish had Muta mist Hakushi after he fell as he was doing a rope walk. Sting followed with the scorpion death drop, Allin hit the coffin drop, then Muta pinned Hakushi with a second shining wizard.

After the match Allin, Sting, and Muta celebrated together. After Sting and Allin went to the back, the announcer said Muta’s name one final time as pyro went off, ending the show.

During entrances, The Great Kabuki was introduced and came to the ring. When The Great Muta character was first introduced in WCW back in 1989, it was explained by then-manager Gary Hart that he was the son of Kabuki, who he had also managed.

Muto’s final match will be held on February 21 at the Tokyo Dome. During Great Muta Final Bye-Bye, the entire card for the show was announced, with Muto facing NJPW’s Tetsuya Naito in the main event.

Full card revealed for Keiji Muto’s Tokyo Dome retirement show

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The full card for Keiji Muto’s retirement show next month has been revealed.

During tonight’s The Great Muta Final Bye-Bye event, Pro Wrestling NOAH revealed the full card for the event at the Tokyo Dome on February 21. Muto’s final match will be against Tetsuya Naito. The two set up the match at Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Yokohama Arena on Saturday morning, with Naito accepting the challenge from Muto.

Two matches pitting NJPW and NOAH’s top champions in singles matches will also take place. IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada will face GHC Champion Kaito Kiyomiya following an angle that took place Saturday, where Kiyomiya kicked Okada flush in the face, causing Okada to attack Kiyomiya, leading to a double disqualification. The Junior Heavyweight title holders will also square off, with IWGP Junior Champion Hiromu Takahashi taking on GHC Junior Champion AMAKUSA. Both matches will be non-title.

Matches featuring talent from NJPW, NOAH, Dragongate, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Tokyo Joshi Pro, and DDT are also scheduled to take place.

Here is the full card for Keiji Muto’s retirement show:

  • Keiji Muto (NOAH) vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW)
  • Non-title: Kazuchika Okada (NJPW) vs. Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH)
  • Non-title: Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW) vs. AMAKUSA (NOAH)
  • NOSAWA and MAZADA (NOAH) vs. Gedo and Taiji Ishimori (NJPW)
  • Kento Miyahara, SUWAMA, and Yuma Aoyagi (AJPW) vs. Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and Manabu Soya (NOAH)
  • Shun Skywalker, KAI, and Diamante (Dragongate) vs. Naomichi Marufuji, Hijo Del Dr. Wagner Jr., and Ninja Mack (NOAH)
  • Shunma Katsumata, Toui Kojima, Mao, and Yuki Ueno vs. Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani, Yuya Koroku, and Takeshi Masada (DDT)
  • Eita, Yoshinari Ogawa, HAYATA, Daga, and Chris Ridgeway vs. Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY, Seiki Yoshioka, Alejandro, and Junta Miyawaki (NOAH)
  • Takashi Sugiura, Satoshi Kojima, and Timothy Thatcher vs. Jake Lee, Jack Morris, and Anthony Greene (NOAH)
  • Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi, and Shoko Nakajiuma vs. Mizuki, Miu Watanabe, Maki Itoh, and Yuki Arai (Tokyo Joshi Pro)
  • Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba vs. Yoshiki Inamura and Yasutaka Yano (NOAH)

Wrestling Observer Radio: A million weekend shows, tons of Japan news, reviews, more

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including A MILLION SHOWS, Rampage, Smackdown, Rumble on 44th Street and the Night Before, Defy with Filthy Tom vs. Suzuki, Smackdown spoilers, RAW preview, Karl Anderson and the NEVER Title, Nakamura vs. Muto and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:

Start: Defy live thoughts

4:58: Shinsuke Nakamura to wrestle The Great Muta in NOAH, Fujita vs. Kitomiya

8:50: Karl Anderson off NJPW Battle Autumn, show lineup

18:27: NJPW US weekend shows

30:25: Emma signs with WWE, Raw this Monday

32:46: SmackDown recap

44:21: SmackDown spoilers for this coming Friday

46:15: Jake Paul defeats Anderson Silva in boxing match

51:47: Rampage recap

1:04:14: Mailbag

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Great Muta’s final New Japan match set for NJPW x Stardom Historic X-Over

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The Great Muta will take part in his final NJPW match at November 20th’s NJPW X STARDOM Historic X-Over event. 

NJPW announced late Wednesday that following his involvement in an angle on Wednesday’s Battle Autumn show, Great Muta will team with Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano against United Empire’s Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, and Aaron Henare. 

On Wednesday’s show, Muta helped Yano defeat O-Khan to advance in the IWGP World Television Championship tournament.

Additionally, a six-woman tag match has been added to Historic X-Over, as Thekla will team with Himeka, and Mai Sakurai against Lady C, AZM, and Saya Kamitani.

Here is the updated lineup for the November 20 pay-per-view:

  • IWGP Women’s Championship tournament finals: Mayu Iwatani vs. KAIRI
  • The Great Muta, Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs. Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Utami Hayashishita vs. Hirooki Goto & Maika
  • Tom Lawlor & Syuri vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Giulia
  • El Desperado, DOUKI, Starlight Kid & Momo Watanabe vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, Natsupoi & Tam Nakano
  • Thekla, Himeka & Mai Sakurai vs. Lady C, AZM &Saya Kamitani

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Keiji Muto part of six-man match at NOAH October event

Posted on by Josh Nason

Japanese wrestling icons and past rivals Keiji Muto and Hiroshi Tanahashi will compete each other one final time at NOAH’s Pro Wrestling Love Forever 3.

The event is set for Sunday, October 30th at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.

Muto will team with Naomichi Marufuji and Yoshiki Inamura against NJPW’s Tanahashi, Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma as part of Muto/Great Muta’s retirement tour.

The two appeared at a Monday press conference where Tanahashi presented Muto with 38 roses in recognition of Muto’s 38 years in wrestling in a show of respect.

The two have met multiple times in their legendary careers, mainly in tag team matches. The last was in January as part of NJPW vs. NOAH matches that took place the first night of Wrestle Kingdom. Tanahashi & Okada defeated Muto & Kaito Kiyomiya.

The two have had singles matches in both NJPW and AJPW. At 2009’s Wrestle Kingdom, Tanahasi defeated Muto for the IWGP World title.