Next Inductee Announced For WWE Hall Of Fame 2023
The latest name announced for the WWE Hall of Fame is...
As has been heavily rumoured, the Great Muta has been announced as being a part of the WWE Hall of Fame's 2023 class.
It had previously been confirmed that Ric Flair would be revealing the next HOF inductee on today's episode of WWE's The Bump, and indeed it was the Nature Boy who announced that the legendary Great Muta will be joining Rey Mysterio in the Hall of Fame this year.
? 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
While it's not been confirmed as of yet, the belief is that Ric Flair will be the one to induct Muta, and Flair's comments during his Bump appearance likewise seem to indicate this. As noted by Naitch, he shares a special bond with Keiji Muto due to how Muto spent time with Ric's son Reid just two days before Reid's tragic passing back in 2013.
Of course, Keiji Muto is the man behind the Great Muta character. Across a 39-year career - which only came to an end last month - Muto battled across the globe under his real name and under his face-painted Great Muta persona. Much like Scott Hall's induction as Razor Ramon in 2014, it appears that Muto is being inducted under his Great Muta gimmick.
A genuine game-changer, Muto's revolutionary in-ring style, athleticism and physical charisma has served to influence and inspire a countless number of wrestlers who have come after him. The Pearl of the Orient is a bona fide icon of the industry, and his success ranged across the world from New Japan Pro-Wrestling, to All Japan Pro Wrestling, to Pro Wrestling NOAH, to Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW, to Championship Wrestling from Florida, to Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council and beyond.
Interestingly, as either Keiji Muto or the Great Muta, the 60-year-old never wrestled a single match under the WWE umbrella. That said, Muto did work several cross-promoted NJPW and WWF shows in Japan in 1985 as the then-World Wrestling Federation looked to branch out into international markets.
In addition to the Great Muta and Rey Mysterio, there has been plentiful rumblings that Batista and Stacy Keibler will be a part of the 2023 Hall of Fame class.