10 Best Strong-Style Wrestlers Ever

Few wrestlers in the modern history of the sport have been as influential or as imitated as Keiji Mutoh. As his "Great Muta" character, Mutoh made a splash in the United States, mixing martial arts-style fighting and kabuki makeup to stand out from the crowd in style. Like The Great Kabuki before him, he also spit poisonous mist in the faces of his opponents.

Mutoh's character suited his ring work perfectly. His strange appearance gelled well with his ultra-quick movements, hard strikes, and lightning-fast submissions. Though the character debuted in the U.S., it also stuck out in Japan, taking on a more mysterious and supernatural quality than wrestling characters typically have there.

In 2001, Mutoh reinvented himself, dropping the persona and reverting to his real name. The change was hugely successful, and a large part of that was the fact that he was still strong style at his core. During that run, Mutoh debuted his famous Shining Wizard knee strike, which has gone to become a popular move in Japan and the U.S.