10 Things You Didn't Know About The Great Muta
4. His Second U.S. Excursion Did NOT Go As Well As His First...
In NWA World Championship Wrestling, the Great Muta lit up the pro wrestling fandom. His work was mind-blowing. So utterly futuristic and exhilarating that fans no-sold the idea that he was a heel, he left an indelible impression on everybody who watched him - his programme with Sting in particular.
He went on another extended WCW run in 2000 and - because it was WCW in 2000 - it was altogether less impressive and memorable.
Between July and September, the Great Muta went 50/50 alongside the Jung Dragons in a role so stereotypical that it was as if he hadn't progressed beyond Texas, much less 1989. Doing jobs in two-on-one handicap matches - when he was part of the two - he also lost to The Cat on pay-per-view. He did go over Brian Adams on Worldwide, so there's that!
Mutoh hasn't expressed this publicly, to your writer's knowledge at least, but this abysmal stint may well have acted as the impetus for his career resurgence a year later. He was damned, and needed to take drastic action to preserve his legend. Then again, Mutoh was prone to laziness even at his peak, so he might have rather enjoyed what was a glorified holiday.
In any event, it really says something about that moron Vince Russo that the best wrestler of 2001 spent July 19, 2000 jobbing to Tank Abbott in 45 seconds.