10 Wrestling Legends PG Fans Should Know (But Probably Don't)

6. The Great Muta

The Great Muta is an absolute legend and his status in Japan is equivalent to that of The Undertaker in the United States. There are similarities in both longevity and character. Muta's accomplishments in his native country are well documented, but he makes this list for his work in WCW that is rarely mentioned on current programming. Keiji Mutoh brought the mysterious Muta character to the NWA when he was introduced by Gary Hart and the Japanese star became one of the promotion's top stars in 1989. In retrospect, it was the last year the National Wrestling Alliance was a major entity in the industry as Ted Turner opted to promote the World Championship Wrestling name shortly after that. It was also that time frame that WCW provided some legitimate competition to the WWE before the Turner organization went through a down turn in the mid 1990s prior to the Monday Night War in 1996. It was a key year for Muta in America and probably the last successful year for the NWA, as Flair vs. Funk and Sting vs. Muta were the top feuds for the promotion. Muta provided some different for the NWA to promote, which would be a theme for his WCW career as well. Muta's work in the late 90s also helped enhance the perception of WCW, as he appeared regularly on Nitro and the NWO Japan stable gave the promotion an international aspect of the show. The Great Muta is known for being a tremendous competitor in his home country, but he deserves just as much credit for his influential career in the United States.