Before undergoing a major transformation in 2001, The Great Muta was famous for using the Figure-4 Leglock as a finisher, along with his signature Moonsault. But when he started wrestling under his own name more and changed his look, he adopted an entirely new finisher to compliment his new style: the Shining Wizard, a knee or shin to the side of his opponents head after stepping on the victims leg for support. When done properly, it can create the perception that the victim gets knocked out right away from the sheer force behind the maneuver. Its a surprisingly simple finishing move that has not only brought Muta even more success, but has been emulated and replicated by many wrestlers around the world. From AJ Lee and CM Punk, to Gregory Hurricane Helms to Yuji Nagata, these wrestlers wouldnt be using the Shining Wizard if it wasnt an effective move. Also, theres something especially entertaining in seeing Keiji Mutoh yell Mathaf***a right before hitting his now-world-famous Shining Wizard on his opponent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL5RB8RivY8
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
