Keiji Muto Loses Two Matches As Part Of His Retirement From Wrestling

Keiji Muto's retirement show ends with a surprising extra match for the icon.

by Andrew Pollard
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NOAH

Not just one, but Keiji Muto today lost two matches as part of the icon's farewell to the wrestling business.

As advertised, the main event of today's Pro Wrestling NOAH Muto Grand Final show saw Muto take on Tetsuya Naito. Despite a valiant effort from the veteran, Naito eventually picked up the win after hitting the Destino. The two opponents would share an emotional embrace following this bout.

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Interestingly, Muto wasn't quite done there. In a fantastic moment, Keiji called out long-time partner and occasional rival Masahiro Chono for an impromptu match. Accepting that challenge, Chono tapped out his old friend with an STF in what can stand as officially the final match of both men's illustrious careers.

A Truly Legendary Career

A career which began back in 1984 in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Dojo - interestingly with Muto and Chono having each other's first match of their respective careers - Keiji Muto went on to become a true revolutionary and game-changer of the wrestling business.

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After impressing in Japan and beyond, Muto's stock went to an entirely different level in 1989 when he appeared as the Great Muta in the NWA's World Championship Wrestling territory. Under the stewardship of Gary Hart, Muta became one of the hottest names in the territory and the business as a whole, famously defeating Sting to win the NWA World Television Championship.

Flitting between his Great Muta and Keiji Muto personas throughout his career, the Pearl of the Orient found success in plentiful promotions, from NJPW, 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 more. Along the way, Muto picked up countless accolades and prizes, most notably four reigns with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, three reigns with the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, and one reign as the GHC Heavyweight Championship.

Last month saw Muto wrestle his final match as the Great Muta, where he teamed with Sting and Darby Allin to best AKIRA, Hakushi and Naomichi Marufuji on the aptly-titled NOAH Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye" show. And now, today has seen Muto wrestle for the final time ever, with the 60-year-old having completed a retirement tour which began last summer.

When people talk about trail-blazers and innovators of the wrestling industry, it's impossible to look at the most impactful, influential names of the business and not include Keiji Muto's name in the conversation. May he now enjoy his retirement.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.