The Great Muta has spoken about his confusion at being chosen for the WWE Hall of Fame.
Ric Flair made the announcement that the Japanese legend would be inducted during the March 15th edition of The Bump. Flair paid tribute to the star, calling him “tremendous”.
“He’s a tremendous guy and a tremendous athlete, a great person, a great man. I’ve wrestled him probably 500 times and I can’t think of a better guy for the company to honour…. I’m honoured to be the one to announce it.”
The Great Muta was surprised to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame
During a recent interview with Marc Raimondi of ESPN, Muta, who also wrestled under his real name of Keiji Muto, revealed that he is not sure why he was chosen for the honour as he never competed in the company during his legendary career.
Muto is still not sure why WWE chose to induct him since he never stepped in a WWE ring before. Muto: “I was like, ‘What? Really? Why me?'”
I asked Muto about the report he was trying to get The Rock as his last match. He nodded and said, in English with a smile, "too expensive." Muto is still not sure why WWE chose to induct him since he never stepped in a WWE ring before. Muto: "I was like, 'What? Really? Why me?'"
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) March 23, 2023
Despite his confusion, Muto will indeed join other icons in the hallowed hall and his induction speech will be made by Flair. During the same interview, Muto revealed that he hasn’t spoken to the 16-time World Champion in over two decades, but is looking forward to seeing his old foe.
Muto said Ric Flair will indeed give his induction speech into the WWE Hall of Fame. He has no idea what he will say and he hasn't seen Flair in more than 20 years. Seeing him again, Muto said, will be "pure joy."
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) March 23, 2023
Keiji Muto wrestled his final singles match as The Great Muta against Shinsuke Nakamura at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s New Year show on January 1st. He then retired the mask after a Six-Man Tag Team bout that saw him team with AEW’s Darby Allin and Sting to defeat Japanese stars AKIRA, Hakushi, and Naomichi Marufuji.
He then headlined the Tokyo Dome one more time under his real name and was defeated by NJPW star Tetsuya Naito. However, he drew his retirement out a little more by having an impromptu bout against the man he started his career with all the way back in 1984, fellow legend Masahiro Chono, who defeated him in short order.