No matter how you came into wrestling, you would have heard of the name Keiji Muto. Since his debut in 1984, he has contributed much to the wrestling industry, from his iconic Great Muta gimmick (which resulted in the Muta Scale that we hear so much about in hardcore matches nowadays) to the moves he popularized, like the Shining Wizard and the “Muta Lock”, that are used by many current active wrestlers. However, after a 39-year career, the 60-year-old Muto is set to wrestle his final match against Tetsuya Naito on Feb. 21 at the Tokyo Dome.
Fitting for a man so well-traveled in wrestling, Muto’s retirement show has a lot of collaboration, with nearly every major promotion in Japan taking part. There are a lot of exciting matches set on the card, so here’s a look at what the show has in store.
Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba vs. Yoshiki Inamura & Yasutaka Yano
Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba recently won the GHC Tag Team Championship at NOAH Great Voyage and will be looking to kick their reign off to a hot start against Yasutaka Yano and Kitamiya’s former tag team partner Yoshiki Inamura. Daiki Inaba, a former trainee of Keiji Muto’s who followed him to WRESTLE-1, will especially be looking to come out of this one with a win.
Though this is a non-title match at a special show, this could potentially have implications for NOAH’s tag scene in the future. With Kenoh and Manabu Soya challenging in March, perhaps this young duo could make a case for a future challenge of their own if they impress.
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTION: Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba (81.8%)
TJPW SHOWCASE: Yamashita, Sakazaki, Tatsumi & Nakajima vs. Mizuki, Itoh, Watanabe & Arai
An exciting match showcasing the stars of fellow CyberFight promotion TJPW, specifically teaming the Four Pillars of the promotion together. This is another great matchup in the cap of current Princess of Princess Champion Yuka Sakazaki, as she prepares to face Mizuki at Grand Princess for her title and likely ROH Women’s Champion Athena at Supercard of Honor. The exchanges between tag team partners and future opponents Sakazaki and Mizuki will be exciting to watch in this match.
Also within this eight-woman tag is the prospect of Sakazaki going at it with the International Princess Champion Miu Watanabe. The powerhouse of the promotion, Watanabe’s giant swing will undoubtedly be a huge crowd-pleaser in the Dome. Watanabe also had a women’s MOTYC last year with Miyu Yamashita, so seeing them fight once again will be thrilling.
Furthermore, Yamashita will also stand opposite her tag team partner Maki Itoh in this match. The duo, known as 121000000, recently won the Princess Max Heart Tournament and will surely have their eyes on the Princess Tag Team Championships. However, they clash as opponents here and that should be a fun watch.
This is a great tag team match that will show exactly what TJPW is about and hopefully will help them gain some new fans as they progress through the year.
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTION: Yamashita, Sakazaki, Tatsumi & Nakajima (90.9%)
Takashi Sugiura, Timothy Thatcher & Satoshi Kojima vs. Jake Lee, Jack Morris & Anthony Greene
Perhaps the greatest trio in NOAH history is competing at the Tokyo Dome (and Sugiura-gun and Kojima are there too). Another trainee of Muto’s, Jake Lee arrived in NOAH and immediately allied himself with Scot Jack Morris. With the addition of Anthony Greene, the Good Looking Guys were born. Despite being unsuccessful, Morris recently had a match with Kaito Kiyomiya for the GHC Heavyweight Championship.
Their opponents should need no introduction: Sugiura is a NOAH stalwart, having been the first wrestler to debut for the promotion. He is the only wrestler to have held all of NOAH’s existing championships. Satoshi Kojima is one of few men to have held the Triple Crown, IWGP Heavyweight, and the GHC Heavyweight Championships in his career. Timothy Thatcher, while not having the accolades of his partners, made his name in promotions like EVOLVE, wXw, and WWE.
This is a classic matchup of the veterans against the young guns. It will be interesting to see the development of the Good Looking Guys as a trio in this, as well as Jake Lee’s personal direction as a new member of the NOAH roster. Overall, this should be a fine trios match.
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTIONS: Good Looking Guys (54.5%)
Ogawa, Eita, HAYATA, Ridgeway & Daga vs. Kotoge, YO-HEY, Yoshioka, Alejandro & Miyawaki
If you’re into faction civil war, this match is for you! The slightly unstable unit Stinger has undergone some turmoil as of late. After successfully defending the GHC Junior Tag Team Championships against Alejandro and Junta Miyawaki at Great Voyage, Yoshinari Ogawa and new affiliate Eita were laid out by HAYATA and Chris Ridgeway, who will now challenge for the championships in March. Before then, these dysfunctional men will need to coexist in order to beat a collection of NOAH’s other junior heavyweights.
The odd man out on the left side is Daga. While Daga has traveled across the world, he has only just started in NOAH. However, Daga has competed in a Japanese promotion before — DRAGONGATE, where he allied with heel unit R.E.D, led by none other than Eita. It should be expected that if Daga is to stick around for a while, he will do so at Eita’s side.
On the opposing side are a squad of some of NOAH’s other juniors. Seiki Yoshioka, a former member of Stinger, will surely be looking to gain a win over his former unit. Alejandro and Junta Miyawaki, who lost their challenge to Ogawa and Eita, will be looking to get some revenge too, especially after Alejandro’s mask was ripped and his face was exposed during the match. YO-HEY has a history with Eita from Los Perros del Mal de Japon and HAYATA from RATEL’s also and will be looking to beat them in this match.
This should be a standard NOAH juniors match with all eyes being on what happens to Stinger.
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTION: Kotoge, Yoshioka, YO-HEY, Miyawaki & Alejandro (63.6%)
DDT SHOWCASE: The 37KAMIINA vs. Endo, Okatani, Koroku & Masada
Much like TJPW, fellow CyberFight promotion DDT is getting an eight-man tag showcase at the Muto Final show. The popular stable The 37KAMIINA will clash with Burning members Tetsuya Endo and Yuya Koroku, Eruption rookie Hideki Okatani and the fastest debutante in DDT history Takeshi Masada.
Interestingly, DDT has chosen to give their rookies a big platform with this showcase match. Kojima, Masada, Okatani, and Koroku all have either two years or less experience and are currently competing in the D Generations Cup. To be able to compete at the Tokyo Dome so early in their careers is a huge opportunity.
With the exciting moveset of KO-D Tag Team Champions ShunMAO, the fantastic combination of Yuki Ueno and Tetsuya Endo, and a quartet of young boys looking to make a good impression, this match will be a lovely showcase for the spirit that DDT has.
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTION: The 37KAMIINA (72.7%)
DRAGONGATE VS NOAH: Z-Brats vs. Naomichi Marufuji, El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jr & Ninja Mack
Shun Skywalker hates Pro Wrestling NOAH. The Open the Dream Gate Champion has had his grievances with the promotion and its juniors in particular. After being paired with Tadasuke at the Global Dream event last year, Skywalker felt that NOAH did not want to risk sending their bigger main event talent to face him.
Thankfully, he now gets his wish for competition in Naomichi Marufuji.
An extremely decorated wrestler in NOAH and beyond, Naomichi Marufuji is a four-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He is also the first wrestler to win the Junior Heavyweight Championships of NJPW, AJPW, and NOAH. Furthermore, he has expressed interest in Skywalker’s Open the Dream Gate championship and wants to add it to his collection.
To say the press conference for this match was entertaining would be an understatement. Skywalker, calling himself a “gourmet”, relished in the deliciousness of his opponents while Marufuji faked being asleep. Furthermore, he amusingly speculated that he was booked for this show because he is related to a famous Muto impersonator.
Meanwhile, Diamante and El Hijo Del Dr. Wagner Jr. have been solely focused on each other in this build. Both expressed pride in being part of a short list of Mexican talents to perform at the Tokyo Dome and have established a little rivalry with each other because of it. If Z-Brats win here, there could potentially be a singles clash between these two on the horizon for Wagner’s GHC National Championship.
The closest connections to Muto here come from Marufuji and KAI. Marufuji has both feuded with Muto over the GHC Heavyweight Championship and won the GHC Tag Team Championships with him. KAI, who trained under Muto in the AJPW dojo, was a long-time member of the roster before following Muto to Wrestle-1, where he stayed for a few years before freelancing.
With the exciting combination of wrestlers in this match, with spots like Skywalker’s trademark monkey flip sure to be a hit for the crowd, this match has the potential to be a sleeper MVP on the card.
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTION: Z-Brats (81.8%)
AJPW VS NOAH: Miyahara, Suwama & Aoyagi vs. KONGO
The second promotion battle on the card is between AJPW and NOAH. At the heart of this trios match is a personal rivalry.
Kento Miyahara and Katsuhiko Nakajima know each other from training under Kensuke Sasaki. Nakajima, being like a son to Sasaki, helped train Miyahara as well. From what is alleged by a former trainee, the training was extremely rough and Sasaki and Nakajima were notorious for hazing students, Miyahara included. The last time the two fought was back in the Diamond Ring days in 2013. After Miyahara left for AJPW and this is the first time he and Nakajima have met since.
Suwama has a history with Muto; he teamed with him early in his career and even defeated him in 2005. When Muto left AJPW to form WRESTLE-1, Suwama instead chose to remain in AJPW, where he has stayed his entire career. He also expressed disdain that he was not chosen as Muto’s final opponent and claimed that he was running away from him.
The teamwork of KONGO may just be the factor that puts them over the edge. In particular, Kenoh and Manabu Soya will be the next challengers for the GHC Tag Team Championships. However, with both the Triple Crown Champion and one-half of the AJPW World Tag Team Champions on the other side, this is sure to be a close battle!
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTION: AJPW (54.5%)
Gedo & Taiji Ishimori vs. NOSAWA Rongai & Mazada
If you thought Muto was the only wrestler retiring on this show, you would be mistaken! Also featured is the retirement match for NOSAWA Rongai, who is hanging up the boots on doctor’s orders. Calling back to his Tokyo Gurentai days, he has enlisted the help of MAZADA against the team of Taiji Ishimori and Gedo from Bullet Club.
Interestingly, NOSAWA and Ishimori go all the way back to 2004, with their first match being a trios match in Toryumon Mexico. After, they had several matches against each other in AJPW from 2005 to 2006 (many involving the team of NOSAWA and MAZADA) before fighting against each other in NOAH for the GHC Junior Tag Team Championships. They have not faced each other since 2012.
NOSAWA has had fewer matches against Gedo, all of which being tags, and has never beaten him before. Amusingly, this is a de-facto “Battle of the Bookers” match as Gedo books NJPW while NOSAWA books NOAH. Will NOSAWA beat two old opponents in his final match or will he end his career being pinned for three?
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTION: NOSAWA & MAZADA (54.5%)
Hiromu Takahashi vs. AMAKUSA
The first singles bout on the card, this match pits the current top juniors of NJPW and NOAH against each other. Hiromu Takahashi is the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, having won the title at Wrestle Kingdom 17. AMAKUSA is the current GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, winning the title from Dante Leon at the end of last year.
AMAKUSA and Takahashi actually have some history. Then known as Kenbai, AMAKUSA lived with Takahashi for some time while they were both competing in the UK. Takahashi mentioned during his interview that when he was having a hard time, AMAKUSA encouraged him and the two promised to have another singles match someday. Now, they get their wish.
Unlike the majority of the card, where there are existing rivalries present, this match is steeped in mutual respect. Two old acquaintances having a contest to see which one is truly currently the top junior in Japan. This match will be great and should have a different vibe to it compared to the rest of the card.
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTIONS: Hiromu Takahashi (81.8%)
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kaito Kiyomiya
Widely regarded as the most anticipated match on the card, and perhaps one of the most anticipated matches of the year, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and GHC Heavyweight Champion Kaito Kiyomiya will clash in the Tokyo Dome.
At Wrestle Kingdom 17 Night 2, Kiyomiya and Yoshiki Inamura faced Okada and Togi Makabe. Okada refused to get in the ring with Kiyomiya and held Inamura in a rest hold with his back to the GHC Heavyweight Champion. What did Kiyomiya do? He kicked him square in the face.
After that, the two fought on the outside, with several kicks, suplexes, and objects being thrown at each other. Inamura, Makabe, and several NJPW staff had to hold them off of each other. The match ended as a no-contest. Subsequently, Kiyomiya challenged Okada to a match, which “The Rainmaker” did not accept.
After either ignoring Kiyomiya or saying he was not going to show up to the match, Okada blindsided the GHC Heavyweight Champion after his title defense against Jack Morris at NOAH Great Voyage. He then finally accepted the match.
Since then, Okada no showed the press conference for the match and has barely acknowledged Kiyomiya. Will this battle between the two heavyweight champions be their only bout or is this a sign of a generational rivalry to come?
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTION: Kazuchika Okada OR a Draw (both 45.5%)
Keiji Muto vs. Tetsuya Naito
Wrestle Kingdom 17 Night 2 saw Tetsuya Naito defeat Kenoh. After, Keiji Muto, who was on commentary, requested that Naito face him for his retirement match, which he accepted.
In an interview given in the lead-up to the event, Naito described how Muto inspired him to wrestle. He said that when he wrestled in school, he copied Muto’s moves. He wore his merchandise to school. Eventually, he also started to watch his matches live in Tokyo and beyond. Then, in 2012, he was able to face the man who caused him to enter the industry at Wrestle Kingdom 6. Naito lost and said in the interview that “he had never left the ring with so much frustration.
11 years later, he looks to avenge that loss.
As Muto took his place on commentary for Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Jack Morris, the familiar sounds of Stardust played in EDION Arena Osaka. When Naito entered the ring, he described how he watched Muto lose the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Genichiro Tenryu in Osaka in 1999. He made the trip home in tears. Now, 23 years later, he stands opposite Muto as his final opponent.
Naito does not intend to make a five-star classic or a match-of-the-year contender. As he said in his interview, “If someone who is about to retire can still make their best art, then they do not need to retire.” Instead, he intends to make Muto feel the sadness he felt when he lost 11 years ago. In that way, he believes he can best repay the man who inspired him to wrestle.
FIVE STAR CONTRIBUTORS PREDICTION: Tetsuya Naito (63.6%)
WHERE TO WATCH: WRESTLE UNIVERSE
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