Line #37 Wrestling/KeijiMutoh


1	[[quoteright:266:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/keiji_mutoh.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:266:Mutoh as his usual self]]
3	[[caption-width-right:266:[[labelnote:Click here to see him as The Great Muta]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_2924.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
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5	Keiji Mutoh (武藤敬司, ''Mutō Keiji'', born December 23, 1962), better known as for his long running gimmick, '''The Great Muta''', is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{professional wrestl\|ing}}er who debuted in 1984. He is well known and regarded for his with Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, Wrestling/{{WCW}}, and many other promotions. From 2013 to 2020 he also led his own promotion, WRESTLE-1, which shared a working relationship with [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]].
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7	Mutoh has had numerous successes both as himself and as his more famous Great Muta alter ego, and is known as a legend and instantly the person Western fans think of when they think about Japanese Puroresu (a close second being Wrestling/JushinThunderLiger). Hailed as the kayfabe son of The Great Kabuki, he quickly rose through and became one of the top stars through the 80s and 90s, still competing all the way into the 2020s. He is a multiple-time IWGP World Heavyweight and Tag Team Champion as well as former Wrestling/{{N\|ational Wrestling Alliance}}WA Television, World Heavyweight and WCW Tag Champion, among numerous other titles and reigns. He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 1999 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2023.
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9	Mutoh was also one of stars of a short-lived promotion named Fantasy Fight WRESTLE-1, which later led to the creation of Wrestling/FightingOperaHUSTLE (where Mutoh also competed) and the name of his own company, WRESTLE-1.
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11	Mutoh's career finally came to an end, ''twice,'' in 2023- first The Great Muta had his final match at a special retirement event on the 22nd of January called ''The Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye"'', then Keiji Mutoh himself seperately wrestled his own final matches at ''Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last" Love'' on February 21st.
12	----
13	!! Tropes related to the Great Muta:
14	* ArchEnemy:
15	** Wrestling/JushinThunderLiger was one of his greatest foes, which led to the creation of Kishin Liger.
16	** Drawing from their difficult real life relationship, Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada also tends to be a major antagonist whenever they share the ring.
17	* AuthorAppeal: His "Puroresu Love" philosophy. Mutoh's preferences when booking wrestling are varied, but he likes a more gimmicky, American-ized approach to the business, as opposed to the stern puroresu style. He favors lucha libre, gimmicks, wrestlers from varied backgrounds, and MerchandiseDriven events like the APEMAN festivals and the AV tournament cups.
18	* BadassFamily: With Bono-chan and Yinling in Wrestling/FightingOperaHUSTLE.
19	* BloodIsTheNewBlack: A NJPW match with fellow legend Hiroshi Hase. By the end, both wrestlers and the ring were ''covered'' in blood. Led to the creation of the [[TwentyPercentMoreAwesome "Muta Scale"]], by which a match is judged on how bloody it is, e.g. "0.5" if it had half as much.
20	* {{Bookends}}: His first match was against Wrestling/MasahiroChono. 39 years later, he faced Chono in an impromptu match that would be the last of both men's career.
21	* CaptainErsatz: The Great Muta types have been in ''Videogame/FireProWrestling'' since 1991.
22	* CatchPhrase: "Puroresu Love"
23	* CoolOldGuy: Flies overseas to support his Wrestle-1 employees even in while they work for foreign companies.
24	* CoolMask: In his original Great Muta gimmick, he often wore elaborate robes with hoods or masks to the ring, ESPECIALLY in Japan.
25	* {{Expy}}: Of the Great Kabuki in faint paint and "poison fog". Outside of looks, Wrestling/YoshihiroTajiri is more like him, being a sort of bridge between the two, as Muta is different enough from Kabuki to inspire even more expies than Kabuki. He took a liking Tajiri and the two became tag team partners.
26	* FaceHeelTurn: In 1997 Muta returned to WCW brought in by Sonny Onoo to get revenge on Masahiro Chono, but instead during the match he attacks Onoo and accepts Chono's shirt offer joining [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder nWo Japan]].
27	* FacialMarkings: Wore face paint with markings and symbols on them.
28	* FinishingMove: The Moonsault and the Shining Wizard. In his first WCW run he also used a shoulder claw submission on occasion.
29	* ForeignWrestlingHeel: His initial Muta run.
30	* GuileHero: During his first days in NJPW, Mutoh was doing well in training, but he was still struggling so much that he confessed to the main trainer Kotetsu Yamamoto his intentions to abandon. Yamamoto, not wanting to lose such a talented worker, relented a bit with him. Wrestling/MasahiroChono has went to say Mutoh didn't want really to go and knew perfectly how would Yamamoto react.
31	* HeroicSacrifice: The Great Muta's last resort to defeat the mighty Esperanza was [[TakingYouWithMe dragging him along himself to Hell.]] Fortunately, Muta's dark powers allowed him to escape the Hell and return to All Japan after some years.
32	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: During a match with Wrestling/JushinThunderLiger, Muta ripped off part of Liger's outfit and his mask, only to have Liger to reveal that his face was covered with face paint similar to Muta's and then spray Muta's eyes with Green Mist.
33	* HowMuchMoreCanHeTake: There's a reason The Muta Scale is named after him after his legendary brutal match with Hiroshi Hase. Not for the faint of heart.
34	* IHaveManyNames: Keiji Mutoh, White Ninja, Super Black Ninja, Space Lone Wolf and of course, The Great Muta.
35	* IKnowKarate: A judo champion and black belt, what was the reason he was contacted and brought to NJPW, although it gets subverted in that it was never really part of his character except by a couple moves here and there. However, this was also part of the reason he ended leaving the company years after, as Wrestling/AntonioInoki was avid to send legit wrestlers like him to fight in UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts, and Muto was GenreSavvy enough to exit New Japan before being packed to face some PRIDE mainstay and get wrecked in the process.
36	* LightningBruiser: Muta in his prime was not only fast and quick but he was also strong as well.
37	* ManiacTongue: And sticking it out after staining his mouth with mist just enhance the effect.
38	* MaskPower: Started to wear a mask instead of his face paint after he shaved his head when he adopted his Muta persona.
39	* MerchandiseDriven: His "Puroresu Love" direction for All Japan Pro Wrestling was based on getting merchandise deals, which ended up lifting the promotion out of its financial hole even though it still remained behind New Japan and NOAH.
40	* MightyGlacier: It's been argued that he's less mobile than the Great Khali (!) in his later career, yet its still universally agreed he's a better a wrestler.
41	* MiniMook: The Great Little Muta in Wrestling/AllJapanWomensProWrestling. It's a long story.
42	* OpposingCombatPhilosophies: He dislikes [[Wrestling/UniversalWrestlingFederation shoot-style]], seeing it as "little more than judo", which made his feud with Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada quite filled with RealitySubtext. It probably comes from his disdain for UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts, which he sees as an annoying competitor to professional wrestling.
43	* PapaWolf: The Great Muta. He faced The Esperanza single-handedly in order to save his son in HUSTLE.
44	* PowerStable
45	** In the late 80s, in the J-Tex Corporation with Gary Hart, Buzz Sawyer, The Dragonmaster
46	** An official member of both the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder nWo]] proper in WCW, and in [=nWo Japan=].
47	* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: He sees Sanada's FaceHeelTurn as this during the latter's run in TNA.
48	* {{Parody}}: The Great Nita(Wrestling/{{FMW}}), The Great Ruta (TARU in [[Wrestling/DragonGate Toryumon Japan]] and All Japan), Lingerie Mutoh (Munenori Sawa in [[Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1 Zero 1]]) and more. He's had the chance to beat up many of his mockers at least.
49	* RedBaron: Was introduced as The Pearl of The Orient during his time in WCW. While in NJPW, Mutoh was referred to as the Natural Born Master.
50	* RingOldies: Wrestled his last match at the age of 60.
51	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After resigning in shame from All Japan, Speed Partners president Nobuo Shiraishi fired Mutoh's friend and All Japan President Masayuki Uchida, making himself president in his place. Shiraishi proceeded to nearly run All Japan into the ground and alienate it from the rest of the puroresu community by badmouthing the other major promotions as he did so, leading Muta to try and buy back his shares in the company. His offers were refused in favor of Shiraishi preparing for bankruptcy, which lead to Andy Wu, Seiya Sanada, Ryota Hama, Kai, Kaz Hayashi, Masayuki Kono, Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Takada, Hiroshi Yamato, Koji Kanemoto, and Yasufumi Nakanoue all publicly resigning and swearing loyalty to Keiji Mutoh, who saw to it they would have another place to work.[[labelnote:*]]All Japan ended up avoiding bankruptcy due in part to Jun Akiyama making a more direct power grab.[[/labelnote]]
52	* SignatureMove: A reverse Indian death lock bridging chin lock combination known as the Muta Lock. In the early 2000s, it was pretty much a go to finishing submission.
53	* SpikesOfVillainy: A red mask that hides little of his face adorned in spikes.
54	* StartMyOwn: Formed his own promotion, Wrestle-1, after leaving All Japan and taking many wrestlers with him when he did.
55	* StillGotIt: In 2001 many believed that Muta's career was over as all the years were taking a toll on him. But he disagreed, eliminating his high flying offense which had put such a strain on his knees, Muta then switched to a more technical and submission style of wrestling and made The Shining Wizard (A running leaping knee to a kneeled opponent's head) his finisher and was voted as 2001's Wrestler Of The Year.
56	* SuperSpit
57	** For those who wonder where the term Asian Mist comes from, look up videos of him as The Great Muta. It was originally known as the poison fog when introduced to professional wrestling by the Great Kabuki, which is why in the USA the kayfabe WrestlingFamily for two men who otherwise wrestled completely different styles was used. The Great Muta's infamous Green Mist is his most well known and feared technique he possesses as you never know when he can hit you with it and it leaves the recipient blind.
58	** And he's not above spitting out different colors and variations either, sometimes it's red, yellow, or (rarely) black.
59	* TheRival: Numerous rivals over his career; Wrestling/{{Sting}} and Masahiro Chono are probably the two best examples. TNA did a send up to the Sting rivalry with Mr. Anderson as Sting and Eric Young as Muta. Despite mocking Young as "The not so great Muta" Eric still won.
60	* TheStoic: Which did not translate into good parenting skills towards Monster Bono.
61	* TooManyBelts: He's won enough title belts to wear them as a suit of armor.
62	* [[WildCard Tweener]]: He was loved by the women who attended WCW events but it was insisted by management that he and the other "Asians" stay heels.
63	* UnholyMatrimony: In Wrestling/FightingOperaHUSTLE (where else) when his mist got on the crotch of Yinling The Erotic Terrorist and lead to her pregnancy. The two would then have to raise Monster Bono.
64	* VitriolicBestBuds: In real life with Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada. They settled their differences in Inoki Bom-Ba-ye 2000.
65	* WorthyOpponent
66	** Sting and Muta's rivalry starting in WCW has lead them both to growing to respect one another, leading to them teaming up on occasion. When they met again in Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling ahead of Keiji Mutoh's upcoming retirement they greeted each other like old friends (with Muta saving Sting from the Wrestling/HouseOfBlack), and Sting and his protege Wrestling/DarbyAllin would side with Muta for his final match at ''The Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye"''.
67	** Same with Chono, the two having teamed up to win The IWGP Tag Belts as well.
68	* WouldHitAGirl: Was not above striking or misting a female if he had too, Missy Hyatt was twice sprayed by Muta in the face by his Mist.

Context Wrestling / KeijiMutoh