The Great Muta

Keiji Muto (武藤敬司, Mutō Keiji, born December 23, 1962) is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive currently signed to Pro-Wrestling NOAH, where he is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for his work as The Great Muta (ザ・グレート・ムタ, Za Gurēto Muta) in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) during the 1980s and 1990s, and from his runs in other American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican promotions. He was the president of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) from 2002 to 2013 and representative director of Wrestle-1 (W-1) from 2013 to 2020.

Considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Muto is also one of the first Japanese wrestlers to gain an international fanbase. "The Great Muta" gimmick is one of the most influential in puroresu, emulated by many wrestlers, including Satoshi Kojima (as The Great Koji), Kazushi Miyamoto (as The Great Kazushi), Atsushi Onita (as The Great Nita), and Seiya Sanada (as The Great Sanada). Others copied or modified some of the moves that he popularized or innovated, such as the Shining Wizard, Moonsault, Muta Lock, and the Dragon screw leg whip. He took part in what was generally considered to be one of the bloodiest professional wrestling matches at the time against Hiroshi Hase, leading to the creation of the "Muta scale", which rates the bloodiness of matches relative to this one's 1.0 value.

Muto is one of the four wrestlers to win the three major championships of puroresu (AJPW's Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and Noah's GHC Heavyweight Championship) with Kensuke Sasaki, Yoshihiro Takayama, and Satoshi Kojima. He also held the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, making him an overall nine-time world champion. He is also a 13-time world tag team champion: five AJPW World Tag Team Championships, six IWGP Tag Team Championships, one GHC Tag Team Championship, and one WCW World Tag Team Championship. In total, he has held 32 championships.

In 2013, Muto founded W-1, where he also wrestled semi-regularly. He made special appearances for the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2014 to 2019, as part of a talent exchange with W-1, as well as All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2022.

In June 2022, Muto announced that he will retire in 2023 with his retirement match taking place on February 21 in the Tokyo Dome.

In wrestling[]

Finishing moves
- Figure-four leglock
- Moonsault
- Muta Lock (Inverted Indian deathlock facelock) – innovated
- Senkou Youjutsu / Shining Wizard

Signature moves
- Asian mist
- Brainbuster
- Cradle piledriver
- Cross armbreaker
- DDT
- Dragon screw
- Dragon suplex
- Dropkick, sometimes from the top rope or to an opponent's knees
- Flashing Elbow (Running twisting elbow drop)
- Frankensteiner
- Handspring back elbow
- Leaping clothesline
- Nenbutsu Powerbomb (Sitout powerbomb, with theatrics) – adopted from Hakushi
- Rib breaker
- Rope hung snap swinging neckbreaker
- Rolling savate kick
- Snap suplex
- Space Rolling Elbow (Cartwheel back elbow to a cornered opponent)
- Triangle choke

Managers
- Gary Hart
- Megu Fujiura
- Oliver Humperdink

Nicknames
- "Natural Born Master"
- "Pro-Wrestling Genius"
- "Jigoku no Akuma" (as The Great Muta)
- "The Ideologist of Darkness" (as The Great Muta)

Entrance themes
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
  - "The Final Countdown" by Europe
  - "Hold Out (Prototype)" by Osamu Suzuki
  - "Hold Out" by Osamu Suzuki
  - "Championtaka" (Instrumental) by Hong Kong Explosion
  - "Muta (Prototype)" by Osamu Suzuki
  - "Muta" by Osamu Suzuki
  - "Great Muta Concerto" by Taketa Magic Orchestra
  - "Trans Magic" by Heart Blow
- National Wrestling Alliance
  - "Luminous Forces I" by John Keliehor & Orlando Kimber
- World Championship Wrestling
  - "Tokyo Takeaway" by Paul Osborne and Hans Engstrom
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
  - "Symbol (Prototype)" by Osamu Suzuki
  - "Symbol" by Osamu Suzuki
  - "Symbol – Win" by Osamu Suzuki
  - "Muta Inden" by Osamu Suzuki
  - "Muta Yami no Shocho" by Osamu Suzuki
  - "Great Muta Concerto" by Taketa Magic Orchestra
  - "Muta Praise Bloom" by Heart Blow
  - "Trans Magic" by Heart Blow
- Wrestle-1
  - "Hold Out" by Osamu Suzuki
  - "Muta Praise Bloom" by Heart Blow
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / IMPACT Wrestling
  - "East of the Orient" by Dale Oliver
- Pro-Wrestling NOAH
  - "Trans Magic" by Heart Blow
  - "Hold Out" by Osamu Suzuki

Championships and accomplishments[]

All Japan Pro Wrestling
- F-1 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kannazuki¹
- Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- World Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Taiyō Kea (1), Arashi (1), Joe Doering (1), Masakatsu Funaki (1) and Kenso (1)
- Akiho Yoshizawa Cup (2010) – with Masakatsu Funaki and S1 Mask
- Champion Carnival (2002, 2004, 2007)
- Giant Baba Six Man Cup (2002) – with George Hines and Kaz Hayashi
- January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (2011)
- January 3 Korakuen Hall Junior Heavyweight Battle Royal (2011)
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League (2001) – with Taiyō Kea
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League (2007) – with Joe Doering
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League (2009) – with Masakatsu Funaki
Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Continental Wrestling Federation
- NWA Southeastern United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)²
Jim Crockett Promotions / World Championship Wrestling
- NWA World Television Championship (1 time)
- WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Vampiro
- BattleBowl (1992)
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Shiro Koshinaka (1), Masahiro Chono (2), Hiroshi Hase (2) and Taiyō Kea (1)
- NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Greatest 18 Championship (1 time)
- G1 Climax (1995)
- Super Grade Tag League/G1 Tag League (1993, 1994) – with Hiroshi Hase
- G1 Tag League (1997) – with Masahiro Chono
- G1 Tag League (1998) – with Satoshi Kojima
- G1 Tag League (1999) – with Scott Norton
- MVP Award (2001)
- Singles Best Bout (2001) vs. Yuji Nagata on August 12
- Tag Team Best Bout (2001) with Hiroshi Hase vs. Jun Akiyama and Yuji Nagata on October 8
Nikkan Sports
- Match of the Year (1999) vs. Genichiro Tenryu on May 3
- Match of the Year (2001) with Hiroshi Hase vs. Yuji Nagata & Jun Akiyama on October 8
- Outstanding Performance Award (1998)
- Tag Team of the Year (2009) with Masakatsu Funaki
- Technique Award (1997)
- Wrestler of the Year (1999, 2001, 2008)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked #3 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2002
- Ranked #25 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
Pro-Wrestling NOAH
- GHC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- GHC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Naomichi Marufuji
Tokyo Sports
- Best Bout Award (2021) – vs. Go Shiozaki (February 12 at Destination 2021: Back to Budokan)
- Match of the Year (1999) – with Genichiro Tenryu on May 3, 1999
- Match of the Year (2011) – with Kenta Kobashi vs. Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano (August 27 at All Together)
- Outstanding Performance Award (1998)
- Rookie of the Year (1986)
- Special Award (1989)
- Tag Team of the Year (1990) with Masahiro Chono
- Tag Team of the Year (2005) with Akebono
- Wrestler of the Year (1995, 1999, 2001, 2008)
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- Global Impact Tournament (2015) – with Team International (Angelina Love, Bram, Drew Galloway, The Great Sanada, Khoya, Magnus, Rockstar Spud, Sonjay Dutt and Tigre Uno)
World Wrestling Council
- WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WWC World Television Championship (1 time)
Wrestle-1
- Wrestle-1 Championship (1 time)
- F-1 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kannazuki
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Wrestling Maneuver (2001) – Shining Wizard
- Match of the Year (2001) – vs. Genichiro Tenryu (June 8; Tokyo, Japan)
- Most Improved Wrestler (2001)
- Wrestler of the Year (2001)
- Readers' Favorite Wrestler (2001)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1999)
Other achievements
- Bahamut Championship (1 time) – with Sugi-chan

¹ Championship not officially recognized by All Japan Pro Wrestling.

² Championship reign not officially recognized due to outside interference.