#4 Keiji Mutoh/The Great Muta
It’s said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. If that’s true, then Keiji Mutoh must be the most flattered man in pro wrestling.
Muta is one of the most frequently-emulated wrestlers in the world, with countless wrestlers paying tribute to him by using his moves and his persona. Although the Muta gimmick itself takes some elements from an earlier wrestler called the Great Kabuki, Muta managed to take that basic gimmick and made it into something new altogether.
A former WWE writer just went after JBL for his comments HERE
Aside from being copied and tribute many times over, Meiji Mutoh is one of the greatest masters of ring psychology of all time. One would need only watch one of Muta’s matches (whether he wrestles under his alter-ego or under his real name, it doesn’t matter) to see his understanding of ring psychology in play.
Some wrestling observers posit that ring psychology has been lost in recent years, much to the detriment of professional wrestling as a whole. Maybe, just maybe, if more wrestlers studied the Great Muta, then that wouldn’t be such an issue in today’s pro wrestling world.