How did The Great Muta make his presence felt on SmackDown? Insight into the Hall of Fame inductee's wrestling legacy

Soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer, The Great Muta, made his very first appearance on WWE television tonight on SmackDown. Well, sort of.

Sadly, Muta didn't make an actual physical appearance on SmackDown. Fans learned that he was backstage as the camera showed a room with his name on it.

If he had, it would have been one of the few things Muta hasn't accomplished in professional wrestling. Fortunately, he'll be on our screens a little later as he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame, along with Rey Mysterio, Stacy Keibler, Andy Kaufman, and former referee Tim White.

But who is The Great Muta? How does a man who never stepped foot in a WWE ring before end up in their Hall of Fame? Let's look at one of the most influential performers of all time.

Who is the soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer, The Great Muta?

The Great Muta - real name Keiji Muto - is one of the most influential professional wrestlers of his time. Not just one of the most influential Japanese wrestlers ever - wrestlers, period. Muta combined acrobatics, martial arts, and theatricality better than anyone before him.

Muta is a nine-time world champion, holding titles such as the NWA Worlds Championship and New Japan Pro-Wrestling's IWGP Championship. He was also a member - and eventually leader - of nWo Japan, New Japan's branch of WCW's New World Order faction.

Before announcing his impending induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, Muta went on a "retirement tour." One of the more notable bouts took place in January of this year against WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura (who was given permission by the company to participate) - which could have possibly led to his induction this year.

Keiji Muto has also appeared in several Japanese movies and TV shows, including 1996's Yajuu Densetsu: Dragon Blue, a supernatural crime thriller he starred in. He and several other Japanese wrestling legends also appeared in the video game Yakuza KIwami 2, released by Sega.

Most notoriously, the Puroresu legend was the inspiration for what's called the "Muta Scale." During a bout against Hiroshi Hase, Muta was bleeding so much that his entire body was covered in blood. Since then, nearly every wrestling match covered by wrestling media that involves bleeding has been compared to this bout.

What are your memories of The Great Muta, readers who are as old as we are? Share them in the comments section below!