Who is The Great Muta? Did he ever compete in WWE?

The Great Muta (real-life Keiji Muto) is possibly one of the most well-respected and legendary wrestlers outside of WWE. The Japanese wrestler shared the ring with various legendary superstars in a career spanning decades and may even become a WWE Hall of Famer.

The Great Muta never wrestled in WWE. However, he did appear in other promotions like WCW, NJPW, IMPACT Wrestling, AEW, and most notably in Pro Wrestling NOAH. The bonafide legend recently retired on February 21 this year at the age of 60.

His first wrestling appearance took place in 1984 in NJPW against Masahiro Chono and was introduced to the US audience the following year. While spending his time on WCW, he feuded with the likes of Lex Luger, Ric Flair, and Sting.

Years later, the Japanese star has definitely left a lasting impression on Sting. In Pro Wrestling NOAH, the WWE Hall of Famer had nothing but admiration for the 60-year-old.

“I have a high opinion of Muta and great respect for him. We both go back more than three decades together, and in my opinion, he is the only Japanese wrestler that ever transcended wrestling here in America as far as Japanese wrestlers coming here, many great ones came, don’t get me wrong, but Muta, nobody touches what Muta did. To this day, he is revered and respected by wrestlers and fans alike." [H/T Fightful]

For The Great Muta's retirement tour, he even shared the ring once again with Sting but as allies. He teamed up with Darby Allin and Sting to defeat Akira, Hakushi, and Naomichi Marufuji. Another WWE star Muta shared the ring with was WWE star, Shinsuke Nakamura. Despite a hard-fought contest, Nakamura emerged victorious.

The Japanese veteran capped off his iconic career with a losing effort against Tetsuya Naito. After the bout, Muta challenged Masahiro Chono to an impromptu match which the latter won by submission.

The Great Muta might still play a major role in WWE this year

The Japanese wrestler has captured multiple championships across different promotions he has performed at in his career. From the looks of it, the promotion might also have something to commemorate Muta.

As per reports, The Great Muta might be inducted into this year's WWE Hall of Fame. It was stated that this was a trade-off for Nakamura's participation in NOAH's The New Year 2023 wrestling event. As of this writing, only Rey Mysterio has been confirmed to be in this year's Hall of Fame, announced on an episode of SmackDown.

If the reports are indeed true, The Great Muta's contributions and dedication to the sport have definitely earned him a commemoration in the WWE Hall of Fame.