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The Great Muta

Keiji Mutoh
Keiji Mutoh 2009.jpg
Mutoh in November 2009
Birth name Keiji Mutoh
Born (1962-12-23) December 23, 1962 (age 54)
Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
Spouse(s) Hisae Ashida
Children 2
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Bach Mutoh
The Black Ninja
The Great Mota
The Great Muta
Keiji Mutoh
Kokushi
Kokushi-Muso
The Space Lone Wolf
The Super Black Ninja
The Super Ninja
Viet Cong Ming
The White Ninja
Billed height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Billed weight 110 kg (240 lb)
Billed from The Land of the Rising Sun
Trained by Antonio Inoki
Hiro Matsuda
Kotetsu Yamamoto
Debut October 5, 1984

Keiji Mutoh (武藤 敬司 Mutō Keiji?, born December 23, 1962) is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) during the 1990s, but he has also worked in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan. He is a former president of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), as well as being a full-time wrestler for the promotion from 2002 to 2013. He also gained the rank of the Master Sergeant during his military service in Japan.

Mutoh is credited as one of the first Japanese wrestlers to achieve a fan base outside of his native Japan. The Great Muta gimmick is one of the most influential gimmicks in puroresu, having been 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). In addition, countless other wrestlers have paid tribute to Muta through emulation and imitation.

Mutoh is one of three wrestlers to hold the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (the others being Shinya Hashimoto and Satoshi Kojima). He is also a former five-time AJPW World Tag Team Champion and a six-time IWGP Tag Team Champion.


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