Great Muta Reportedly Suffered Injury In Match With AEW Stars

Japanese wrestling legend Keiji Muto, better known in the U.S. as The Great Muta, is nearing the end of his retirement tour. The four-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion announced last year that he would be hanging up his boots, with his final bout set to take place later this month at the Tokyo Dome against Tetsuya Naito. However, before the 60-year-old steps into the squared circle one last time, he will need to recover from a painful injury. 

According to Tokyo Sports, Muto suffered muscle injuries in both legs during Pro Wrestling NOAH's The Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye" event last month in Yokohama, Japan, where the former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion teamed with AEW's Darby Allin and Sting to defeat AKIRA, Hakushi, and Naomichi Marufuji. Muto was seen in a wheelchair when he recently attended the 2022 K-1 Awards. Furthermore, Muto was forced to miss the Setsubun Tsuina-shiki ceremony at Ikegami Honmonji Temple in Tokyo, where "The Father of Puroresu" Rikidōzan is buried, because he was unable to stand. 

Nevertheless, Muto vowed to be ready for his final bow with Naito on February 21 at the Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last Love" event. The former All Japan Pro Wrestling president got his retirement tour underway last July when he lost to Kaito Kiyomiya during NOAH's Destination 2022 show. At the turn of the year, WWE's Shinsuke Nakamura stepped through the "forbidden door" to renew his rivalry with the 1995 G1 Climax winner, as the pair collided one last time.