By: J. Curbelo
Last weekend saw the WWE celebrate a new class of its Hall of Fame ceremony. Keiji Muto, as well as the mythical Great Muta, were inducted by Ric Flair on March 31st, and made an appearance on April 2nd. While Muta delighted American fans with his legendary poison mist at the actual ceremony, he couldn’t perform it at the right time for his WrestleMania appearance.
Regardless, Muto admittedly had a great time as he brought his family with him on the trip and got to meet up with several old friends and new faces, including a bright-eyed Asuka, who idolized the Hall of Famer while growing up. He was also invited to observe WWE’s WrestleMania Tryouts. Muto was interviewed by Tokyo Sports about the whole experience.
ＷＷＥで活躍している現役日本人レスラー達と一緒に！#WWEHOF#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/tvd3SxfWHa
— 武藤 敬司 (@muto_keiji) April 1, 2023
“I was happy to see all the wrestlers congratulating me,” expressed Muto, while also gushing about the scale of the event and the size of its crowds. “Moreover, I was able to bring my family aboard and show how proud I am of my children.”
In addition, Muto was surprised to see that many of his contemporaries are either still actively wrestling or working behind the scenes, such as William Regal and Matt Bloom. He also got the chance to meet second-generation prospects and reflect on the difference between the U.S. and Japan’s approach to wrestling history.
“Japan is always trying to get rid of the old and bring in the new, but in America they value history, so I think it’s a nice environment for second-generation wrestlers to grow in. Even before the show started, they played old footage of Andre and Hogan. I guess their pro-wrestling is exciting because it keeps building itself on its past.”
偶然会った、ブレット・ハートと。 pic.twitter.com/i34zzMSIVR
— 武藤 敬司 (@muto_keiji) April 2, 2023
Muto went on to reminisce about hanging out with his inductor Ric Flair, his family and Triple H, joking about buying Flair and his wife some drinks even when they always had more money than him. However, it’s not all fun and games for the retired legend, as he regrets Muta missing his call during the Hall of Fame announcement at WrestleMania Sunday.
During the announcement, the family of referee Tim White was announced. Muta misheard the name of one of White’s relatives as his own, and spit his poison mist way before cue, while also directing it too close to fellow Hall of Famer Stacy Keibler’s face. It was a few seconds later when Muta was actually called, and he tried to spit whatever remained of the mist.
“Muta thinks his name is called, but it’s not, so he looks like a jerk and his face is all poisoned. He was so shocked because he waited eight hours for that moment, and he screwed it up,” expressed Keiji Muto, “If you blow poison mist in front of 80,000 people and no one says a thing, that must feel pretty heartbreaking.” Nevertheless, no one will forget Muta’s first mist during the ceremony, and Asuka’s child-like wonder reaction to it.
Asuka reacting to the mist from Great Muta was the best. #WWEHOF pic.twitter.com/kN7hh2tMMr
— The 60FPS & GIF Guy (@IHaveFourBalls) April 1, 2023
Tokyo Sports brought the conversation to a happier place, asking Muto about Muta’s beautifully designed tuxedo for the occasion. He proudly agreed, adding that it would be nice for Muta to do more appearances in the future, even suggesting wrestling commentary or a variety show on TV.
Lastly, Muto was asked his thoughts on the merger between WWE and UFC through parent company Endeavor. He ponders whether this will mean there’s a new WWE with a completely different landscape, implying that he might be the final Hall of Famer ever. He stated that he has no idea what will happen in the future but that it could be “an opportunity”.
Date:
April 5, 2023
Category:
Latest News