Talk’n WCW #28: The Great Muta

When THE GREAT MUTA hit the scene in 1989, American audiences were immediately captivated and awe-struck by a signature style that forever changed everything they thought they knew about professional wrestling. A marriage of violence with grace, acrobatics with technical proficiency, flamboyance with nobility, Muta enriched WCW's already momentous main event scene while bringing increased exposure to pro wrestling on an international scale for a new generation of fans. Although never a regular for any especially long stays in World Championship Wrestling, Muta's influence is undeniable, as exemplified through our three representative matches. Along the way, our discussion leads us to some of the following musings:

-Muta and Sting as complimentary opponents
-The complex science of color-matching one's facepaint to ring gear
-WCW's evil J-Tex Corporation, a xenophobic heel faction cooler than most
-Great American Bash 1989: more like Just Okayest American Bash
-The managerial... talents? of Gary Hart
-A hidden gem of a TV match none of us knew existed going in (*TRIGGER WARNING* Tim cuts a promo around this topic, although directed at no one in particular)
-Muta's prospects as a potential babyface post-1989 in WCW
-WCW's commitment to giving international talent a spotlight
-A seemingly random under-the-radar 1992 match that two hosts nearly picked
-Woke Ally SJW Cowboy Bill Watts
-Muta's badass reinvention as a member of nWo Japan
-A suplex feast for the ages

Blazing a trail for future enigmatic, colorful superstars of wrestling and innovating flashy, impactful offense still in popular use today (such as the moonsault, dragonscrew legwhip, Shining Wizard, and Muta Lock), the man born as Keiji Muto is secure in his legendary status. Having announced his intention to retire after a globe-trotting career spanning five decades, it is only fitting that we pay tribute to one of wrestling's finest contributors. May the sun never set on this titan from the Land of the Rising Sun!