Sting and Darby helped Muta say Bye-Bye; Muto’s final match is official

On Sunday in Yokohama, Keiji Muto performed as The Great Muta for the final time. He teamed with his old rival Sting & Sting’s AEW protege, reigning TNT champion Darby Allin. They main evented against KIRA, Hakushi, and Naomichi Marufuji.

Sting and Muta’s history goes back to their days together in WCW, and for Jan. 22’s The Great Muta Final “Bye-Bye”, Pro Wrestling NOAH brought in the man who was Muta’s kayfabe father in WCW, The Great Kabuki. The foursome posed in the ring before the main event…

… which ended with Hakushi getting misted by Muta before taking a Scorpion Death Drop from the Stinger, then Darby’s Coffin Drop, and finally a Shining Wizard from 60 year old Muta. Afterwards before Sting & Allin helped Muta up the ramp, leaving him alone for a final mist.

Backstage, Sting hinted that this might be his “bye bye” to Japan. Allin said he’ll be back… but first he had to wheel Muta away. He’s pretty clearly this squad’s “young boy”, after all.

If that really is the end (“never say never”), the Muta character retires with a resume that includes major U.S. programs with Sting and Ric Flair, the All Japan Triple Crown, an NWA World Heavyweight title, and the IWGP Heavyweight Title, among other accolades.

That’s not it for the man beneath the Muta mask, though. It was set-up the day before at Wrestle Kingdom 17’s NJPW vs. NOAH show, and now the two promotions have annouced that Keiji Muto vs. Tetsuya Naito will headline their Feb. 21 show at the Tokyo Dome. This show will also feature the champion vs. champions matches teased on Saturday, as well as wrestlers from Dragon Gate, All Japan, Tokyo Joshi Pro, and DDT.

Here’s the card for a show that seems to be entitled Keiji Muto Grand Final — Pro Wrestling “Last” Love:

• Keiji Muto vs. Tetsuya Naito

• IWGP World Heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada (NJPW) vs. GHC champion Kaito Kiyomiya in a non-title match

• IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion Hiromu Takahashi vs. GHC Junior Heavyweight champion AMAKUSA in a non-title match

• NOAH’s NOSAWA & MAZADA (NOAH) vs. NJPW’s Gedo & Taiji Ishimori (NJPW)

• All Japan’s Kento Miyahara, SUWAMA & Yuma Aoyagi (AJPW) vs. NOAH’s Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Manabu Soya

• Dragon Gate’s Shun Skywalker, KAI & Diamante vs. NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji, Hijo Del Dr. Wagner Jr. & Ninja Mack

• Shunma Katsumata, Toui Kojima, Mao & Yuki Ueno vs. Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani, Yuya Koroku, and Takeshi Masada (DDT)

• Eita, Yoshinari Ogawa, HAYATA, Daga & Chris Ridgeway vs. Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY, Seiki Yoshioka, Alejandro, and Junta Miyawaki (NOAH)

• Takashi Sugiura, Satoshi Kojima & Timothy Thatcher vs. Jake Lee, Jack Morris & Anthony Greene (NOAH)

• Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi & Shoko Nakajiuma vs. Mizuki, Miu Watanabe, Maki Itoh & Yuki Arai (Tokyo Joshi Pro)

• Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba vs. Yoshiki Inamura & Yasutaka Yano (NOAH)