Keiji Muto Comments On Upcoming Retirement Show

After close to 40 years, Keiji Muto will retire from professional wrestling in 2023 at Pro Wrestling NOAH's 'Pro-Wrestling Last Love - Hold Out' event on February 21 inside the Tokyo Dome. 

The event will be NOAH's first inside the Tokyo Dome since 2005 and Muto's first since he and Toru Yano defeated Minoru Suzuki and Shelton Benjamin at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014. 

Speaking about the upcoming show with Tokyo Sports, Muto admitted it was an honour since so many of his peers did not get to have a retirement match. 

"It's an honour. It's a great honour to be a wrestler. Shinya Hashimoto, Mitsuharu Misawa and [Masahiro] Chono have not had their retirement matches. I am truly blessed. It is easier now that the goal has been set. But I also feel sad. I think, ah, it has finally been decided...At the same time, I also think, I have to finish the race. It's funny, because I've never had coronavirus. If I were to catch coronavirus, people would say, what are you going to do? I'll be very nervous. I would be extremely nervous. So I would have to get my family involved. It's tough," the former GHC Heavyweight Champion said. 

Muto announced his intention to retire earlier this year and he has since embarked on a retirement tour, losing to Kaito Kiyomiya at DESTINATION in July before he competed at Ultimo Dragon's 35th Anniversary Show. Muto also had one of his final outings as Great Muta on September 3 as he, Great-O-Khan, and NOSAWA Rongai defeated Kenoh, Tadasuke, and Manabu Soya. 

H/T to POST Wrestling