Keiji Muto Reveals He Originally Wanted To Face Shinsuke Nakamura In Retirement Match

Keiji Muto finally called time on his legendary career on February 21, losing to Tetsuya Naito, before an impromptu exhibition match loss to Masahiro Chono at Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling 'Last' Love ～Hold Out～ in the Tokyo Dome.

The match came at the culmination of a retirement tour that saw Muto - and his alter ego The Great Muta - wrestle a who’s who of past and present pro wrestling greats.

One such name that Muto faced was that of WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura, with ‘The King of Strong Style’ defeating The Great Muta at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s The New Year 2023 event on January 1. Now, during a conversation with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, Muto has revealed that he originally wanted Nakamura to be his final opponent in the Tokyo Dome, but Naito was instead chosen for the honour as WWE took too long in confirming Nakamura’s availability.

Muto was the second name revealed for the upcoming WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2023, with ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair set to induct his old NWA rival into the HOF.