Keiji Muto is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive. He is known for his work as The Great Muta in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) during the 1980s and 1990s, and from his runs in other Japanese, American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican promotions. He was the president of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) from 2002 to 2013 and representative director of Wrestle-1 (W-1) from 2013 to 2020.
Muto in 2009
Muto in 2008
Muto as The Great Muta in November 2009
Muto as The Great Muta at The Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye"
All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972, when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, with many more joining the following year when JWA folded. From the mid-1970s, All Japan was firmly established as the largest promotion in Japan. As the 1990s began, aging stars gave way to a younger generation including Mitsuharu Misawa, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Kenta Kobashi, Gary Albright, Toshiaki Kawada, Mike Barton, Akira Taue and Jun Akiyama, leading to perhaps AJPW's most profitable period in the 1990s.
Giant Baba, the founder of All Japan and owner until his death in January 1999
Mitsuharu Misawa left All Japan in June 2000 to form Pro Wrestling Noah.
Keiji Muto in 2008 during the Pro Wrestling Love era. This was also his main attire in the era's early days.
Image: Jamal 2003