The Great Muta was determined to get The Rock back in the ring (Picture: WWE /Getty)
The Great Muta is taking his place in the WWE Hall of Famer following his emotional retirement run and he nearly ended things on a bona fide dream match.
The Japanese wrestling legend, real name Keiji Mutoh, has confirmed he tried to convince Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to have his first proper match in a decade as part of his farewell run.
ESPN reporter Marc Raimondi has spoken to the legend through a translator for a yet-to-be-released interview ahead of his Hall of Fame induction, and he has shared some highlights on Twitter.
Raimondi asked him about rumours he wanted The Rock for his last match, and tweeted: ‘He nodded and said, in English with a smile, “too expensive.” ‘
The icon added: ‘I met him before two or three times. He actually admitted that his People’s Elbow was a mimic of my move. So I asked him for royalties. But we were joking and he didn’t pay anything, but we really had a good conversation.’
It’s not the only high-profile match The Rock wasn’t available for, as fans had long been hoping WrestleMania 39 would have seen him return to face his cousin Roman Reigns.
The Rock couldn’t be tempted (Picture: Carlos Dafonte/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Meanwhile, The Great Muta admitted he is ‘still not sure why WWE chose to induct him’ seeing as he never actually wrestled for the company during his illustrious career.
Great Muta had his final singles match for Pro Wrestling NOAH against WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura, having originally wanted to face him at the Tokyo Dome for his final ever bout.
Initially, WWE didn’t approve the request and so he chose to face Tetsuya Naito as Keiji Muto in his last ever bout, although once Nakamura was made available they added the January 1 match as his last singles match as The Great Muta.
Now, the wrestling pioneer will be honoured alongside Rey Mysterio and the late Andy Kaufman at the 2023 Hall of Fame induction ceremony following SmackDown in Los Angeles on March 31, one night before WrestleMania 39 gets underway.
He will be honoured by the Nature Boy Ric Flair, whom he battled countless times over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
WWE wrote: ‘Muta is a world-renowned and feared wrestler, performing in Japanese promotions All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH, but also notably in the U.S.-based World Championship Wrestling.
‘Muta began his career in NJPW, where he made a name for himself before heading to WCW, where he battled with the likes of Sting, Lex Luger and even “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, then going by his “Stunning” nickname.’
The company hailed him as an ‘iconic competitor’, nothing that he ‘won titles all over the globe, becoming a nine-time heavyweight champion in the progress’.
He also earned a reputation as an ‘innovator’ in the wrestling business, helping create several moves which are still used by stars around the world to this day.
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These include the Muta Lock submission and the Shining Wizard, with the latter currently used on SmackDown by Tegan Nox.
He is also known for spraying mysterious coloured mist into the eyes of his opponents, with WWE superstars like Tajiri and more recently Asuka both using the move to devastating effect.
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This would have been special!