Earlier this year, WWE allowed Shinsuke Nakamura to appear for Pro Wrestling NOAH as he took on The Great Muta, with the Japanese legend on his retirement tour at the time. Since then, Keiji Mutoh wrestled his final match under his alter ego alongside AEW’s Darby Allin and Sting, taking on Hakushi, Akira, and Naomichi Marufuji, before later retiring altogether against Tetsuya Naito and then shockingly Masahiro Chono.
According to a new report from PWInsiderElite.com, The Great Muta is now expected to be inducted into the 2023 class of the WWE Hall of Fame, despite never competing for the promotion.
WrestleVotes had previously reported that Nakamura’s NOAH appearance was a trade-off for Muta’s induction, with a further report earlier today indicating that official announcements are imminent.
“The plan as of Monday was to begin announcing this year’s Hall of Fame induction class today. The annual HOF ceremony is 3 weeks from tonight in Los Angeles following SmackDown.”
-WrestleVotes
Whilst Muta never stepped foot inside a WWE ring, he was often a highlight on WCW television thanks to the company’s relationship with NJPW at the time. Muta is also one of only five wrestlers to have held NJPW’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship, NOAH’s GCH Heavyweight Championship, and the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on WWE’s 2023 Hall of Fame class as soon as we hear more.
