Sting comments on Great Muta's upcoming retirement.
The Great Muta is set to have his last match on January 22 for Pro Wrestling NOAH. He will team with Sting & Darby Allin to take on Hakushi, AKIRA, & Naomichi Marufuji.
Muta and Sting have a long history as rivals and partners, and their careers crossed most recently at AEW Rampage Grand Slam 2022 when Muta saved Sting from House of Black (Brody King & Buddy Matthews).
Speaking to Pro Wrestling NOAH, Sting commented on Muta's retirement.
"I have a high opinion of Muta and great respect for him. We both go back more than three decades together, and in my opinion, he is the only Japanese wrestler that ever transcended wrestling here in America as far as Japanese wrestlers coming here, many great ones came, don't get me wrong, but Muta, nobody touches what Muta did. To this day, he is revered and respected by wrestlers and fans alike. We mirrored each other throughout our whole career, from beginning all the way through present day. He's the last one of his generation standing in Japan, I'm the last one of my generation in America," he said.
"It's bittersweet," Sting said about Muta's last match and retirement. "It's gotta come. It's right around the corner for me too, so it's making me think about my own career. What a stellar run that Muta had. Internationally, he is known all over the world and one of the greatest of all time, there is no question about that. I respect him and wish him all the best. I know he will go out with a bang, it's going to be great, everything Muta did was great. I know he's not going to stop now."
Sting and Muta first clashed on television in 1989 at NWA Great American Bash.
January 22 will mark the last match for the Great Muta, but Keiji Muto won't have his last match until February 21.
Recently, Sting revealed that his AEW contract expires in 2023, but an exact date wasn't given.
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