Posts Tagged ‘The Great Muta’

The Great Muta Shares Brutal Honesty Over UK’s ‘Wetherspoons’ Pub Food

Wrestling legend The Great Muta was left far from impressed with the food provided by massive UK pub chain ‘Wetherspoons’ during a recent trip to the United Kingdom. Muta, real name Keiji Mutoh, was part of Monopoly Events’ For The Love of Wrestling convention, the largest wrestling convention in Europe.

On X (fka Twitter), Muta shared that he was at Bishop Blaze, a Wetherspoons-brand pub located next to the stadium of Manchester United. Sampling a taste from home, Muta shared that he ordered a katsu chicken curry and a ramen bowl.

In a follow-up, Muta shard that the curry was “okay” but was not a fan of the ramen, declaring “what the heck is this?!” Muta wasn’t the only famous face in Wetherspoons as several wrestling stars from the convention, including Mark Henry, Tajiri, Debra, and Sonny Onoo, dined at the Bishop Blaze.

image 8

Muta’s experience at Bishop Blaze is not Wetherspoons’ first time stepping foot in the squared circle. Ahead of All In: London 2024, AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone shared an image of her Wetherspoons breakfast that fans felt left a lot to be desired.

image 9

For the Love of Wrestling has already confirmed dates for its 2026 event which will see the massive convention return to Manchester’s Bowlers Exhibition Centre. As for Muta, he is enjoying his retirement from the ring, though will probably opt for the fish ‘n chips over the ramen the next time he steps foot in a Wetherspoons.

Sting Compares Konosuke Takeshita To Fellow Wrestling Legend

It wasn’t lost on Konosuke Takeshita that he recently competed in the ring against Sting and The Icon gave quite the hat tip to the young star.

With Sting’s retirement match impending at AEW Revolution, Takeshita took to social media to make note of his recent battles against Sting. Takeshita and Stinger competed in a multi-man tag match at the latest PPV and on the January 10 episode of Dynamite, the two fought once more in tag action. Konosuke noted how he admired Sting’s early work against a name star against someone like Great Muta.

“To be honest, it was very special to be able to fight against Sting. Sting vs Great Muta VHS had a huge impact on me as a kid. Thanks.”

Sting reciprocated Takeshita’s comments with even higher praise, saying that Konosuke has all the abilites to be the next Great Muta.

“Another Great Muta in the making. He has all the tools, for sure.”

Sting’s team came out victorious at AEW World’s End and also won his tornado tag this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite against Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs.

Sting’s road to Revolution should have its fair share of drama as it was indicated his final opponents appear to be Nick Jackson and Matt Jackson as The Young Bucks returned to the company. The brothers had heelish new looks and it’s likely Sting will team up with his “pillar” protege in Darby Allin. 

However, Allin reportedly was messed up real bad in the match up after his neck bumped harshly off the ring ropes following a big toss by Hobbs and Takeshita.

Japanese Wrestling Legend to be Inducted Into WWE 2023 Hall of Fame (Report)

One of the biggest names in the history of Japanese wrestling will be part of this year’s class of WWE Hall of Famers, it has been claimed.

Contrary to previous years, which have seen WWE announce inductees in the months prior to WrestleMania, the promotion has waited very late this year.

Yesterday, WWE confirmed that Rey Mysterio will be part of this year’s class, making him the third active Superstar to be inducted (behind Ric Flair in 2008, and Bill Goldberg in 2018.)

The Great Muta

Japanese wrestling legend The Great Muta will be joining Rey as part of this year’s Hall of Fame, according to PW Insider.

Muta, aka Keiji Muto, recently finished his wrestling career, losing to Masahiro Chono at a Pro Wrestling NOAH event last month.

Despite Muto’s success across various promotions both in his native Japan and internationally, the four-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion never competed in WWE.

For his retirement tour, WWE allowed Shinsuke Nakamura to compete in a match against Muta, which at the time was reported as part of a “trade-off” between WWE & NOAH.

There is no word on who will be inducting the legendary wrestler into the Hall of Fame.

Who Else Is In?

More inductees are expected to be announced in due time, though details are scarce as to who will be going into the Hall of Fame.

Trish Stratus who was inducted in 2013, said last month that Victoria and Impact Wrestling Knockouts World Champion Mickie James both deserve the nod this year.

It is believed that Batista will also be inducted this year, after withdrawing from the 2020 class due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mick Foley has said he has been contacted about inducting someone into the Hall of Fame this year, but has not said who.

Keiji Muto Wins Final Match Under The Great Muta Persona

The legendary career of the Great Muta has officially come to an end with the character’s final match this past weekend.

Muta is the most famed and successful character of Keiji Muto, who debuted the character in the NWA in March 1989 as the kayfabe son of the Great Kabuki.

The Great Muta would find success in New Japan Pro Wrestling and WCW and would become IWGP Heavyweight Champion in August 1992.

Final Match

For the past few months, Keiji Muto has been undergoing a retirement tour, with his 38-year career set to end next month.

Last night, Muto competed as The Great Muta for the final time at the appropriately named Great Muta Final Bye-Bye event in Yokohama Arena.

The legendary wrestler teamed with long-time rival Sting and fellow AEW star Darby Allin to defeat Hakushi, AKIRA, and Naomichi Marufuji.

The match ended with Muta hitting a Shining Wizard knee on Hakushi for the pinfall win, after Sting and Allin had hit their own finishers.

With Muta now a thing of the past, Keiji Muto’s final match will be against Tetsuya Naito on February 21.

Great Muta Final Bye-Bye

Here are the full results of the Great Muta Final Bye-Bye event on January 22nd.

* Kongo (Hajime Ohara & HIROKI) def. Atsushi Kotoge & Seiki Yoshioka

* Jungle Kyona & Saori Anou def. Maya Yukihi & Natsu Sumire

* Timothy Thatcher def. Masaaki Mochizuki

* Alejandro, Junta Miyawaki & Yasutaka Yano def. Eita, NOSAWA Rongai & Yoshinari Ogawa

* NOSAWA cut Miyawaki’s hair.

* Good Looking Guys (Anthony Greene, Jack Morris & Jake Lee) def. Daiki Inaba, Masa Kitamiya & Yoshiki Inamura

* GHC Martial Arts Rules: Kazushi Sakuraba def. Hideki Suzuki

* Lucha Libre Rules: AMAKUSA, Ninja Mack & Ultimo Dragon def. Dante Leon, Kzy & YO-HEY

* El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Kaito Kiyomiya, Satoshi Kojima & Takashi Sugiura def. Kongo (Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh, Manabu Soya & Masakatsu Funaki)

* Great Muta, Sting & Darby Allin def. AKIRA, Hakushi & Naomichi Marufuji

Keiji Muto (The Great Muta) Victorious in Final NJPW Match at Wrestle Kingdom 17

Keiji Muto is leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling a winner after coming out on top at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.

In the sixth match on the card, Muto, better known to fans as the Great Muta, teamed with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shota Umino to defeat Los Ingobernables de Japon.

Muto opened his final match for New Japan against Sanada, who leveled him with a series of dropkicks and landed a moonsault in the opening sequence.

Bouncing back, Muto hit a couple of shining wizards throughout the bout and teased during a moonsault, but was prevented by Tanahashi.

While Muto was on the winning side, he didn’t get the pinfall, as Umino hit the death rider on BUSHI to score the victory.

Retirement

Keiji Muto is currently on his retirement tour, which will conclude with a mat on February 23, 2023.

On January 1, Muto competed against WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura but lost to the two-time former NXT Champion.

His final match will be a six-man tag-team match which will see him team with Sting and Darby Allin against opponents yet to be confirmed.

The match will take place at the (appropriately named) Pro Wrestling NOAH: Great Muta Final Bye-Bye event.

Muta is considered by many to be one of the first Japanese wrestlers to gain an international fanbase.

Shinsuke Nakamura Defeats The Great Muta at Pro Wrestling NOAH Event

Shinsuke Nakamura’s step through the ‘forbidden door’ was a triumph for the WWE Superstar who defeated the Great Muta earlier today.

Nakamura’s involvement with Pro Wrestling NOAH’s at their ‘The New Year 2023’ event was announced in late October 2022 and at the time, Nakamura called it a “miracle.”

Muta, aka Keiji Mutoh, is currently on his retirement tour, which is set to end on February 21, 2023 at the Tokyo Dome.

Nakamura Vs. Muta

Given that Nakamura is a contracted WWE Superstar, there was a ton if intrigue going into this match.

Nakamura had a special entrance for the match which included unique attire and his WWE theme music.

The match itself was a fast-paced, physical affair, with Muta using his iconic green mist to gain the advantage.

After Nakamura kicked out of Muta’s shining wizard, the former WWE NXT Champion used a mist of his own, before finishing the legend off with a Kinshasha.

After the match, Nakamura thanked Muta, calling him his idol and the King of Strong Style celebrated in the ring.

The two wrestlers helped each other walk up the stage and posed while pyro went off, bringing the show to an end.

Backstage, an exhausted Nakamura was thankful for the miracle of getting to compete in one of Muta’s final matches.

Muta would tweet a photo of himself and Nakamura after the match, admitting he is tired after their impressive performances.

This marked Nakamura’s first non-WWE match since signing with the promotion in early 2016.

5 Huge Wrestling Stars Still Not in the WWE Hall of Fame

With a truly-historic 2022 coming to an end, the wrestling world is looking ahead to 2023, and what will happen over the next 12 months.

With January approaching, WrestleMania season is drawing near, and with WrestleMania comes the Hall of Fame.

Many of wrestling’s biggest stars have already received the nod, but not everyone and these are some of the huge names yet to go in.

5: The Great Muta

image 12
The Great Muta will retire from wrestling in 2023, but will he soon become a WWE Hall of Famer?

Right now, the Great Muta is on his retirement tour, after a truly iconic career in wrestling.

Considered by many to be one of, if not the greatest Japanese wrestler of all time, Muta has held gold with AJPW, NJPW, WCW, and Pro Wrestling NOAH, among others.

Away from titles, Muta has been an inspiration for so many wrestlers, yet a WWE Hall of Fame induction continues to allude the legend.

On January 1, Muta will compete against WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura, in a rare example of WWE allowing one of their stars to compete elsewhere.

Could a Hall of Fame induction have been part of the deal for Nakamura? Perhaps, but whether that happens or not, Muta is worthy of the induction.

4: Owen Hart

image 11
The Blackheart, Owen Hart will likely never be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame due to his tragic death in 1999.

It’s nothing short of a crime that for many wrestling fans (and non-fans alike) Owen Hart will be best known for his final moments.

Hart’s tragic passing at the Over the Edge 1999 event has forever cast a shadow on a career certainly worthy of the Hall of Fame.

In this instance, it is Owen’s widow, Martha Hart, who has rejected calls from WWE (and fans) to induct her husband, holding the company responsible for his death.

While Martha has been more open to wrestling this year, even appearing for AEW at their Double or Nothing Pay-Per-View, a relationship with WWE remains non-existent, so don’t expect to see the Rocket receive the nod next year.

3: Batista

image 10
The Animal was announced for the WWE Hall of Fame in 2020, but later pulled out because of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

When Batista broke into the wrestling business, it came at a time of his life when many would be considering winding up their careers.

Undeterred, the Animal not only became a wrestler but a six-time WWE World Champion, along with a handful of Tag title reigns.

Unlike many on this list, we know that Batista will be inducted, as he was announced in 2020, but pulled out due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s understandable, the Animal was worthy of headlining the ceremony, and the 2020/2021 dual induction would not have been right.

With The Undertaker headlining this year’s Hall of Fame, expect Batista to receive the long-awaited honors next year.

2: The Rock

image 9
The Brahma Bull electrified fans for years, but why is he not in WWE’s Hall of Fame.

The Bramha Bull. The People’s Champion. The Great One. The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment.

Whatever you call him, Dwayne Johnson should be called a WWE Hall of Famer.

Frankly, it’s baffling he’s not already been given the nod, and we can only imagine one reason for why either he’s said no, or WWE has refused to put him in.

Either Rock, WWE, or both, believe he’s not done in the ring.

It’s hardly a secret that WWE wants the Great One back, with many predicting the long-awaited match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

Will that match happen? At this time it’s difficult to say, but one thing we know for sure is that Dwayne Johnson is Hall of Fame bound.

1: Vince McMahon

image 8
McMahon changed the wrestling world, but his exit from WWE earlier this year could cause problems for an induction.

When fans think of the biggest star in wrestling, they may conjure names like Hulk Hogan, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, John Cena or even Roman Reigns.

Well none of these names would have reached the heights they soared to without Vince McMahon.

Of course, a McMahon induction is problematic, thanks in part to his controversial exit from WWE in July over allegations of misconduct.

As wrestling fans have made clear, they don’t forget. Just ask Hulk Hogan and the chilly reception he received at WrestleMania 37 in his home state of Florida.

There is perhaps no bigger name in wrestling who is more deserving than any induction than Vince McMahon, but whether it will ever happen is another matter entirely.

Shinsuke Nakamura to Wrestle The Great Muta in Pro Wrestling NOAH

Pro Wrestling NOAH dropped a bombshell early this morning as they have announced Shinsuke Nakamura will wrestle the Great Muta on January 1st, 2023 at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Keiji Mutoh will be retiring next February and has been announcing dates plus new matches in the process.

While he will be teaming with Sting in his final match for Pro Wrestling NOAH, he will be wrestling as “The Great Muta” to open the 2023 calendar wrestling year against another Japanese legend.

Nakamura’s homecoming

Shinsuke Nakamura is no stranger to big time matches in Japan. Nakamura is a 3-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and 5-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion.

Nakamura last wrestled outside of the WWE organization on January 30th, 2016 in his final New Japan match. That was a six-man tag where his team emerged victorious. A team that included Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii.

The Great Muta and Shinsuke Nakamura have wrestled one other time in their careers. As an active member of the All-Japan roster, Muta crossed over to over New Japan Pro Wrestling and defeated Nakamura on April 27th, 2008 to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

This match will take place on the Pro Wrestling NOAH “The New Year 2023” card. Nakamura took to Twitter this morning saying “This is miracle.”

The fact that we are getting a match between a WWE contracted employee and a legendary performer from Japan who is not under the WWE umbrella is astounding.

What’s more surreal about this bout is it’s taking place outside of the WWE promotion. One thing is for sure, this announcement has already made a lot of waves.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Great Muta is not a typo folks. This match between two of the biggest Japanese icons is coming at you in less than two months.

Sting to Compete at The Great Muta’s Retirement Event in January 2023

AEW’s resident Icon Sting will be part of The Grea Muta’s final match after a legendary career next January.

During this week’s AEW Rampage: Grand Slam, aiding Sting and Darby Allin in a no-disqualification tag team match against the Houe of Black.

Muta hit the green mist on Buddy Matthews, giving Sting to hit the Scorpion Death Drop for the win.

Post-match, Muta and Sting embraced in the ring.

The Final Match

The Great Muta’s appearance during AEW Rampage: Grand Slam came in the midst of a retirement tour for the Japanese wrestling legend.

After the match, Pro Wrestling NOAH announced that Sting will be heading to Japan to participate in the Great Muta Final Bye-Bye show.

The event will take place on January 22, 2023.

The announcement notes that Sting “has decided to participate in the Yokohama Arena tournament” following Muta’s appearance on Rampage.

Muta and Sting

Muta would feud with Sting during his WCW tenure in 1989, capturing the NWA World Television Championship from the Icon in September that year.

In 1991, the pair rekindled their rivalry at the WCW-NJPW cross-promotion Starrcade event in the Tokyo Dome, where Muta would again defeat Sting.

The following year, the pair would team together in the Tokyo Dome to defeat the Steiner Brothers at WCW/NJPW Supershow II.

After capturing the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in August 1992, one of Muta’s first title defenses would come against the Stinger that November.

When appearing for WCW, Muta would often be on the losing end to Sting, coming up short against the WWE Hall of Famer at live events.

Impact Wrestling: ‘A Night You Can’t Mist’ Announced For 6/8 In Philadelphia, PA.

On Saturday, Impact Wrestling announced the main event of their next IMPACT+ live special, “A Night You Can’t Mist.”

ECW Original Tommy Dreamer will be joining forces with Japanese legend The Great Muta for a tag-team bout against Johnny Impact and Michael Elgin in the main event of Impact Wrestling: A Night You Can’t Mist on Saturday, June 8th from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

ImpactWrestling.com issued the following announcement today:

A Night You Can’t MIST Main Event Announced

The Main Event for A Night You Can’t MIST LIVE on IMPACT+ on Saturday, June 8th from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia is going to be The Great Muta teaming with Tommy Dreamer to face Johnny IMPACT and Michael Elgin! We have seen IMPACT and Elgin become quick friends on IMPACT Wrestling and they will be tested against the legend The Great Muta and the Extreme Icon Tommy Dreamer LIVE on IMPACT+ on a very special night. A match like this deserves a Special Guest Referee and it doesn’t get better than Jerry Lynn to hold that position. Jerry, like Tommy, is an ECW throwback and a former X-Division Champion.

The only way to witness this great match is by either being at the 2300 Arena or by downloading and subscribing to IMPACT+ today! Tickets are available HERE and a subscription to IMPACT+ is only one click away!

More matches will be announced this weekend, but the Main Event is newsworthy in a major way. Johnny IMPACT and Michael Elgin are looking to take over IMPACT Wrestling in a big time way and imagine what would happen if they can somehow find a way to defeat Tommy Dreamer and The Great Muta in Philly at the 2300 Arena. The very venue that was once the ECW Arena, the very venue that Tommy Dreamer spilled his blood, sweat and tears. Then you have one of the most iconic and legendary figures in all of pro wrestling, The Great Muta.

Having competed over the past several decades all over the world, The Great Muta is a mystifying adversary for anyone even in 2019. From the land of the Rising Sun, complete with his signature mist and lightening quick elbow, The Great Muta is still someone athletes today study and try to emulate inside a wrestling ring.

The Great Muta will look to put on a display on Saturday, June 8th in Philly. Imagine what Muta might have to pull out against someone like Johnny IMPACT. The comparison could be made that Johnny IMPACT has been heavily influenced in his career by someone like The Great Muta and they will meet in this tag team match that will truly be once in a lifetime for all four men. Don’t miss it on Saturday, June 8th on IMPACT+.

Rumored Match For TNA Bound For Glory, More Names Confirmed For The PPV

– In addition to MVP, Samoa Joe, James Storm, The Great Sanada, Ethan Carter III,, Abyss, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Bram and Manik, who were all announced for this year’s Bound For Glory earlier this week, Wrestle-1 has also confirmed that Tajiri and The Great Muta will be in action. Tajiri & Muta vs. James Storm and Sanada is rumored for the show, for whatever that is worth.

– Wrestle-1 executive Jimmy Suzuki recently tweeted the following about this year’s TNA Bound For Glory event, which takes place on October 12th in Tokyo, Japan:

  • DIRECT LINK: Photos Of UFC’s Two Newest Octagon Girls [SMOKIN’ HOT >>]
  • Big Debuts At Impact Wrestling This Week, Great Muta Talks Lockdown (Video), More

    – This week’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling, which airs on Thursday on Spike TV, will feature the TNA television debuts of Tigre Uno, Willow and X-Division Champion Sanada, all of whom performed at the recent “Lockdown” pay-per-view.

    – Speaking of Sanada, he, along with Japanese wrestling legend The Great Muta, recently spoke about their victory at Sunday’s “Lockdown” pay-per-view. You can check that out as part of a new #IMPACT365 video below:

    http://youtu.be/P_Y1tKDt5d8

    – Also new on #IMPACT365 is MVP and The Wolves, who also discuss their “Lockdown” pay-per-view victory. You can check that one out below:

    http://youtu.be/hRoCa_3niqs

  • KURT ANGLE Returning To WWE?!, Sting At WMXXX & HUGE WWE Title Change Planned!
  • Kazarian Talks TNA Lockdown, MVP & The Wolves, The Great Muta & More

    The following are highlights of a new interview with TNA star Frankie Kazarian:

    On MVP and the Wolves coming in and the recent changes made to TNA: “Well, I’ve been in TNA a long time; I’ve been there since the beginning and I’ve seen a lot of changes. I was there when a whole slew of established former WWE guys came in and I was there when a new surge of X-Division guys came in. You’re always thrilled with new competition; in the case of Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards, the Wolves, Chris Daniels and myself in particular were psyched. Those were guys we’d been talking about, rumbling about, backstage with the powers that be months preceding them debuting and guys that we saw on the rise that we’d like to do some stuff with.

    So, from a creative and professional standpoint, we were very psyched and got the change to mix it up with them several times over in England and hopefully for our sake and the fans, it was only the tip of the iceberg. Both guys are amazing athletes; they’re a great tag team and they’re just the guys we’ve been thirsting for, kind of been licking our chops waiting for that tag team to come in that we can do some really cool stuff and have some fantastic matches with and those are the guys.

    As far as MVP, he an asset; he’s definitely established himself and a very good professional wrestling character and he’s been brought in, thrown right into the fire and he’s right up there in the major level of the company and all coming to a head this Sunday at Lockdown.”

    If there’s anyone he’d would like to see possibly with TNA: “That’s tough; I try and follow the indy scene as much as I can but admittedly I’m sometimes lazy when it comes to that, I really need to get back into that. Guys who I have wrestled before but I fell that would make a tremendous addition to the TNA roster and the Young Bucks, Matt and Nick. We’ve had discussion about them coming in; those guys are dynamic performers and could come back to TNA and make a major impact, no pun intended. But then there’s guys in the indys, guys I knew coming up in the business that are still doing very good and haven’t been on TNA at all or very much, guys like Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov and Ricky Reyes and guys like that. These are guys who I think could do something here and there’s a lot of hungry, talented indy guys in Ring of Honor or PWG and that. But I don’t know if I could really just single anyone out talent because I’m not as familiar as I once was with the whole independent scene.

    But obviously there are guys, I’d like to see Amazing Red back and Petey (Williams) and Sonjay (Dutt) and Alex Shelley and those guys and Jay Lethal. Those guys are friends and tremendous athletes. But, we’ll see, I’m sure there will be a lot more new faces coming up.”

    The recent overseas trip to Japan: “We did, we did. We when over there to participate in the Wrestle-1/TNA ‘Outbreak’ pay-per-view, which was held at Sumo Hall, Sumo Arena, which is a venue I’ve wrestled in a couple of times in my previous journeys to Japan back in the day. It was an amazing even and I was thrilled to be back in Japan. Wrestling there, you can’t really describe it unless you’ve been there; it’s very, very cool and always an honor. The show was great and all parties involved were very happy with everything: the effort, the matches, and I can’t wait to go back, I hope it’s soon.”

    On facing The Great Muta this Sunday at Lockdown: “It’s a thrill; it’s another one of those things like when I was affiliated with Ric Flair. You know, you dream about being a wrestler as a child and you grew up watching these guys and sometimes you have to take a step back when you’re in the ring with them and step out as say ‘Wow, this is cool. This is literally living a dream.’ Muta is no exception to that; he’s a legend. He’s a guy I grew up, and I can’t say watching, but reading about obviously because I didn’t watch Japanese wrestling as a young kid. All I could do is read about him and reading about him, I thought ‘Wow, he looks cool’ and I knew he was a big deal. And getting older and discovering tapes and such, he’s a legend. So, to have the opportunity to wrestle him while he’s still physically into wrestling, which you don’t know how much longer that’s going to be; it’s a thrill, an honor and I’m very, very psyched and to do it with my friends Christopher Daniels and Chris Sabin. It’s going to be good man, it could be the sleeper match, I’m just saying right now. Could be that one that sneaks in there and steals the show, because we have been known to do that. We are wanted in the state of Florida for stealing several shows, so let’s see if we can even make it into the building that day.”

    Bad Influence’s involvement with TNA365: “Yeah, well, when they approached the whole roster with this idea, we just kinda looked at each other and thought ‘Wow, this is tailor-made for us’. If you want to put funny, entertaining and/or dumb stuff on television or the website, we are your guys. That’s kind of been our shtick since before TNA 365 was even around; we were 365 before 365 was a thing. In fact, for Chris Daniels one of the things, one of the sayings AJ (Styles) and I had was because the guys is always on; he literally doesn’t have an off switch. We’d say ‘it’s 25/8 with this guy; 366” because the guy never stops.

    Yeah, that was just another creative outlet we had to give TNA and to our fans. You know, we had a couple of videos we sent in and were told ‘Hey guys, that’s really fun, but…’ because we’re known to be guys who push the envelope because I like an edgier wrestling product, so does Chris Daniels, and I’m just stuck in that mindset to make it sanitary but I like a little edge and a little roughness , but I understand why they feel that, but it doesn’t stop me from making it. But it’s cool; it just adds another way for us to be silly and annoying and stupid and just continue having, which is what Bad Influence has been about since day one.”

    The origins of Throwback Thursdays: “Well, to be honest, the first one started with Chris Daniels, who had found a kiosk, somewhere on the road and I wasn’t on the road for this trip in particular, that sold Zubaz pants. And he called me and told me; for those of you who don’t know, in the 80’s wrestlers wore this comfortable Zubaz pants, which look ridiculous but they were zebra striped and came in every color in the world. And every wrestler, and/or sports figure or person in the 80’s-early 90’s had them. So he said, ‘Would you like a pair’ and I said ‘Absolutely’.

    And then I texted him, ‘Do we have the balls to wear there on television?’ And that’s how we kind of came up with this ‘Ok, well let’s do it! Let’s wear the cut-off half shirts; let’s wear the fanny packs! And, since it’s Thursday, let’s call it Throwback Thursday.’ I kind of put that together, and it worked and it got such a huge response it kind of got the wheels turning so the next one we did I think was Braveheart with the kilts and then we did the Legion of Boom and that was CD’s. We got the idea from watching an old Road Warriors tape one day and then we did Siegfried and Roy in Vegas; it’s Vegas, anyone can do Elvis or Wayne Newton, let’s do Siegfried and Roy! There’s two of us, there’s two of them.

    It’s just one of those things where we’re always thinking. We’re both always; if it’s not about a move or a match or an angle, it’s something. That’s one of the main reasons we have such good chemistry as a team; it’s because we’re both love the pro wrestling business and we’re always thinking and it’s gotten to a point where people expect things and it’s hard to top one another; trying to pick and choose where to do it, what makes sense in this city and not doing it too often because we get people all the time ‘When do we get to see another one?’ When?’ It’s one of those things where if you get too many of them, it gets redundant and boring, and that’s two things Bad Influence isn’t. But, keep your eyes open, because you never know But it’s cool and it’s just another thing they’ve been generous enough to let us take and ride with and I think every one of them has been a home-run.”

    Check out the complete interview at WildTalkRadio.com.

  • MAJOR TNA Star Headed To WWE?, SHOCKING CM Punk Update & NEW Diva Photos!
  • Vince Russo Could Cost TNA Their Deal With Wrestle-1 In Japan

    According to one source, the deal between TNA Wrestling and Keiji Mutoh’s Wrestle-1 promotion in Japan could be in jeopardy if the rumors that Vince Russo have returned to TNA are true.

    Apparently Wrestle-1 wants nothing to do with Russo due to their belief that Russo is racist against Japanese people because of comments he made, as well as the way he booked Japanese talent while working for WCW and TNA.

  • WWE’s Plans For Roman Reigns, Wyatt’s Breaking Up? + NEW WWE HOF Inductees …

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Kofi Kingston Responds To Being Called Underrated, “Dangerous” Danny Davis Speaks Out (Video), JBL

    – Kofi Kingston says he doesn’t care what people think about his in-ring performances.

    The latest issue of WWE Magazine (cover-dated January 2014) features the 2013 WWE Magazine Awards and the seven-time mid-level champion was voted by fans as “Most Underrated.” Kingston, however, doesn’t care for the moniker.

    “I don’t really care what people think about me,” Kingston remarked to WWE Magazine about being called underrated. “I think if someone’s underrated, that they’re under appreciated. I’m fully confident in my abilities, I know every night, in my mind, that I’m going to have a good match. People feel underrated when they think they’re not getting the credit they deserve. That’s why I don’t care that much about what people think.”

    – Bill Apter recently caught up with “Dangerous” Danny Davis, who famously portrayed a crooked referee for the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s. During the interview, Davis reveals that he now resides in Massachusetts, drives a truck for a living and still even wrestles.

    – John “Bradshaw” Layfield mentioned on Twitter that he was doing voice-overs at WWE’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut over the weekend.

    – Celebrating birthdays are Japanese wrestling legend The Great Muta, who turns 51-year-old, and Jamie Noble, who turns 37. Noble currently works for WWE in a behind-the-scenes capacity.

    Aces & 8’s Breaking Up, Jeff Jarrett’s New TNA Role, Japanese Star To TNA?

    -The Aces & 8’s group is reportedly going to be dismantled soon, as that was an Eric Bischoff project. With Bischoff being sent home by TNA recently, there is no word on how that will affect Garett Bischoff. Garett is considered a hard worker and is well liked by many in TNA.

    -Jeff Jarrett is the man responsible for securing the deals to send AJ Styles to outside promotions to defend the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Additionally, Jarrett is in charge of agent work for most of the big matches in TNA, including the recent Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode match.

    Photos of AJ Styles Defending The TNA World Title In Mexico Last Week

    -Seiya Sanada, the guy who will be wrestling AJ Styles when he defends the TNA title in Japan for Keiji Mutoh’s Wrestle-1 promotion, has expressed interest in coming to TNA.

    [Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter]

    Update On Kurt Angle’s Condition (Video), AJ Styles Confirmed For Match In Japan

    -TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles is officially scheduled to work the November 16th Wrestle-1 event in Tokyo, Japan. Styles’ match, which will be against rising star Seiya Sanada, will not be for his TNA title. The reason the match will be a non-title bout is because Styles is already scheduled to defend the belt against Judas Mesias for the AAA promotion in Mexico.

    According to one source, TNA executive Jeff Jarrett pushed for the Styles vs. Sanada match, and it could lead to Sanada coming to the United States as a part of the TNA partnership with The Great Muta’s (Keiji Mutoh) Wrestle-1 promotion.

    -TNA added a new “#IMPACT365” video on their official YouTube channel with the title, “#IMPACT365 – Kurt Angle’s condition after his match on IMPACT.” The video is accompanied by the following description: “#IMPACT365 – TNA wrestling medical staff attend to Kurt Angle backstage during IMPACT after his match with Bobby Roode”

    You can watch the “#IMPACT365: Kurt Angle’s condition after his match on IMPACT” video below:

    http://youtu.be/1olWVSwsvSA

    DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE: Kurt Angle Suffers Another Real-Life Injury

    AJ Styles Comments On Defending The TNA World Title Outside Of The Company

    As we previously reported, there are rumors that the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, AJ Styles, will be defending the TNA belt outside of the organization to bring credibility to the current storyline that he has left the company. Specifically, Styles is rumored to defend the title on shows for the AAA promotion in Mexico, as well as the new Wrestle-1 promotion led by wrestling legend Keiji Mutoh (The Great Muta) in Japan.

    The early stages of the angle began on Thursday’s live edition of Impact Wrestling, as Styles turned down a new contract offer from TNA president Dixie Carter, and spoke about how he was going to “bring the belt” to the people.

    Styles posted his first tweet since “leaving TNA” on Impact Wrestling on Thursday. You can read the new tweet below:

    Did Gail Kim Get A Nose Job Recently? Before & After PHOTOS Tell The Story >>

    Brutal Feedback To Dixie Carter T-Shirt On ShopTNA Website, TNA Stars Headed To Japan

    -The Great Muta’s (Keiji Mutoh) Wrestle-1 promotion in Japan will feature two wrestlers currently under contract to TNA Impact Wrestling on their new event in Tokyo on November 16th, according to a recent announcement. Muta presented a roster for the show at a recent press conference in Japan which included slots for two “recommended” TNA Impact Wrestling wrestlers.

    -The new Dixie Carter t-shirt, which we previously reported about here on the website, has created quite the negative buzz on the TNAShop.com website. The comments section featured below the shirt on the merchandise website features several vicious comments from fans. Here are some of the top featured comments:

    dixie-shirt

    Related News: Details On The Future Of The Dixie Carter Heel Character

    Jeff Jarrett/Wrestle-1 Update, More Jarrett Notes, New Austin Aries Interview

    -As noted, TNA Impact Wrestling star Jeff Jarrett was scheduled to make his debut for the new Wrestle-1 promotion in Japan, which is led by pro wrestling legend Keiji Muto (aka The Great Muta). Jarrett teamed with Muta and Masakatsu Funaki to defeat Masayuki Kono, Ryouji Sai and Kazma Sakamoto.

    -Speaking of Jarrett, he’ll be at Saturday’s FWE event in Brooklyn, New York signing autographs prior to their live event. Also scheduled to appear is Jarrett’s wife, Karen Jarrett.

    -TNA Impact Wrestling star Austin Aries was interviewed recently by The Post And Courier’s Mike Mooneyham. Fans interested in checking that out online can do so at PostAndCourier.com.

    LATEST UPDATE On Hulk Hogan’s TNA Future + HUGE Bound For Glory *SPOILERS*

    Jeff Jarrett/Wrestle-1 Update, A Look Back At Past TNA “Bound For Glory” Events

    -TNA’s Jeff Jarrett will be appearing on the Wrestle-1 event at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday. Wrestle-1 is the new Japanese-based promotion led by pro wrestling legend Keiji Muto (aka The Great Muta).

    -The Culture Crossfire website has a new featured article up today focusing on the past TNA “Bound For Glory” events in anticipation of the upcoming TNA “Bound For Glory” pay-per-view on Sunday, October 20th. Fans interested in checking out the piece can do so online at CultureCrossfire.com.

    TNA BOUND FOR GLORY SPOILERS

    Jeff Jarrett Confirmed For Wrestle-1 In Japan, TNA In Cincinnati, TNA In Philly Update

    -TNA Impact Wrestling star Jeff Jarrett is confirmed for the October 6th event from the new Wrestle-1 promotion. The event on 10/6 that features Jarrett will emanate from Tokyo, Japan. This is interesting to note, as Japanese legend The Great Muta, who runs the Wrestle-1 promotion, recently stated that no TNA stars would be on their events.

    -According to the official Cincinnati Gardens website, TNA will be bringing a live Impact Wrestling television taping to the venue on November 7th at 7:00PM. For more information, visit CincyGardens.com.

    -The official pre-sale password for the scheduled TNA Impact Wrestling television taping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Friday, December 27th is: PHILLYIMPACT.

    SPOILER: Details On Great Muta’s TNA Impact Wrestling Debut REVEALED!

    Update On The Great Muta’s Deal With TNA Impact Wrestling

    Pro wrestling legend The Great Muta recently noted that TNA Impact Wrestling would not be a part of the debut event for his new Wrestle-1 promotion.

    As reported earlier this year, the Japanese legend met with Jeff Jarrett and other TNA officials in Nashville about the possibility of sharing talent amongst the two promotions.

    According to the recent Muta interviews in Japan, TNA and Wrestle-1 will not be sharing talent, as least not yet.

    SHOCKER: AJ Styles Leaving TNA In January, Debuting With WWE! [READ >>]

    [Credit: PWInsider.com]

    Update On The Great Muta’s Meeting At TNA Headquarters Today

    As previously reported, Japanese pro wrestling legend and former WCW star The Great Muta was at TNA Headquarters today.

    Muta met with Jeff Jarrett (view a photo from the meeting) and TNA’s Andy Barton about the idea of TNA sending talent to his new Wrestle-1 promotion.

    Jimmy Suzuki, a longtime photographer in Japan, was also at the meeting.

    One would assume if TNA sends talent to Wrestle-1, that the exchange would be reciprocated, however nothing is confirmed at this point.

    Update On MAJOR Last-Minute Changes To WWE SummerSlam

    [Credit: PWInsider.com]