The Great Muta, or, as he’s known to the NJPW World, Kenji Muto, entered Wrestle Kingdom 17 with a heavy weight on his shoulders. One of the defining performers in the promotion during one of the boomiest periods of professional wrestling history, Muta came into the match, a six-way bout with Shota Umino and Hiroshi Tanahashi versus Los Ingobernables de Japon, BUSHI, SANADA, and Tetsuya Naito, with a 10-reign legacy holding IWGP titles to uphold and a desire to go out on top within the promotion that helped to make him.

Would it have been easy to put over Muta, let him work his greatest hits, and leave with a job well done over a performer like Naito, who is a main event-caliber star? You bet, but much like with his matches in Pro Wrestling Noah against Kaito Kiyomiya and his match with Shinsuke Nakamura, Muta wanted to not only turn in a crowd-pleasing performance, but give back to the next generation of professional wrestling, with Shota Umino – aka Shooter Umino of Jon Moxley fame – was given the win with his mentor’s signature (NJPW) finisher, the Death Rider, all the while Kevin Kelly put the 25-year-old over like the promotion’s next great star.

With his run in NJPW officially done, Muta’s days in pro wrestling are numbered; sure he has his marquee match with Sting and Darby Allin left on the books and the potential for a few more tricks left on the table, but as his career starts to wind down, the additional shine put on Umino will only grow stronger as a result.