Spoiler On Longtime Sting Rival Appearing At AEW Rampage Grand Slam
Japanese wrestling legend The Great Muta made a surprise appearance during last night's taping of "AEW Rampage," with fans in attendance taking to Twitter to immediately spread the word. Muta emerged to lend a hand to former rival and tag team partner Sting – along with Sting's current ally Darby Allin — against the House of Black's Brody King and Buddy Matthews.
Matthews was preparing to attack a vulnerable Sting with a baseball bat as the Stinger was handcuffed to a chair. But Muta arrived and, after surveying the situation, sprayed mist into Matthews' face, causing him to bump into stablemate Julia Hart, sending her through a ringside table. Sting was then able to pin Matthews for the victory, and, in the post-match celebration, Sting and Muta embraced in a hug.
The special two-hour edition of "Rampage" airs this Friday night. In addition to witnessing Muta's return during this tag match, fans can expect to see Sammy Guevara against Eddie Kingston, Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs squaring off once again, the Golden Ticket Battle Royale, and more.
History Between Sting and The Great Muta
The Great Muta and Sting's rivalry would begin with their first televised match in 1989 at the NWA's "The Great American Bash – Glory Days" event. Muta came away with the win, although it was surrounded by controversy. Following this encounter, the two would proceed to have 13 matches against each other within a month. The pair would cross paths again at "Starrcade '89: Future Shock" as part of the round-robin Iron Man tournament. Eventually, they would come to tag together, taking on the Steiner Brothers, Rick and Scott, in 1992 at the second WCW/New Japan Supershow.
Over the years, The Great Muta has worked for both New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling here in the United States. He is currently part of the Pro Wrestling Noah roster and previously held the company's GHC Heavyweight Championship before dropping the title at "Cyberfight Festival" this past June.
The longtime veteran recently announced plans to retire in 2023 after a storied career that began in 1984. Muta's final match is scheduled for January 22, 2023, at Yokohama Arena; no opponent has been announced as of yet.