Undertaker vs Muta?

[Sephiroth]

This is pretty much a fantasy booking scenario. For me, the real time for this to have happened was way back in the early 90's, when Muta was still hot off his WCW/NWA run and Undertaker was in the midst of his feud with Yokozuna. The ideal scenario would have been Fuji bringing in Muta to take out Undertaker for him. The odds if it happening now are absolute zero, even less than Sting vs Undertaker. But nonetheless, part of me is kind of surprised that no Japanese fed ever tried to make this happen within the last decade. Muta is every bit in Japan what Undertaker is here in the US, and you can't convince me that legions of Japanese wrestling fans haven't wondered what it would be like.

[Deleted]

In our main event of the evening with a combined zero knees it's the Undertaker and the Great Muta.

It would have been badass just for the entrances and up until 10 years or so ago the match could have been quality as well. Shame it never happened.

[Crappler El 0 M]

There was a tiny window of time when it could have happened, but obviously never did. Undertaker (as Mean Mark) and Great Muta worked on a handful of the same cards in NWA/WCW. These cards were in January and February 1990. Undertaker was in WCW for much of 1990 before going to WWE. Muta, however, didn't work much with WCW in 1990.

[MichaelMartini]

I'm really surprised they never did it. Mid 90s would've been perfect. That's a dream match I haven't heard talked about in awhile.

[Crappler El 0 M]

So some of you are surprised it never happened? How could it have? Undertaker was pretty much a lifer in WWE. Great Muta never worked for WWE. There was basically a one month period of time when they were both working for the same company and they did work on a few of the same cards, but realistically they wouldn't have been paired together (and weren't).

[Deleted]

Mar 7, 2015 1:18:50 GMT -5 Crappler El 0 M said:

So some of you are surprised it never happened? How could it have? Undertaker was pretty much a lifer in WWE. Great Muta never worked for WWE. There was basically a one month period of time when they were both working for the same company and they did work on a few of the same cards, but realistically they wouldn't have been paired together (and weren't).

I asked JR once via Twitter if the E ever tried to bring Muta in and he said that they wanted to but couldn't get it to happen with NJPW working with WCW and by the time it was feasible Muta's knees were gone.

[Phil Parent]

I wonder why Mutoh never ended up in WWE at any point. He was a fan, a die-hard fan. Ultimo had his run.

[chazraps]

If it happened today it would be great. The entrances would be incredible and both know how to play their characters so perfectly it could make something really entertaining and really special.

[MichaelMartini]

Mar 7, 2015 1:18:50 GMT -5 Crappler El 0 M said:

So some of you are surprised it never happened? How could it have? Undertaker was pretty much a lifer in WWE. Great Muta never worked for WWE. There was basically a one month period of time when they were both working for the same company and they did work on a few of the same cards, but realistically they wouldn't have been paired together (and weren't).

The Mean Mark possible face off wouldn't mean anything because he wasn't Undertaker yet. I understand you're hung up on the only timeline where it could've been possible but this is one of those hypothetical booking scenarios. Seems plausible to me that it could've happened.

Great Sasuke worked a match for them and they brought in plenty of Japanese guys around that time like Taka, Hakushi, Ultimo, Funaki, Tajiri. After he leaves WCW why not do a stint in WWF on the way out? Was NJPW really that strict about it? They could've had a deal where Taker puts him over at one of their shows. Hell, he put Tito Santana over in Spain. Seems like easy money for everyone and in the late nineties there didn't seem to be much cross promotion going on between WCW and NJPW anymore. Or it could've happened recently. Muta did shows with TNA.

[Super Duper Dragunov]

I've also wanted this match for YEARS. Both are masters of in-ring psychology. That alone would make a match-up today worth it for me. They could play chess in the ring for all I care, as long as Muta drops his patented elbows and Taker does his down on one knee pose between moves I'm a happy guy.

And yes they'd be doing these moves to the canvas (ala Ric Flair) while the other was contemplating their next move on the chess board.

If Muta wins or loses depends on what color mist he sprays at the end.

[Deleted]

Mar 7, 2015 1:37:56 GMT -5 Phil Parent said:

I wonder why Mutoh never ended up in WWE at any point. He was a fan, a die-hard fan. Ultimo had his run.

Muto bought All Japan in 2002 and was one of the few stars the company had after the Noah split. He didn't have much of a window of opportunity to wrestle full time in WWE. I guess he could have been used as a one off special attraction but WWE doesn't seem too interested in using Japanese guys that way in recent history. Sure, they brought in Tenryu but they had a business relationship with him. Tenryu was helping promote WWE in Japan.

[Sephiroth]

Mar 7, 2015 1:18:50 GMT -5 Crappler El 0 M said:

So some of you are surprised it never happened? How could it have? Undertaker was pretty much a lifer in WWE. Great Muta never worked for WWE. There was basically a one month period of time when they were both working for the same company and they did work on a few of the same cards, but realistically they wouldn't have been paired together (and weren't).

Undertaker has done some occasional shows in Japan, a few of them even as his Undertaker persona. But, as stated above, the best possible time would have been early 90's. I could easily have seen Muta as Undertaker WM opponent over, say, Giant Gonzalz or King Kong Bundy.