Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last" Love was a professional wrestling event promoted by CyberFight's sub-brand Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). It took place on February 21, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo Dome.[2] The event aired on CyberAgent's AbemaTV online linear television service and CyberFight's streaming service Wrestle Universe. The event featured the retirement matches of Keiji Muto and saw the involvement of wrestlers from Noah's sister promotions Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling and DDT Pro-Wrestling, as well from outside promotions such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), All Japan Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate.
| Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last" Love | |||
|---|---|---|---|
  Left: Promotional poster for Keiji Muto's retirement match featuring Muto Right: Promotional poster for Nosawa Rongai's retirement match featuring Taiji Ishimori, Gedo, Rongai, Mazada, and Muto | |||
| Promotion | CyberFight | ||
| Brand(s) | Pro Wrestling Noah | ||
| Date | February 21, 2023 | ||
| City | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Venue | Tokyo Dome | ||
| Attendance | 30,096[1] | ||
| Tagline(s) | Hold Out Nosawa Rongai Grand Final de Lucha | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
The event was themed around the final matches of Keiji Muto, who was defeated by NJPW's Tetsuya Naito in the semi-main event, and by Masahiro Chono in the main event match. After the main event, Chono announced his own retirement. The event also featured the retirement match of Nosawa Rongai, who teamed with Mazada in a losing effort against Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori and Gedo).[3]
Production
editBackground
editOn June 12, 2022 at CyberFight Festival, Muto announced that he would be retiring in 2023.[4] A few days later, Noah announced the dates of Muto's retirement tour, with his final match taking place in the Tokyo Dome on February 21.[5][6]
Storylines
editThe event featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[7]
On January 21 at Wrestle Kingdom 17 night 2, Tetsuya Naito defeated Kenoh in the main event. After the match, Keiji Muto came to ring and asked Naito to be he his final opponent in his retirement match at Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last" Love which Naito accepted the proposition by Muto, setting up the match for February 21.[8]
At the same event, Kazuchika Okada and Togi Makabe took on Kaito Kiyomiya and Yoshiki Inamura in a tag team match. Before the match started Kiyomiya wanted to start the match with Okada but Okada let Makabe start for his team instead. During the match, Okada was wrestling Inamura until Kiyomiya came in the ring and attacked Okada by kicking him in the face which resulted in Okada retaliating, causing both Okada and Kiyomiya to brawl outside of the ring until the match eventually ended in a no contest. As Okada left the ring, Kiyomiya challenged Okada to a match only for Okada to return and to continue brawling with Kiyomiya until both men was pulled away by their tag team partners, officials and staff. A match was set between Okada and Kiyomiya for the Tokyo Dome on the following day.[8][9]
Event
editPreliminary matches
editThe event started with three pre-show matches broadcast on Noah's YouTube channel.[10] In the first one, GHC Tag Team Champions of the time Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba picked up a victory over Yoshiki Inamura and Yasutaka Yano in tag team competition. Next, a dispute between wrestlers from Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling took place with the team of Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima and Rika Tatsumi defeating Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe and Yuki Arai. The last pre-show match saw Good Looking Guys (Jake Lee, Jack Morris and Anthony Greene) outmatching Sugiura-gun (Takashi Sugiura and Timothy Thatcher) and Satoshi Kojima.[11]
The first match of the main event saw Stinger (Hayata, Chris Ridgeway), Yoshinari Ogawa, Eita, and Daga defeating Atsushi Kotoge, Yo-Hey, Seiki Yoshioka, Alejandro and Junta Miyawaki. Hayata and Ridgeway still held grudges against Ogawa as they were still number one contenders for Ogawa's and Eita's GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship at the time. Next up, a clash between DDT Pro-Wrestling teams took place in the fifth match of the night. The37Kamiina (Mao, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno and Toy Kojima) picked up a victory over Burning (Tetsuya Endo and Yuya Koroku), Hideki Okatani and Takeshi Masada in eight-man tag team action. The sixth match saw Naomichi Marufuji, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Ninja Mack defeating Dragon Gate's Z-Brats (Shun Skywalker, Kai and Diamante). Next up, Kongo (Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Manabu Soya) defeated All Japan Pro Wrestling's Kento Miyahara, Suwama and Yuma Aoyagi. The eighth match represented Nosawa Rongai's retirement match in which he teamed up with his old Tokyo Gurentai stablemate and tag team partner Mazada to fall short to New Japan Pro Wrestling's Taiji Ishimori and Gedo of the Bullet Club. The ninth and tenth matches portraited confrontations between singles champions of both Noah and NJPW. In the first one, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defeated GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion Amakusa, bout succeeded by the confrontation between IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and GHC Heavyweight Champion Kaito Kiyomiya solded with the victory of Okada.[12][13]
Main event
editAs it was scheduled from weeks before, the event was planned to have a single main event match in which Keiji Muto was expected to face Tetsuya Naito. The bout concluded with Naito's victory, ending a long-term competition between the two wrestlers originated from Naito's looking for Muto since his debut. However, after the match ended, Muto challenged old rival, fellow Three Musketeer and former nWo Japan stablemate Masahiro Chono who joined the commentary table to a short match and even nominated NJPW referee legend Tiger Hattori who was also sitting ringside to officiate the bout. The match concluded with Chono's win which occurred after executing his signature STF hold for the victory.[14][15][16]
Results
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Kreikenbohm, Philip (February 21, 2023). "NOAH Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last" Love Hold Out". cagematch.net. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Carey, Ian (September 7, 2022). "Keiji Muto's final match set for Pro Wrestling NOAH's Tokyo Dome return". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (January 21, 2023). "Keiji Mutoh challenges Tetsuya Naito for his retirement match at Tokyo Dome". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (June 12, 2022). "Keiji Mutoh (The Great Muta) Announces Upcoming Retirement". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (June 18, 2022). "NOAH announces dates for Keiji Mutoh retirement tour". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (September 17, 2022). "Keiji Muto's Last Match Announced For February 2023 Pro Wrestling NOAH Tokyo Dome Show". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ a b Vetter, Chris (January 21, 2023). "NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Yokohama Arena results: Vetter's review of Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenoh, Shingo Takagi vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima, Sanada vs. Manabu Soya, Hiromu Takahashi vs. Hajime Ohara, Bushi vs. Tadasuke, Kazuchika Okada and Togi Makabe vs. Yoshiki Inamura and Kaito Kiyomiya, Jay Briscoe tribute". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (January 22, 2023). "Full card revealed for Keiji Muto's Tokyo Dome retirement show". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Pro Wrestling Noah (February 21, 2023). 【2月21日(火)ごご3時配信開始】もうすぐ武藤敬司引退！第２試合まで全5試合無料で見れますＳＰ！全試合はPPVで生中継！｜プロレスリング・ノア. youtube.com (in Japanese). Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Carlan, Lewis (February 21, 2023). "Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last-Love" Results (2/21/23); Keiji Muto's Final Match". PWMania.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Atkins, Jack (February 21, 2023). "Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling 'Last' Love ～Hold Out～ Results". Cultaholic. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Coyle-Simmons, Patrick (February 21, 2023). "Pro Wrestling NOAH's Keiji Muto Tokyo Dome Retirement Show: Every Match Ranked, Worst To Best". The Sportster. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Fritts, Chick (February 21, 2023). "Keiji Muto Retirement Show live results: Muto vs. Tetsuya Naito". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Dark Angelita (February 21, 2023). "NOAH: Resultados «Keiji Muto Gran Final»". Superluchas.com (in Spanish). Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Podgorski, Alex (February 21, 2023). "KEIJI MUTO, JAPAN'S SELF-PROFESSED PRO-WRESTLING MASTER, RETIRES". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Rueter, Sean (February 21, 2023). "Keiji Muto's final match wasn't his final match. But not in the usual pro wrestling way. What happened at the Tokyo Dome today was awesome, and a fitting end to a show with 'Love' in its name". cagesideseats. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Harris, Jeffrey (February 21, 2023). "Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling 'Last-Love' Hold Out Results 2.21.23: Mutoh Wrestles Final Matchups". 411Mania. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Edwards, Scott (February 21, 2023). "Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last-Love" Results (2/21/23): Keiji Muto Officially Retires". Fightful. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.