Great Muta vs. Lex Luger

[SeanMBryans]

Luger was a pompous ass to new guys in the business He wasn't exactly a Jack brisco or Verne Gagne when it came to wrestling skills. A juiced up body and pretty face made him what he is. Kinda like a Hulk Hogan with less charisma and better looks. Way better looks.

[rushman21901]

I loved this match for the mental wrestling they did. I hated Luger and didnt like Muta too much cause I liked Sting at this point. Because of this match I totally respected Muta and looked at him in a new light. Started watching his moves and appreciate the wrestler and man and athlete. Muta now is in my top 5 maybe #3 wrestler EVER. He is great and this match made me believe in the "pearl of the orient"

[jimmychuang]

@rushman21901 I got to say this match is totally fixed. If you watch Japan wrestling, you will tell US. wrestling has much much more fixed than Japan.

WWE might have bigger market and making more money, but those Japanese wrestlers are real fighters, US. wrestlers are better actors, entertainers.

[LastTrumpets7]

@1:18 This dude like 8ft in the air! WOW!

[jerospace]

Muta and luger = legendary

[TheBlackPigeon]

I gladly admit that I only clicked on this video to watch Lex Luger sell Muta's green mist like he just took a sledgehammer to the face.

OOOOOWWWWWWFFF!

[katoru127]

Great muta was sick in this event.The partner is rubbing his stomach.

[Jerichoholic119]

What sucks is Muta really jobbed to Luger about a year and half later in '91, at Clash of the Champions XV. It was a "number one contender's" match that Luger won in less than five minutes. I liked Luger, but Muta deserved better.

[Willpudjiit]

@sirpumpkinslice lex was weak & his interviews are some of the worse I've ever heard.

[Willpudjiit]

I hate Lex Luger, he's a tool & the only thing he had going 4 him was his look.

[SirPumpkinSlice]

@Willpudjiit Lex had more than his share of good matches. Especially in 1989 and no they were not "carry jobs".

[livendapast]

Christ Muta is fast!

[dasteelers75]

Flair has 25. . Luger has 25 . Sting has 20. Muta has 0. Is that an insult or what? Muta was shown no respect with this crap. Easily Muta is top 10 of all time period.

[21richkid]

Great Muta paved the way for Japanese wrestlers like Tajiri, Sakoda, Kenzo Suzuki, Taka Michinoku, Funaki, Yoshi Tatsu. Yokozuna and Akio portrayed Japanese gimmicks, but Yoko was Samoan and Akio is real name Jimmy Yang as he is Korean.

[Edgehead10075]

This was a stupid PPV, regardless of how good the matches were. They wasted Starrcade on a gimmick, and no title was on the line. Incredibly lazy booking for the top PPV of the year. It's really easy to book two tournaments.

[Edgehead10075]

What a powerslam!

[21richkid]

Funny is Lex Luger battle The Great Muta in a United States vs Japan from 1989. 4 years later, 1993 was when Luger turned face and did the unthinkable which is bodyslam Yokozuna in a miltary base.

[iriat82]

1000 points to MUTA !!!!!

[sanddune]

Muta was the best wrestler of the 3. Shame he couldn't win a match.

[mtbinpa31]

Poor Muta they didn't even do his face paint over, he looks like he just rolled out of bed.

[hamburger619]

Is this the same Great Muta with a scary mask?

'Cos he looks tall in this video...

[ChanceTyler]

I agree with you Luscious

[Martinl792002]

BEST OVER SELL EVER AT 8:17!!!!

[mcmaniac1000]

@Martinl792002 ...luger probably thought it was a green punch

[kevinhardy]

great match

[checkeronetwo]

although i dont really know where luger was from :D :D :D

[checkeronetwo]

it was a nice match, not the typicall american wrestler against japanese wrestler - match. it was just a great match between two great wrestlers, no matter where they came from

[beeteep60]

Muta's a BITCH. All he can do is blow green shit in pepoles faces

[Kokushi666]

your an idiot if you belive that,you must also not watch his ringwork

[beeteep60]

takes one to know one

[Kokushi666]

ya very origional comeback,ur extremely childish. so i assume your not a real puro fan

[beeteep60]

ur the one thats childish, calling people names like a 5 year old.

[TheBigBadWoIf]

lol

he also blows red shit

[RARAKUMA]

@beeteep60 Bet U Won't Say It To His Face

[beeteep60]

ha ha funny

[TheLuscious]

Don't you ever compare Cena to The Rock or even try to put him in the same class. On the mic Flair and The Rock are in a class all by themselves. The Rock is a first ballot Hall of Fame wrestler. As in Class of 2010. Vince was too busy putting that bum Triple H over and lost his best asset, the gold standard, The Rock.

[jasonbantle]

ill make the comparison. Cena and the ROck were not very good wrestlers - period. ROck was more athletic with his mateur background in football but he could not chain wrestle whatsoever. He was never even close to a Bret, Ric, SHawn, etc.

The Rock and Cena are great on th emic and appeal to their targeted demnographic. Neither are good wrestler. Period.

[TheLuscious]

9 time WWE champion = first ballot Hall of Fame wrestler...we're not talking about wrestling ability; FYI, The Rock was a 3rd generation superstar...his wrestling ability is vastly underrated. I anticipate The Rock will join his father and grandfather in the Hall of Fame either in 2010 or 2011, thank you.

[tobuttica]

The #X Champion doesn't mean what it does. He got like four or five of those trading with Mankind in the late 90's early 00's.

[TheLuscious]

Sounds like you're more of a Rock hater. We'll see when he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I saw those matches too and Foley didn't look like chopped liver either.

[mr4209999]

wrestling hall of fame is a joke by the way. McMahon has said he never plans to have a physical hall of fame, just these inductees...besides even if it was, who votes on such a thing? nobody, Vince decides everything. yea, being an X time champion doesn't mean anything these days, like when Ric Flair is a 16 time champ. Hogan's first title reign was the majority of 4 YEARS. Now the world title gets traded every two months, Jeff Hardy's won like 3 in a year!

[TheLuscious]

Why you sending me stupid comment, telling me stuff I already know. You so-called smarks kill me. Always on here running your mouths pretending to educate somebody. No shit Vince decides everything. Tell me something I don't know. The title isn't traded every two months. What are you talking about?

[RAxzibit]

true, even tho the rock is still way better in the ring than cena

[TheLuscious]

You don't know what you are talking about. Rock was a third-generation superstar. A very underrated wrestler. The only person that you can compare The Rock to on the mic is Ric Flair. The Rock's appeal was universal period. That means everybody loved The Rock. Nobody said The Rock was in the category of being able to wrestle like a Ric, Bret or Shawn. But when you say The Rock can't wrestle period you just prove that you know nothing about wrestling.

[tobuttica]

I'm a Rock fan, but Vince was too busy making him into a movie star for him to even be interested in wrestling still. Vince helped him with his movies by producing them. Just watch the Rock's final match. YOu can see that his heart wasn't into it, and the post match address to the fans was a big fail. I wish he'd give up the kiddie movies and come back to the business that made him big.

[TheLuscious]

He's making $5-10 million a picture. Hmmm let's do the math. Should The Rock keep wrestling on the road 200 nights a year for at a max $5 million a year if he was making that? Or does The Rock continued his burgeoning movie career where he's making $5-10 million a picture? Vince didn't make him anything. Rock's talent and charisma got him in the movies.

[bluethundershark]

man, what a crappy set for a pay-per-view, the stage looks like something you see from a crappy 80s band concert

[seoulsoju]

it's from the 80's. so you watch wrestling ppvs for the sets? maybe you should watch more americas next top model so you can enjoy the sets...:>

[bluethundershark]

I think this turned out not to be a good idea for WCW to have 2 round robin tournaments for a pay-per-view, you might have matches, but only few superstars

[SaintJust101]

Classic luger selling the mist.

[WastedWilly]

Say what you will about NWA. The one thing NWA was always able to do that NO American company was able to do - was put over the true legends of Japan like Chono, Muta, Nishimura, and the like. Something TNA, WCW and WWF/E have done horribly with. The only company to compare to that success is ROH (through their NOAH relationship)

[Area5107]

Ahh old NWA/WCW before Bischoff came in. Awesome.

[hank7216]

Gary Michael Cappetta was awesome

[thatsmrdouglas2u]

His voice was made for the wrestling ring. He makes Lilian Garcia look like shit.

[kotk05]

Spit that mist in luger's face

[edgeandchristiannum1]

hate to bring it up, but the belt looks kinda small compared to todays

[Danstar82]

stone cold steve austin on the broadcast :D

[mr4209999]

nope, Terry Funk dude

[LEROSKIE]

the GREAT MUTA was one of the best wrestlers in the NWA/WCW. MUTA a champ in my book.LONG LIVE THE WRESTLING OF THE 80s AND MID 90s however the best thing from LUGER was being a member of the HORSEMEN.

[JayCPhT]

Luger was one of the best US Champs though

[jarjar3000]

i think the great muta is a god in japin wresling but that what i think :)

[Gr8muta]

Old NWA style booking. The foreign wrassler that speaks no english...but is the overall better wrestler will always lose. NWA was a racist company ask Bill Watts :) Muta's legacy however will always speak louder than 90% of WCW's grapplers regarless of how "they"used him!

[RealitySlice]

FALSE. Say what you want about Bill Watts, but I followed Muta's career in the NWA during this time. Muta was undefeated during his time in the NWA up until the end. He won the NWA TV title from Sting and remained UNDEFEATED. They only started to job out Muta when he decided to return to Japan. Shortly after this Starrcade he ended his tenure in the NWA.

[Gr8muta]

Good to know there are other peeps that enjoy Mutohs Work. Are you saying Muta was the exception then? History is already wrtten with Watts. Regardless, Muta was still a champion and should have been protected if not for the sake of the companys title. Trish Startus was given a remarkable send off from WWE and easily could have worked for a compettitor. Muta was on "loan " so to speak, so his departure was imminent. Why damage his marketability when they had such an open trade arrangment?

[lsudolemite]

Well, it wasn't uncommon for wrestlers leaving a territory to job on the way out. You want the workers you still have to look strong, and if the guys that stick around job to a departing wrestler, they can't get their heat back and it makes them look weak. Think about how bad the active WWE roster looked every time Austin wanted to come back for whatever reason after he retired and lay someone out with a Stunner.

[Gr8muta]

Austin is a unique subject. Austin in money everytime he became involved and keeping your biggest star (active or not) is good buisness as long as he still draws money. I totally understand the "job" on your way out deal. Muta was something nobobdy had seen in that company before. He should have been "protected" better since they were and DID use him in subsequent years following. Another rememdy was to keep Muta away form their big stars besides Sting who he drew big money with. Simple!

[lsudolemite]

I was first introduced to pro wrestling in the late 80s as a kid, and this was a wonderful time to be a fan. I remember being blown away by Muta, because no one else in Crockett/WCW could match his explosiveness. Given that the alternative to good in-ring action was Vince's squash matches every Saturday, this was a no-brainer.

[lsudolemite]

I disagree somewhat about Austin. WWE keeps moving more toward the kiddies, and the Attitude Era is fast becoming a distant memory for WWE fans, so I'm not sure how much longer Austin will be a big draw going forward. He can be a big draw for one night, but the active wrestlers have to draw every week. He's clearly trying to go the Rock's route by trying his hand at movies, and like the Rock he may try to completely distance himself from WWE if he gets a big money deal outside of WWE films.

[Gr8muta]

Agreed. I only used Austin as a clear example of money over substance. Austin is retired seemingly for good from active participation in WWE. And now we see the Cash cow John Cena in the lead. Bottom line is, they need to respect the guys that drew them money.

[lsudolemite]

I agree, I just wish I knew what kids/chicks see in Cena. Austin at least had the antihero thing down with Vince to play the foil, had great charisma, and he was actually decent in the ring. Cena's just...there. His promos are average at best, has good but not great charisma, and l won't even start on his ring skills. Nothing about him stands out. I really respect the fact that he works hard, but I'm not buying the whole Rock-lite thing WWE seems to want to pigeonhole him into.

[hydra555]

Luger sucked ass I heard that WCW were going to put the NWA belt on him instead of Sting.

[edandcarmen]

RIP Gary Hart.

[mtbinpa31]

I realize someone had to lose, but for the Great Muta to job 3 matches, really sucked. The Great Muta carried Lex Luger, Muta is one of the finest, if not the BEST technical wrestlers to execute several forms of the martial arts. I guess by the time this tournament came around Muta no longer was getting a strong push. Always loved Muta being billed as the "Pearl of the Orient."

[tiatrips]

@mtbinpa31 You think this jobbing was bad, Luger defended the US title against Muta on the weekly tv show, after Muta had lost the TV title. Lasted about 8 minutes, Luger blocked Muta's mist, very little aerial attack from Muta, and Luger beat him with a powerbomb. And people wonder why Muta never stayed in WCW for longer than a year at a time.

[tiatrips]

@tiatrips Powerbomb is wrong...I meant powerslam. Sorry.

[mtbinpa31]

@tiatrips I didn't realize that, it's funny but you know I actually like the wrestling period of yester year, about mid 80's to early 90's better than the one dimensional McMahon era crap of today. Did you ever notice local house show promos are no more, and decent interviews seem to be a forgotten art, take great mic men like: Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Harley Race, and Bobby Heenan, they were some of the best!

[tiatrips]

@mtbinpa31 Yeah, I know what you mean. I haven't really watched for almost six years. I grew up watching guys like Muta, Sting, and Flair. And I remember those house show promos. Actually take a couple commercials a week and advertise for them. Now, it's just TV and PPV. The product is bad, but since McMahon bought the second most established company, that's what happens. And speaking of how today's wrestling sucks, I'm still waiting for John Cena to use more than 7 moves in a match.

[iconoclasm12345]

@tiatrips Its funny, i dont consider this jobbing to be "bad" or even jobbing.This match is a lot better than the flair/muta match which lasted 2 minutes. Luger actually puts muta over, sold for all of his offense, and muta didnt get pinned or have to submit to luger's finisher. this is actually pretty good booking, muta dominates but got d/qed at the end because he was already out of the tournament anyways. nwa did not misuse muta, they helped him get over in the usa.

[tiatrips]

@iconoclasm12345 The gave him the undefeated streak and the TV title, yes. As far as that goes, I agree with you. But then Muta got shut out in this tournament, with his last match being a DQ loss to Luger? The NWA gave Muta some great credentials in the US, but he deserved a lot bette than what he got in this tournament. They could have at least tied and given him some kind of points instead of zero on the night.

[iconoclasm12345]

@tiatrips Yah, would have been good to see him get points. Luger does a pretty good job of selling and they put muta over as a monster heel. Its a fine line, they want their own champs(luger and flair) to win the matches-they are the champs, but also put muta over as a credible heel. they do that, with jim ross' commentary and the way the wrestlers sell his moves like crazy. Compared to how they buried him in bad booking with vamp in the late 90s, they use him great here vs flair/sting/luger

[tiatrips]

@iconoclasm12345 It is tough to do both. It just looks like in this whole tournament they just made him look like he couldn't compete with the champions and the most popular wrestler they had in Sting. But you are right...compared to how WCW used him in the late 90's this is a great push. I couldn't stand the way they used him with Vampiro in the Dark Carnival.

[81carlos]

@iconoclasm12345 He definitely was NOT misused by NWA/WcW.He was undefeated for about a year and had defeated the Icon Sting for the NWA World TV title before this Starrcade.Just like Goldberg he had to lose at Starrcade to make it historic.He would go on to hold the IWGP World title and the NWA World title at the same time a few years later.His reigns as IWGP champion lasted about a year each and made many defenses in WcW.Next to Inoki,Muta may be the best Japanese wrestler ever to enter U.S.

[bhhs2000]

@81carlos , only the great muta held both belts iwgp & nwa world title when he beat chono in japan

[tmarquis100]

@mtbinpa31 i agree 100% with you!!

[eslubin]

@mtbinpa31 Muta has no political protection, being a foreigner

[DesCobra]

Luger was shot in the face, that's why he went down the way he did ha ha what a way to sell the mist

[manjifanhism]

Overrrrrrrseeeelllllllllll!!lo­l.

[jksoren]

At 7:20 JR says with regards to Luger "nice takeover"...NO IT WASN'T. Then he says it was a "modified version." Luger has always been a horrible wrestler, the fact that Muta did not have a clean win over a mullet headed guy who's best move was flexing his pecks shows just bad a judgment there was with regard foreign wrestler.

[xStarscreamx666x]

That's generally how they cover up botched moves like that. The announcers sometimes act like the wrestler meant to do it. That, or they say that they "never got all of it".

[Gamebox27]

I prefer "didn't get all of it"

[skinwalkerxxx]

I wish I had seen Mutan vs Steamboat in my lifetime. After they had these wrestling marathons between Flair and Steamboat, I wish Steamboat would have come out on top and then feud with Muta for the strap.

[LastTrumpets7]

It's on youtube! Search for it. It is awesome. I believe it's in Japanese though. Still a great match.

[mikedubya]

LOL 4:45 Funk "japanese pride"...

[jatube78]

I want to see that Clash of the Champions match with Luger & Muta

[CrystalTears234]

allthough it was to job, it's still cool that muta was in the tournament

[TSTEELE3874]

huge job he was so pissed in this match

[Heiteinah]

no one will ever sell the green mist like that.

AMAZING!

[DDillon022]

Did U See That Around 9:08 Luger Ass Was Right By The Rope You Mean To Tel me He Couldn't Grab Less Than An Half Inch Away To Brake The Hold The Great Muta Apply

[thegreatneilio]

What a sell of the mist...LOL!

[shaunographic]

Its refreshing to hear commentators talk about whats happening in the ring and what moves are being applied. All they do now is talk about some boring fued that has nothing to do with whats happening on screen. Muta carried this pay per view. Why was luger ever popular?

[dy1ansdad]

yeah, he really carried that 3 minute loss to Flair

[unknowncrimes]

i think thats a young JR and terry funk

[TSTEELE3874]

CORRECT

[GiffHoyt]

237 pounds.....HA!

[CMP5150]

Wow Muta's Face paint was good that night =P