Keiji Muto is dealing with several injuries as he approaches the final match of his career.
An article in Tokyo Sports released Wednesday revealed that Muto is dealing with hamstring tears in both legs suffered during the main event of The Great Muta Final Bye-Bye. Muto teamed with Darby Allin and Sting to defeat AKIRA, Hakushi & Naomichi Marufuji on the show.
The injuries make it difficult for the 60-year-old to stand and as a result, he was forced to pull out of an appearance at a Setsubun Tsuinashiki ceremony scheduled for Friday.
Muta was a guest presenter at the K-1 AWARDS 2022 on Wednesday and was asked about his upcoming final match against Tetsuya Naito in the Tokyo Dome.
"I'm going to have a good match, but I had a match 10 days ago and separated my thigh. I'm in a pinch, but I'll do my best. (translations via DeepL)
"I've got hamstring tears in both legs. I'm lucky it wasn't torn, but it hurts anyway. It's been 10 days since I hurt it, but it hasn't healed at all. I feel sick, damn it..." he spat.
Muto revealed that he was already dealing with back pain before suffering the hamstring injuries. He went into The Great Muta's final match "out of shape."
Actually, I was in bad shape before I went there that day. I had back pain. I don't know what triggered it, but I was out of shape."
"The pain in my knee is chronic and I'm used to it, but my muscles are in a lot of pain. I think I put extra strain on my knee and hip joints by protecting them..."
"I feel like I've been given a test by the wrestling gods. I don't know what to do. I train only my upper body, but it's really hard to do that, too. It's stressing me out. I'm in the biggest pinch at the end, and I want to extend it by a month..."
Muto was seen being pushed in a wheelchair backstage following The Great Muta Final Bye-Bye. He was also seen using a wheelchair at the K-1 Awards on Wednesday.
Muto's final match is scheduled for Tuesday, February 21, 2023, from the Tokyo Dome. He will wrestle Naito in the main event. It will be the second time the two have faced off in singles competition. Muto defeated Naito at Wrestle Kingdom VI on January 4, 2012.
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