Last week, Keiji Mutoh captured NOAH’s top prize. The man many of us know as The Great Muta is 58 years old.
On Sunday (Feb. 14), 51 year old Jun Akiyama joined Mutoh as a quinquagenarian Japanese champion. He pinned Tetsuya Endo at DDT’s Kawasaki Strong 2021 to win that promotion’s top belt, the KO-D Openweight title.
ダムネーションの連携を使った場外での執拗な責め!
— DDT ProWrestling (@ddtpro) February 14, 2021
この攻撃に解説の小橋さんも驚く!
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『KAWASAKI STRONG 2021』LIVE配信中!
\#ddtpro pic.twitter.com/HmidcCbk2F
【御礼】本日は今年最初のビッグマッチ、カルッツかわさき大会にたくさんのご来場、誠にありがとうございました。#wrestleUNIVERSE をご視聴された方には配信トラブルがあり誠に申し訳ございませんでした。次回ビッグマッチは2/23名古屋! 選手・スタッフ、気を引き締めて取り組みます!#ddtpro pic.twitter.com/DlYyhx6yJJ
— DDT ProWrestling (@ddtpro) February 14, 2021
DDT, like NOAH, is owned by CyberAgent. Booking older guys with big names (Akiyama is former two-time All Japan Triple Crown Heavyweight champ, and was President of that company for a time during his second stint there) certainly seems to be a strategic decision as they compete against Bushiroad’s New Japan.
It’s getting the some buzz they probably wouldn’t have received otherwise. CyberAgent held a press conference today to announce that Mutoh has signed for two more years with NOAH. Akiyama inked a one year deal with DDT.
現在 @ABEMA 格闘チャンネル&DDT公式YouTubeチャンネルにて『KAWASAKI STRONG 2021』一夜明け会見(NOAH三夜明け会見との合同会見)をLIVE配信中!
— DDT ProWrestling (@ddtpro) February 15, 2021
ABEMAhttps://t.co/guoenBGM8K
YouTubehttps://t.co/GUH410DpQu#ddtpro #noah_ghc #CyberFight pic.twitter.com/BMdIidsxTf
They’ll be 60 and 52 when their deals end.
Wonder if Vince McMahon is kicking himself for not booking 54 year old Goldberg to win the WWE title at Royal Rumble?