Event: New Japan "Starrcade at the Tokyo Dome"
Location: Tokyo Dome, Japan
Attendance: 64,500

Muta charges Sting to start the match and punches him back into the corner. Irish whip by Muta and he hits his handstand springboard elbow. Backbreaker by Muta, he goes to the top turnbuckle, but Sting moves out of the way of the moonsault.Back kick by Muta, Sting doesn't sell it, but Muta kicks him out of the ring anyway. Pescado by Muta, he gets back on the apron and spits red mist up into the air. Muta then goes back out so he can slide Sting into the ring, Muta goes to the top turnbuckle, but Sting kicks him when he jumps off. Irish whip by Sting and he hits a military press slam, throwing Muta out of the ring. Sting then comes flying out of the ring with a crazy plancha, and he throws Muta back into the ring. Front facelock by Sting, Muta pushes him into the corner and hits a shoulder tackle. Punch to the face by Muta and he applies a side headlock. Sting Irish whips out of it, but Muta shoulderblocks him down. Muta goes off the ropes, but Sting hits a monkey flip. A front facelock is applied by Sting, but he releases the hold and allows Muta to get to his feet. Sting quickly re-applies the hold, but Muta gets a hand on the ropes. Eye rake by Muta, and he rakes Sting in the eyes again. Kicks to the ribs by Muta, Irish whip, but Sting ducks the heel kick and delivers the face crusher. Muta slithers out of the ring, but Sting follows him out and tosses him into the guard rail. Sting then returns to the ring, he pulls Muta onto the apron and slams him into the top turnbuckle. He then brings Muta back in the ring and tosses him into the corner. Front facelock by Sting, he takes Muta to the mat and goes for the Scorpion Deathlock, but Muta gets a hand on the bottom rope before he can apply it. Kick to the chest by Sting, but Muta returns with a kick of his own. Snapmare by Muta and he nails the Flash Elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Muta applies a reverse chinlock and elbows Sting in the head. Muta picks up Sting, Irish whip from the corner, but Sting moves when he goes for the handstand elbow strike. Sting then goes for the Stinger Splash, but Muta rolls out of the way in time.

Backbreaker by Muta, he goes to the top turnbuckle, but Sting gets his knees up when Muta goes for the moonsault. Sting picks up Muta and goes for another Press Slam, but Muta lands on top of him for a two count. Back up, backbreaker by Muta, he goes up top, but Sting is up and dropkicks him before he can launch. Sting then joins Muta on the top turnbuckle and delivers a belly to back suplex down to the mat. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Sting goes to the top turnbuckle and goes for an elbow drop, but Muta moves out of the way. Back up, both men go off the ropes and they clothesline each other. They then both go for dropkicks, with both missing. Muta is up first, Irish whip, but Sting blocks the hiptoss and applies the backslide for a two count. Sting picks up Muta, but Muta sneaks in an inside cradle for a two count. Scorpion Deathlock by Sting, but Muta quickly gets to the ropes. Muta rolls out of the ring, but Sting goes out after him and slams him into the railing. Sting then brings Muta back to the ring, Irish whip by Sting from the corner, he goes for the Stinger Splash, but Muta spits green mist in his face! As Sting is stunning, Muta quickly goes for the top turnbuckle and hits a twisting body press for a three count! Your winner: Great Muta

Post match: Sting is mad, so he gives Muta a Stinger Splash and puts him in the Scorpion Deathlock until New Japan wrestlers get him off.

Match Thoughts: I have seen this match a dozen times and I love it every time. The story was so clear here... Muta and Sting had wrestled many times in WCW and thus knew each other very well. None of their moves were working.... they were reversing all their normal moves and even up to the end of the match (both going for lariats and both going for dropkicks) they showed that they were equal competitors. So to win the match, Great Muta caught Sting when he was doing one of his telegraphed moves with the green mist and quickly hit a crossbody to pick up the victory. Besides it being logical, it was a fun match that the crowd was really into. It was too short to be deemed a classic (around 11 minutes), but Sting and Great Muta have such great chemistry and I enjoyed this match quite a bit. Score: 7.5

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