Masayuki Kono
Following the title loss, Muto participated in the 2009 Champion Carnival, where he won four out of five matches in his block, losing only to Kaz Hayashi. As a result, Muto advanced to the semi-final of the tournament, where he lost to Minoru Suzuki. Muto would spend the entire year representing All Japan in matches against Voodoo Murders, Tokyo Gurentai and F4. In November, Muto teamed with Masakatsu Funaki to participate in the 2009 Real World Tag League. The duo won the tournament by defeating Masayuki Kono and Suwama.