週刊プロレス No.798 1997 NJPW Best Super Junior IWGP Mutoh NWO Sting Special Issue

Publication: 週刊プロレス (Weekly Pro Wrestling)

Publisher: ベースボール・マガジン社 (Baseball Magazine Sha)

Issue: No. 798 — 第43号 第27号 通巻1193号

Cover Date: June 22, 1997 (平成9年6月22日発行)

Price at Publication: 410円

Format: 緊急増刊号 (Emergency Special Supplemental Issue) — All Color 52 Pages (オールカラー52ページ)

Special Edition Status: This is NOT a standard weekly issue — it is a dedicated emergency supplemental publication released specifically to cover the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors II finale and Budokan IWGP title match results.

Cover Story

The cover features two junior heavyweights locked in intense close-quarters combat — identifiable as the Best of the Super Juniors II tournament final at Budokan — with the headline:

「新日本プロレス6・5日本武道館大会『ベスト・オブ・ザ・スーパージュニアII』最終戦速報号」

"New Japan Pro Wrestling June 5 Budokan Show — 'Best of the Super Juniors II' — Final Match Flash Report Issue"

The large center character 「純」 ("Pure") with the subtext 「I★W★G★P戦」 ("IWGP Match") emphasizes the clean, pure pro wrestling heavyweight title match that headlined the card alongside the junior tournament finale.

Inside Content

Best of the Super Juniors II — Tournament Coverage

Full-color coverage of the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors II tournament held at Nippon Budokan on June 5, 1997. The tournament final is extensively documented with match photography. Participants visible in coverage include El Samurai and Kanemoto Koji in the junior league final, with headline: 「決勝に進んだのは"あの事件"の当事者2人… リメンバー尼崎!」 — "The Two Who Advanced to the Final Are the Parties to 'That Incident'… Remember Amagasaki!" — referencing a prior notorious incident between the two finalists that added major narrative weight to their tournament meeting.

Nakanishi & Kojima — Tag Partner Tension Feature

Full-color spread: 「同士打ち、仲間割れ…!? それでも2人を結び付ける新王者の宿命」 — "Friendly Fire, Team Split…!? And Yet the Destiny of the New Champions Binds These Two Together." Coverage of the complex partnership between Manabu Nakanishi and Satoshi Kojima as new champions, with match photography showing Nakanishi lariating Kojima and references to NWO involvement in their title reign story.

Keiji Mutoh — No Sign of NWO

Full-color spread: 「NWO入りの影なし！純白の武藤敏司!!」 — "No Shadow of NWO Membership — Pure White Keiji Mutoh!!" Stunning full-page color photo of Keiji Mutoh executing his signature Space Rolling Elbow / moonsault in his white gear, with additional smaller sequence photos. This is a key document of the period when Mutoh's NWO alignment was being teased in NJPW. Exceptional visual page — strong collector draw.

Nagata Interview Feature

Multi-photo interview feature on Yuji Nagata following his Best of the Super Juniors participation, including candid outdoor portrait photos and in-ring match sequence shots from his league matches (vs. Liger, vs. Kojima noted). Headline: 「これほどの試合を経験して、やっとジュニアの一員になれた。どこまでも謙虚なんだ…」 — "Having experienced matches like these, I've finally become a true member of the Juniors. He remains so humble…"

Merchandise / Shopping Page — NWO & NJPW Goods

Full-color merchandise spread featuring period-authentic items including:

nWo 4 Life denim jacket (20,000円)

nWo logo Zippo lighter and merchandise

Sting T-shirt (WCW era)

IWGP Championship belt replica

Keiji Mutoh special Famicom/video game premium issue (武藤敏司 VALIUS)

Inoki Toshiba EMI video (燃える闘魂 — "Burning Fighting Spirit")

Inoki Final Countdown memorial Zippo lighter (7,500円)

This merchandise page is a valuable period document of mid-1990s Japanese wrestling collectibles at retail.

Condition

Visually Very Good. Cover shows light edge wear and minor corner creasing consistent with age. Spine intact. All-color interior pages appear clean and bright with strong color reproduction throughout. No visible tears, writing, or missing pages noted from photos. Some light cover tanning along edges normal for era.