週刊プロレス Weekly Pro Wrestling No.746 1996 Takada Tenryu WAR UWF Deathmatch FMW

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. 746 — 第41号 第37号 通巻1141号

Cover Date: August 6, 1996 (平成8年8月6日発行)

Price at Publication: 450円

Format: Standard weekly issue — "BEST WRESTLING 1996" badge visible

Cover Story

The cover features a dramatic mid-action shot of Nobuhiko Takada and Genichiro Tenryu squaring off in a shoot-style confrontation — Takada throwing a kick while Tenryu prepares to receive. The headline reads:

「ブレイクしようぜ！」

"Let's Break Through!"

A subtitle adds: 「高田vs天龍、転生への序章」 — "Takada vs. Tenryu — Prologue to Rebirth." A top banner announces: 「山本、ナイマンにまさかのTKO負け！」 — "Shocking! Yamamoto TKO'd by Nyman!" — a shoot/MMA result. A key document of the 1996 cross-promotional shoot-style boom.

Inside Content

Takada vs. Tenryu — Feature Coverage

Full-page color confrontation portrait (p. 150): A stunning close-up of Nobuhiko Takada and Genichiro Tenryu facing each other eye-to-eye at ring level — intensely lit, sweaty, dramatic. Headline: 「"熱血"が溶かした…安生は基礎体力がない（天龍）」 — "'Hot Blood' Melted Things… 'Yamazaki Has No Basic Physical Strength' (Tenryu)." Kodak film strip match photography across multiple sequences including Tenryu's front facelock, Yamazaki's dropkick attempts, and Tenryu quoting himself dismissing Yamazaki's conditioning. Full match analysis with commentary from both sides (p. 150).

FMW / Deathmatch Feature — Matsunaga Scaffold Match

Color spread (p. 138): 「破・天・荒 見合って、見合って…」 — "Wild and Unprecedented — Facing Off, Facing Off…" Spectacular photography of an FMW scaffold/structure deathmatch featuring Mr. Pogo and Matsunaga atop a large raised metal scaffold structure surrounded by ring equipment. Multiple photos showing the elaborate setup, barbed wire boards, and Matsunaga surveying the arena from the elevated position. One of the most visually striking deathmatch documentation pages in this batch — strong FMW collector content (p. 138).

FMW / Joshi Feature — Bloody Deathmatch Aerial

Color spread (p. 10): 「極悪魔王の純愛。」 — "The Pure Love of the Extreme Demon King." Full-page dramatic color action photo of a bleach-blond heel wrestler (likely Hisakatsu Oya / "Gorgeous") launching a flying attack in a crowded arena, with smaller inset photos of barbed wire and deathmatch environment. Feature covers the character's unexpected emotional motivations behind his extreme persona (p. 10).

WAR — Media Embargo Lift Celebration / Reader Photo Feature

Black-and-white reader fan photo section (p. 98): 「私のPHOTO自慢！"取材拒否"解除 WARと記念撮影！」 — "My Prized Photo! Media Embargo Lifted — Commemorative Photos with WAR!" Candid fan photos with WAR wrestlers following the lifting of the media ban — shows fans posing with Tenryu and WAR roster members at Korakuen Hall and other venues. Charming period document of fan culture and the WAR embargo story (p. 98).

Condition

Visually Very Good. Cover shows light edge wear and minor corner creasing consistent with a 1996 weekly. Spine intact and square. Interior pages clean with strong color and black-and-white reproduction. No visible tears, writing, or missing pages noted from photos.