 | |
| Editor | BriaElliott |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly Fighting Spirit Magazine Spirit Magazine |
| Publisher | Uncooked Media |
| First issue | 13 April 2006 |
| Final issue | 15 August 2019 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM) was a monthlyprofessional wrestling andmixed martial arts magazine published in the United Kingdom by Uncooked Media. The publication launched in 2006, becoming the UK's largest professional wrestling magazine.[1] It folded in 2019, being merged intoWrestle Talk magazine.[2][3]
Sportswriter Brian Elliott was the editor of Fighting Spirit Magazine, having previously worked for theBelfast Telegraph in Northern Ireland. FSM feature columnists included professional wrestlersStone Cold Steve Austin andNick Aldis as well asRing of Honor's former executive producerJim Cornette.[4] Guest columns were provided byBret Hart,Mick Foley andChris Jericho. Regular feature writers included Michael Campbell, Will Cooling, Justin Henry, John Lister, David Bixenspan and Richard Luck. FormerPro Wrestling Illustrated editorBill Apter, who had a regular column before being replaced by Cornette, worked on the magazine in an administrative role.
In April 2012, FSM announced that Cornette and Austin would be joining the magazine staff as columnists beginning with issue 79. The additions coincided with changes recently made to the magazine's editorial style, aiming to take a more formal and analytical attitude to reporting. In April 2014, editor Brian Elliott penned an article on the recently passedUltimate Warrior, which was re-published on theWrestling Observer Newsletter site.[5]
In September 2008,Fighting Spirit published a private memo sent byWWE to the gaming press covering the upcomingWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. The memo instructed the press not to publish screenshots of any characters bleeding or using weapons. Specifically, the memo declared that no screenshots of wrestlerTriple H could be used showing his character "in a defenseless or vulnerable position." In an article titled "Digital Politics" in issue #32, the magazine refused the WWE's demand and published a screenshot of Triple H being dominated by wrestlerKane. The magazinePower Slam later corroborated the memo.[6]
At the end of each year, FSM ran both a poll for readers to determine the winners of their annual FSM Reader Awards. These awards would be won by the likes ofDrew Galloway,Kris Travis, Andy Wild,Insane Championship Wrestling and numerous others.[7][8][9][10][11]
The FSM 50 listed the 50 best pro wrestlers in the world, as per the views of the magazine's staff. The FSM 50 first ran in 2014.
| Légende | |
|---|---|
( +X) | Gained X place(s) in comparison to the previous year's list. |
( 0) | Placed identically to the previous year's list |
( -X) | Dropped X place(s) in comparison to the previous year's list. |
| (N) | New entry, as did not place in the previous year's list. |
| Female wrestler in the rankings. | |
| Tag team in the rankings. | |