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  • 3 weeks later...

Issue 101 of Fighting Spirit Magazine is now available!

 

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In this month's edition, FSM has feature-length articles on:

- WWE's plans for 2014, including the possible return of Hulk Hogan and the February launch of the WWE network

- Goldust and Cody Rhodes, and how both men are now doing the best work of their careers

- New TNA World championMagnus, and how it's been a banner year for British grapplers

- How WWE's problems are all too often coming because they follow the culture of other genres

- The nWo Take Over Tour, and how it turned into a disaster despite the presence of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Sean Waltman

- Mad Dog Vachon, and the incredible life he led as one of pro wrestling's greatest characters

- World of Sport legend Les Kellett, who is one of the most enigmatic performers in British wrestling history

 

All of this, plus our usual news, PPV and TV reports, and DVD and book reviews. Also, in this month's columns, Jim Cornette writes about his motivation for the February trip to the UK, and Nick

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Managed to get hold of both the 100th issue and the current one the other day - WH Smith were simulstocking which was good!

 

I'm not just saying this because he's a member here, but John Lister is the biggest asset FSM have, in my opinion. Not just for Greetings, Grapple Fans - Les Kellett! - but for the other contributions he made in the two issues like the feature on the history of screwjobs. I think the pieces that focus on wrestling history are the strongest aspect of FSM; they're the sort of things you don't just come across every day online - they'd be why I'd pick up an issue I was wavering about buying. Jim Cornette is much more readable as a historian than when he just complains about things not being like they used to be.

 

The nWo tour article was interesting, but not in the way I expected. Summarised in one feature like that, without the day-by-day updates of New Information, it was a bit of a non-story, really, wasn't it? Good of FSM to cover something topical and current, but yeah, it struck me, having followed the tour thread on here, that overall there wasn't much to it!

 

One piece I really liked that I didn't expect to was the Damien Sandow profile. I don't agree with the writer that he needs to be, or should be, a main eventer, but not having watched much of him in WWE before Money In The Bank this year (Idol Stevens stuff aside), and not knowing where he went between those runs, it was really interesting and told me things I didn't know.

 

One piece I had a bit of an issue with, and I'm sorry to go here again, but Luke Dormehl's bit on cultural relevance read like an undergrad essay, which is something that's been brought up in this thread before. It's a really interesting subject, and I think the comparisons to long-form episodic TV and standalone universes like that of The Simpsons had a lot of validity, but it all got lost amongst the article trying to be balanced whilst simultaneously trying to power its argument along about WWE not needing to be culturally relevant (which I disagree with, and found nothing to persuade me otherwise). In the end, I couldn't find that argument, so certainly wasn't convinced of it - it all got a bit bogged down in comparisons, which again is a point that's come across in this thread in the past. Not just by me I should add! I do NOT still bear a grudge, honest I don't. Sorry.

 

The 100 wrestlers seemed well-considered, but I admit, not having watched anything of Japan in several years, a lot of it was just name after name of people I had vaguely heard of but knew nothing about. Maybe in future issues FSM could run mini bios of some of their top 100 wrestlers that people may not have heard of or seen?

 

That issue's my main criticism of the reviews section, too. It's all well and good reviewing PWG and stuff like that, but I don't care if so-and-so had a great match if I've got no idea who he is.

 

It was nice reading the columns from the first editor and Bill Apter, and who knew Magnus hated Paris so much? If he ever returns to British shores, an anti-French gimmick is surely in order.

Edited by HarmonicGenerator
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