Ray Abed

We are back! In 1993, 2 years after I started the World's Finest Tournament, I created the Fighters Edge concept. It had been my heartbeat from the start to make the Street Fighter competitive scene as vibrant and exciting as it could be. This would be a next step to broadening the game and competitive scene's scope. One day at the shop I shared the idea with Tomo. Immediately his eyes lit up and he said "Let's call it the Street Fighters Edge!". I responded "The Fighters Edge!". In less than a minute the Column was born. That moment felt magical. A week or so later I reached out to a Gamepro Magazine Editor and shared with him the 'Fighters Edge' concept, pitching it as a regular monthly column. I explained it's Mission would be to promote the Street Fighter game and competitive scene by covering Tournaments, the players and assisting people all over the world gain a sense of mastery over their craft. It would be a place where fans of Fighters could gather every 30 days to glimpse into the very best of what the Fighting world was offering. It would be a Sanctum for fans of the genre from all over the world to unite and become a part of something much bigger than themselves. He loved the idea and asked for a formal proposal. The Fighters Edge proposal was typed out at the shop on a Friday and sent off to the Editor for formal review with his bosses which included the Editor in Chief of the Magazine. We crossed our fingers and waited for several weeks. Finally I got the call. Yes, our proposal had been accepted! I called Tomo to give him the good news! We 'celebrated' for a minute, and soon after began to work on what would be our first Article. The Fighters Edge column was initially published in the February 1994 issue of Gamepro Magazine. Attached below is a copy of our first article. That same 'Spirit and Vision' of the oG Fighters Edge now continues into 2025. Today I am sharing that continuing Journey with you. You all are invited to follow and join with us as we begin to take our first steps into the future. You all have a personal invitation from Tomo and myself to become a very key part of our Mission. This is just the beginning. There is much more to come. Let's go!