Monday, March 28, 2011

HYPE: ElJobber/Toryn Championship Preview!

With the magnitude of Supercard 4 first made known in January, no one could've predicted that the main event would feature it's eventual contender and champion. During the first two months of competition, the Undisputed Championship seemed to belong to the hottest feuding fighters in The Great Arena: Cr0w and Kron! This unlikeliest of pairings will be busy teaming-up at Supercard 4, when they challenge Famine and Pestilence.

Supercard 4: 2011 Ultimate Grand Prix - The Arena Spectacular will instead play host to an intriguing battle that introduces new faces to the championship legacy in the biggest spotlight of them all! Toryn is the defending champion who won the belt as part of a comeback; while ElJobber enters his first shot as a contender who earned his way to the spot. Their paths have crossed only once in this time, granting Toryn the 1-0-0 advantage, something that is true of their records in general.

The Road to Supercard 4...
ElJobber's road to the big time began at Supercard 1: Battle Royale 2011, in an elimination event that Toryn failed to qualify for! ElJobber entered at #33, enduring thirty-five minutes that included eliminations of wife_smasher (#23), fraysol (#29), Ninja_Mime (#36), Porygonix (#37), and Genku (#39) to make him last man standing and #1 contender for far off April 3. ElJobber then spent his months carefully, proving his credibility in big time matches against monkey on his back, TonyTheTiger (Supercard 2), and original Undisputed Champion, Cr0w (Supercard 3)!

After missing the random draw for Battle Royale 2011; Toryn was forced to fight his way back to the spotlight. Victories over MINION (Pre-Show 2) and Ratt in a six-person contender Battle Royal (Supercard 2). His time finally came at Supercard 3: The Long Hard Road, where shock onlookers witnessed Toryn overcome Kron to win the Undisputed Championship.

The Preparation...
With each man gaining a victory over a former champion at Supercard 3: The Long Hard Road; Toryn and ElJobber proved their chops as legitimate contenders in similar style. In the immediate lead-up, however, their approach to preparing for Supercard 4 has been a study in contrasts.

ElJobber, a familiar face in the unofficial fighting ranks outside The Great Arena, has remained relatively active, taking challenges from Lord Mislukking's minions and other fighters in an effort to hone his craft. Toryn, on the other hand, has been a largely absent champion, promising little in the way of fatigue, but raising questions about his readiness to carry the top prize.

The Tale of the Tape...
Though their success has come at around the same time, these two fighters are as much an evenly matched pairing, as they are a study in contrasts. Both men may have defeated top contenders in their charge toward Supercard 4, but in general, their path to the big time has come in different ways. Toryn infamously built his power and reputation off of a training sprint that put him in the upper ranks very quickly. ElJobber, on the other hand, has enjoyed a steady improvement, a gradual arc that took him from the middle ranks and made him a power player in and out of The Great Arena.

Toryn's early success gives him the clear advantage in Great Arena history, fighting with an 11-3-0 record, and League Ranking of #2. ElJobber exhibits a more modest 7-2-0, with potential to do one better than his opponent from his #7 League Ranking base. The stats clearly favour Toryn, comfortably, but not so overwhelming that ElJobber comes into this fight a total mismatch.

A steady presence in the unofficial fighting ranks has been key to ElJobber's steady rise through the ranks, sponsored in no small part by his intimacy with the governing body. Toryn has shown much less steadfast interest, an absent champion, for the most part. Toryn has a striker rating of 6, while ElJobber was able to recently hone his skills to a 7. Any fighter can win on any given day, it's true, but with the experience gap growing, you'd have to think ElJobber has the edge in terms of sheer potential to win fights.

Examining the win/loss records of the pair, it's fair to say the class of opponent they have faced presents some differences. Toryn has enjoyed success as early as Tournament 1, where he ran right to the final, succumbing to defeat at the last moment against Genku. Victories against the likes of Ken, Mimik, Aquilluxborg Hydroxybot, Ratt, DeathScepter, and Kron paint a picture of a big game hunter who has been very successful despite a parabolic rise, fall, and rise. ElJobber can only claim a smaller cast of scalps, twin victories against TonyTheTiger as much a personal victory, made more credible by a big win against Cr0w. Winning Battle Royale is, of course, ElJobber's biggest claim to fame, where he eliminated several top contenders including runner-up, Genku.

The complete fight history of both fighters ultimately favours Toryn:
ElJobber d. Mark - Round 1, Tournament 1 (Jan. 4)
ElJobber d. ZachAngel - Round 2, Tournament 1 (Jan. 4)
ElJobber d. DigbyRigby - Round 3, Tournament 1 (Jan. 5)
Toryn d. ElJobber - Round 4, Tournament 1 (Jan. 5)
TonyTheTiger d. ElJobber - R1, Tournament 2: Quest for a Champion (Jan. 8)
ElJobber d. TonyTheTiger - Pre-Show 1: Battle Royale Qualifiers (Jan. 23)
ElJobber won 40-man Battle Royale - Supercard 1: Battle Royale 2011 (Jan. 31)
ElJobber d. TonyTheTiger - Supercard 2: Triple Double/Eliminator (Feb. 21)
ElJobber d. Cr0w - Supercard 3: The Long Hard Road (Mar. 13)


Toryn d. Ken - Round 1, Tournament 1 (Jan. 4)
Toryn d. Twiztid_Ninja - Round 2, Tournament 1 (Jan. 4)
Toryn d. Mimik - Round 3, Tournament 1 (Jan. 5)
Toryn d. ElJobber - Round 4, Tournament 1 (Jan. 5)
Toryn d. Aquilluxborg Hydroxybot - Quarter Final, Tournament 1 (Jan. 5)
Toryn d. Ratt - Semi Final, Tournament 1 (Jan. 5)
Genku d. Toryn - Final, Tournament 1 (Jan. 5)
Toryn d. Fires - Round 1, Tournament 2: Quest for a Champion (Jan. 8)
Toryn d. rxvt - Round 2, Tournament 2: Quest for a Champion (Jan. 8)
Ratt d. Toryn - Round 3, Tournament 2: Quest for a Champion (Jan. 9)
Porygonix d. Toryn - Pre-Show 1: Battle Royale Qualifiers (Jan. 23)
Toryn d. MINION - Pre-Show 2: Champion's Revenge (Feb. 12)
Toryn won 6-man Battle Royal - Supercard 2: Triple Double/Eliminator (Feb. 21)
Toryn d. Kron (c) - Supercard 3: The Long Hard Road (Mar. 13)


There is the small matter of the only time the two have fought, as well -- a Tournament 1 clash that saw Toryn advance to the Quarter Finals. All in all, the tale of the tape is one that suggests significant obstacles for ElJobber to overcome if he's to end Toryn's reign as champion prematurely. Of course, The Great Arena has already played host to many upsets, with some considering Toryn's win among them. The answers will come April 3 when Supercard 4: 2011 Ultimate Grand Prix - The Arena Spectacular brings the two together in a fight for the title!

Also at the biggest event in history: former champions and arch-rivals, Kron & Cr0w, unite their powers in an effort to ride The Great Arena of Famine and Pestilence! TonyTheTiger and DeathScepter & DaMo look for glory and recognition by challenging Mimik and Hokey & Ninja_Mime, respectively. PLUS -- a very special Thirty-Person Battle Royale featuring winners from additional stages at the April 2 special, Pre-Show 4: Grand Prix Warm-Up!

There's still a full week until the big show, so be sure to check back for daily updates as the most spectacular event in history takes shape!

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