It has become an anticipated ritual. Battles for the Undisputed Championship are always amongst the most scrutinized, but never before has a phenomenon been witnessed that compares to the twenty-five match winning streak, seven championship defenses, and two tournaments as that of the current record setting, reigning Undisputed Champion -- "The Unstoppable" Cr0w!
At Supercard 13: The Spirit of Vengeance (October 2, 2011) the Undisputed Champion will defend his belt against a challenger he knows very well! "The Iron Man" Ratt was one of the seven challengers to come up short, the most recent being The_Purple_Bunny, a contender whose momentum came to a crashing end in Cr0w's most dominant defense to date! The Iron Man has fought his way back to the top of the pile, but what are his chances? Lets try to find out!
Cr0w (c) d. The_Purple_Bunny - Supercard 12: Night of the Barons (Sep. 18)
As already mentioned, Cr0w took a surprisingly strong stance against The_Purple_Bunny when he defended the Championship to the first-time contender at Supercard 12. That is the only match Cr0w has added to his record since last month's Championship preview, which included details of his big win at Tournament 8: Grand Slam [Singles]!
Highlighting the diversity of fighters and the many opportunities offer to the Championship; Ratt has walked a very different path to that of the last challenger. As a former-champion, Ratt looks to become the second two-time title holder, following in the footsteps of Cr0w himself. As a stalwart of Pre-Show competition, Ratt has become one of the most storied fighters in League, noteworthy for his never-say-die attitude and determination to meet every obstacle with gusto -- the very fact that earned him the "Iron Man" moniker when he fought three matches in one Grand Prix weekend -- including a twenty-person Battle Royale that he won!
That "Iron Man" spirit saw Ratt -- whilst Champion -- enter Tournament 5: War for the Kr0wn under the guise of Darkrai, in an effort to prove his worth against a full field of one hundred and twenty-eight, rather than wait for a single winner, as was organized for the then-champion! Other highlights include famously conquering the first Tower of Power, defeating Cr0w before he took out Toryn to become the Undisputed Champion for the first time! He has competed with all of the biggest names in The Great Arena, overcoming the likes of Genku, Bez Busshitsu and Toryn in tense feuds.
The complete path of the challenger is one of the longest and most impressive:
Ratt d. KittyKat - Round 1, Tournament 1 (Jan. 4)
Ratt d. rxvt - Round 2, Tournament 1 (Jan. 4)
Ratt d. Scott-Howell - Round 3, Tournament 1 (Jan. 5)
Ratt d. Ninja_Mime - Round 4, Tournament 1 (Jan. 5)
Ratt progressed through Quarter Final due to a bye.
Toryn d. Ratt - Semi Final, Tournament 1 (Jan. 5)
Ratt d. Mimik - Round 1, Tournament 2: Quest for a Champion (Jan. 8)
Ratt d. buragas - Round 2, Tournament 2: Quest for a Champion (Jan. 8)
Ratt d. Toryn - Round 3, Tournament 2: Quest for a Champion (Jan. 9)
DeathScepter d. Ratt - Quarter Final, Tournament 2: Quest for a Champion (Jan. 9)
Ratt d. DECEPTION - Pre-Show 1: Battle Royale 2011 Qualifiers (Jan. 23)
ElJobber d. Ratt - Battle Royal, Supercard 1: Battle Royale 2011 (Jan. 30)
Ratt d. Baraka_MK - Pre-Show 2: Champion's Revenge (Feb. 12)
Toryn d. Ratt - Battle Royal, Supercard 2: Triple Double/The Eliminator (Feb. 21)
R.Genku d. Ratt - Supercard 3: The Long Hard Road (Mar. 13)
Ratt d. Ken - Open, Pre-Show 3: Road to Redemption (Mar. 20)
Bez Busshitsu (Famine) d. Ratt - Pre-Show 3: Road to Redemption (Mar. 20)
Ken & Ratt d. m0s & STEROLIZER - Pre-Show 4: Grand Prix Warm-Up (Apr. 2)
Ratt d. Shoe - Battle Royal, Supercard 4: 2011 Ultimate Grand Prix (Apr. 3)
Ratt d. R.Genku - Supercard 4: 2011 Ultimate Grand Prix (Apr. 3)
Ratt d. ThirtyThr33 - Open, Pre-Show 5: Challenge Tower Qualifiers (Apr. 10)
Bez Busshitsu (Famine) d. Ratt - Pre-Show 5: Challenge Tower Qualifiers (Apr. 10)
Ratt d. Cr0w - Supercard 5: Tower of Power (Apr. 17)
Ratt d. Toryn (c) - Supercard 5: Tower of Power (Apr. 17)
R.Genku d. Ratt - Supercard 5: Tower of Power (Apr. 17)
Bez Busshitsu (Famine) d. Ratt - Supercard 5: Tower of Power (Apr. 17)
Ratt (c) d. Toryn - Open, Pre-Show 6: Bitter Peace (Apr. 24)
Ratt & Genku d. Famine & Pestilence - Supercard 6: Team Cr0w vs Team Kron (May 1)
Ratt (c) d. Genku - Supercard 6: Team Cr0w vs Team Kron (May 1)
Darkrai (Ratt) d. KombatKid - Round 1, Tournament 5: War for the Kr0wn (May 10)
Darkrai (Ratt) d. BoringErik - Round 2, Tournament 5: War for the Kr0wn (May 11)
Darkrai (Ratt) d. Baraka_MK - Round 3, Tournament 5: War for the Kr0wn (May 12)
Darkrai (Ratt) d. Genku - Round 4, Tournament 5: War for the Kr0wn (May 13)
Darkrai (Ratt) d. The_Purple_Bunny - Quarter Final, Tournament 5: War for the Kr0wn (May 14)
Kron d. Darkrai (Ratt) - Semi Final, Tournament 5: War for the Kr0wn (May 15)
Cr0w d. Ratt (c) - Tournament 5: War for the Kr0wn (May 15)
Ratt d. TonyTheTiger & Hokey - Supercard 7: Bird's Eye View (May 22)
Kron d. ElJobber & Ratt - Supercard 7: Bird's Eye View (May 22)
Kron d. Ratt - Special: The Rapture and the Madness (May 29)
Ratt d. ElJobber - Pre-Show 8: Queen's Court Rules (Jun. 12)
Cr0w (c) d. Ratt - Supercard 8: Corporeal Punishment (Jun. 19)
STEROLIZER d. Ratt - Supercard 9: Royal Roulette (Jul. 17)
Ratt d. JRF - Open, Pre-Show 10: Tower II Qualification (Jul. 24)
Ratt d. Toryn - Supercard 10: Tower of Power II (Jul. 31)
ElJobber d. Ratt - Supercard 10: Tower of Power II (Jul. 31)
Ratt d. STEROLIZER - Pre-Show 11: Truth or Consequences (Aug. 7)
Ratt d. Toryn - Supercard 11: All-Star Summer Showdown (Aug. 14)
Ratt d. Mandijadeee - Round 1, Tournament 8: Grand Slam [Singles] (Sep. 1)
Ratt d. titsos - Round 2, Tournament 8: Grand Slam [Singles] (Sep. 3)
Ratt d. Onryo - Round 3, Tournament 8: Grand Slam [Singles] (Sep. 6)
Ratt d. DeathScepter - Round 4, Tournament 8: Grand Slam [Singles] (Sep. 8)
Ratt d. Ken - Quarter Final, Tournament 8: Grand Slam [Singles] (Sep. 9)
Ratt d. ElJobber - Semi Final, Tournament 8: Grand Slam [Singles] (Sep. 10)
Cr0w d. Ratt - Final, Tournament 8: Grand Slam [Singles] (Sep. 10)
Ratt d. SixArmedSamurai - Open, Pre-Show 12: Grand Slam Aftermath (Sep. 11)
Bez Busshitsu (Famine) d. Ratt - Supercard 12: Night of the Barons (Sep. 18)
Ratt d. Bofh - Open, Pre-Show 13: Highway to Hell (Sep. 25)
There can be no denying that Ratt has everything it takes to become Undisputed Champion, but his recent record against Cr0w is not generous. Since defeating Cr0w on his way to the title at Supercard 5, Ratt has suffered three defeats, two of them in Championship situations. The most recent was in the final of of Tournament 8: Grand Slam [Singles], which otherwise delayed Ratt's contention for the title until this coming match, October 2nd.
Owning a 3-1 win record over Ratt should, you would think, bolster the Champion into a position of confidence, but the build to Supercard 13 has seen Cr0w at his least confident. Even after inflicting a shocking +24 impact on The_Purple_Bunny at Supercard 12, Cr0w has begun prophecizing his own defeat. Some might speculate that the effort required to defeat TPB, resulting in spectacular results, actually saw Cr0w give everything he had in a blaze of glory that may have left him spent. Others might question whether this unlikely level of doubt is just a tactic, a strategy designed to position "The Unstoppable" as an underdog against his immensely popular opponent, whilst lulling Ratt into a false sense of security.
It is clear -- with each subsequent victory, Cr0w comes closer to a defeat. The pressure of a twenty-five match win streak, which has extended through seven successful championship defenses, has been an immense burden to shoulder for the Champion. We have certainly speculated about, and witnessed, that stress manifest itself in the past. Is it finally reaching breaking point? Cr0w would certainly have everyone believing so!
October 2 is the scene when the Undisputed Championship will go on the line at Supercard 13: The Spirit of Vengeance! Cr0w chases a staggering twenty-sixth straight win and eighth title defense, while Ratt seeks a second bite at the ultimate prize! Don't miss it!
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