Sunday, January 24, 2016

Supercard 74: Battle Royale 2016

It comes but once a year - an annual tradition that is a prize unto itself, but a launching pad to the spectacle that is the main event of Ultimate Grand Prix! 40 fighters enter at 90 second intervals until one fighter is left standing. It's Battle Royale and for the first time since the inaugural Supercard - no former winners are available to enter! That means a stacked undercard and a brand new Battle Royale champion! Here's how it went down:

8. Kron (#39) eliminated LordSkarlet (#28) to win Battle Royale 2016!
Battle Royale 2016 Eliminations:
1. Onimike (#2) elim. little-mac (#1)
2. Onimike (#2) elim. Torchia (#3)
3. Onimike (#2) elim. deadly (#4)
4. m0s (#6) elim. Mk_FrEaK (#7)
5. m0s (#6) elim. Onimike (#2)
6. Banging (#5) elim. deadpool (#10)
7. Banging (#5) elim. SubScorpTile (#8)
8. m0s (#6) elim. avenger45 (#9)
9. m0s (#6) elim. ErmackDaddy (#12)
10. m0s (#6) elim. Banging (#5)
11. m0s (#6) elim. Jauger (#13)
12. m0s (#6) elim. muttonhead (#14)
13. DECEPTION (#20) elim. GBK (#17)
14. m0s (#6) elim. giandavil (#16)
15. Knickxasawrrrr (#11) elim. maxilos (#18)
16. Ken (#21) elim. TheMetinPorta (#24)
17. Genku (#22) elim. Loopster (#19)
18. Genku (#22) elim. Ken (#21)
19. m0s (#6) elim. ShawnMichaels (#25)
20. Genku (#22) elim. Statix (#15)
21. Genku (#22) elim. Baraka_MK (#27)
22. LordSkarlet (#28) elim. Onryo (#29)
23. CaTigeReptile (#26) elim. tabmok99s_wife (#32)
24. Genku (#22) elim. Darfus (#33)
25. Politics (#36) elim. Poasty (#31)
26. CaTigeReptile (#26) elim. shin (#38)
27. The_Purple_Bunny (#23) elim. Nightmarescarz (#34)
28. Coltess (#35) elim. Sid (#37)
29. m0s (#6) elim. Coltess (#35)
30. Knickxasawrrrr (#11) elim. Damo (#30)
31. DECEPTION (#20) elim. Politics (#36)
32. Kron (#39) elim. Knickxasawrrrr (#11)
33. Kron (#39) elim. m0s (#6)
34. CaTigeReptile (#26) elim. Genku (#22)
35. Kron (#39) elim. DECEPTION (#20)
36. LordSkarlet (#28) elim. CaTigeReptile (#26)
37. Kron (#39) elim. The_Purple_Bunny (#23)
38. Kron (#39) elim. Mime (#40)
39. Kron (#39) elim. LordSkarlet (#28)
A raw sense of anticipation filled the air. Battle Royale is always an intriguing match, but with no former winners competing for the first time since the inaugural match -- there was a special feeling of possibility. 8 fighters qualified, but 32 competitors would be complete unknowns. little-mac & Onimike started the match simmering -- the latter emerging as a surprising, early wall!

The complexion of the match immediately changed when m0s drew #6. As the first ever 2-time Master's Series winner, some felt m0s could've challenged for the Undisputed Championship. It seemed he was going to use Battle Royale to reinforce his legitimacy. The trickle became a pour as m0s began the biggest elimination run of the match - 10, by the time he'd finished. Banging was his first real rival, but joined early by brother Knickxasawrrrr - the numbers advantage meant it would take a real heavyweight to threaten the balance. Banging managed to pull SubScorpTile into a short, punishing sequence resulting in an elimination, but m0s & Knickxasawrrrr's double-teaming made it all seem meaningless. Banging was followed by another echo from the past - short-lived #13 entrant Jauger!

Business picked up at #15 when Banging's partner Statix made his arrival. As quickly as he resumed old issues with m0s, he succumbed to the brothers' double-teaming strategy. A tactic slowly being negated as more names entered the arena. #20 got everyone on their feet as DECEPTION made his unannounced return! In under 60 seconds "The Hitman" picked up his first elimination of GBK! #21 brought The King of the World Ken, #22 The Great Genku, and #23 The Service Krew's newest member and 2015 Runner-Up: The_Purple_Bunny! The heavyweight section was officially under way!

Statix, Loopster, Ken, Knickxasawrrrr & DECEPTION all attacked Genku. The_Purple_Bunny would also find himself grappling with multiple opponents - clearly seeing him as a threat. King Ken brought back memories of his performance in Battle Royale 2011 - eliminating TheMetinPorta the second he arrived! Genku took care of Ken, and then became fixated on #27 Baraka_MK and #29 Onryo! The Corrupt Generation were treated to a whole lot of special attention from Genku, ending in back-to-back eliminations with #28 LordSkarlet getting involved!

"The Chosen One" Damo came in at #30 and got a rude awakening. It seemed conspiracy theories may have put a major target on him! A 9-on-1 assault a minute after he entered saw #31 entry Poasty joining Knickxasawrrrr, CaTigeReptile, m0s, DECEPTION, Genku, Onryo, LordSkarlet and The_Purple_Bunny all attacking! That's right! TPB had supposedly joined The Service Krew in secret, but it didn't seem to matter one iota as opportunity beckoned! Damo stuck around for a little while, but there was no coming back from the brutal beatdown!

The big names continued to dominate until a shockwave was sent through the entire arena: #39 Kron! Through Hall of Fame omissions in Tournament 63 and qualifying matches - everyone had forgotten about Kron! The man with the most eliminations hung back to watch the carnage, initially, but was dragged in after Mime made his lucky #40 entry! Genku, Politics, Mime, CaTigeReptile & The_Purple_Bunny spotted Kron and piled on!

In the final dash to the finish we saw many old rivalries revisited, and some new ones beginning. CaTigeReptile & LordSkarlet feuded for a while. m0s & Knickxasawrrrrr continued raising coordinate hell. Kron ran wild for a while. The_Purple_Bunny tried to lie low after his earlier battering, but couldn't keep out of sight for long and paid the consequences. Kron's late entry and tremendous stamina really started to come into play as the Final 4 took hold. LordSkarlet targeted TPB in the final stages, before Kron swept in to finish him off! Mime, although a late entry, had suffered at the hands of m0s & Knickxasawrrrr and went out to Kron. LordSkarlet tried to rally, but Kron was just too fresh and too strong! For the first time in his career Kron will be in the main event of Ultimate Grand Prix to challenge the Undisputed Champion - but who will that be?

7. ElJobber only narrowly defeated United: Hokey (c) in a tight finish! [+1] [Undisputed Championship]
Exploding out of Tournament 63 as #1 contender, some questioned the degree of difficulty that led to ElJobber to his second Grand Slam Tournament title. Stepping into the arena with the Undisputed Champion, he found himself taken to a new level of difficulty! It was a blockbuster encounter as Hokey dug deep in his first title defense of 2016 - answering everything the veteran challenger brought! Few title matches have come down to such a close finish - ElJobber just a fraction better when all was said and done. A result that will no doubt soften the blow of ElJobber missing his first ever Battle Royale match - an accolade he's won twice. He now embarks on a journey to hold the title until Ultimate Grand Prix, when he'll face this year's Battle Royale winner.

6. Ratt & NightHawk defeated Crow & Pink_Ranger in a good contest. [+1]
It was a heroic entrance as NightHawk emerged in The Great Arena, supporting his friend Ratt despite receiving a brutal 2-on-1 beatdown during Friday Night Fights! By all rights, NightHawk probably should not have competed, but he muscled through the gut check to do enough to help Ratt get the win back from Crow & Pink_Ranger! Crow defeated Ratt at Supercard 73: Rattamania in December -- a sour note as Crow disputes Ratt's legitimacy as a Hall of Famer. The win at Battle Royale negated the numbers game played by Crow's team, and proved just how good Ratt truly is!

5. VenoMark (c) defeated Mimik in convincing fashion! [+1] [KFL Championship]
It was a historic first for the KFL Championship as the title was officially welcomed into the major league with its first appearance on Supercard! Reigning Champion VenoMark's shock elimination from Round 1 of Tournament 63 had raised a lot of questions, but it seems he's been reinvigorated by the opportunity to carry the gold forward! Of course, Mimik still blames VenoMark for taking his golden opportunity at Survivor Sequence 2015. His hopes to exact revenge by taking VenoMark's title were a fool's gold quest. VenoMark was simply too good against the Hall of Famer, claiming the historic occasion for himself!

4. "Team Xtreme" Marz & Violent`J (c) defeated "The United" Shoe & Artanix in a convincing victory. [+1] [Duo Division Championship]
There was a sense of growing belief around The United, but it seems many merely forgot the scale of threat posed by dual Hall of Famer duo: Marz & Violent`J! Shoe & Artanix produced a winning performance under any other circumstance, but the test of Team Xtreme is beyond almost anything seen before in The Great Arena! It will almost certainly take a combination of incredible experience and momentum to take the Duo Division titles. Just the kind of situation a Tower of Power could solve, should February's Supercard 75 feature the Duo Division Championship!

3. Benjamin defeated Sekktor (c) is a solid victory! [+1] [Division 2 Championship]
What a month for the Division 2 Championship! Benjamin set himself up as a major challenger with his Finals run into Tournament 63, but he couldn't be totally sure who his opponent would be! The title has traded hands between a three-man grudge blitz of Sekktor, Zentile and Murdoink! Sekktor's win during this week's Friday Night Fights meant he equals Murdoink's record low reign of just two days -- unable to match the raw power of Benjamin at Supercard 74! Benjamin has a lot of potential to bring stability to the title, but it remains to be seen if he will.

2. CCShadow & Scott-Howell defeated Unknown265 & mwgrant0 [+1]
CCShadow & Scott-Howell got back into the chase with a good win over a dangerous combination. The voodoo that propelled mwgrant0 deep into Tournament 63 seemed to be struggling, but CCShadow & Scott-Howell were still made to work hard for their victory. With a Tower of Power slated for the next Supercard in February, this could be a very valuable win!

1. TonyTheTiger, redman & Killswitch defeated "Lucifer's Ladder" Corrupt UlcaTron, Corrupt hydraslash & Corrupt MINION in a hard fought 3-on-3 encounter! [+1]
During last year's Survivor Sequence, TonyTheTiger's predatory instincts lured him into fighting alongside The Corrupt -- but rivalries spinning out of the final months of the Kombat Fight League made a common enemy of Lucifer's Ladder! TTT's strength compensated for his lack of team experience with redman & Killswitch. The trio too good for The Corrupt in a close battle!

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