The 2016 Grand Slam Launch officially begins a new year of competition tomorrow!
The random tournament draw has already scattered 128 fighters across an elimination bracket, with two top seeds positioned at either end. The selected represent the best, brightest, or simply the most fortunate of the league, totalling a meagre 42.5% of all previously ranked combatants!
With opportunity available to so few; Hall of Fame competitors have been deliberately omitted from this year's launch event! This surprise decision hasn't diminished the quality of the field, however! 2016 marks the sixth year of The Great Arena and a bold step forward into a new era of rising stars. The draw has distributed many promising competitors evenly throughout. Most of the heavyweights won't meet until later rounds, but the fates have conspired to create some compelling match-ups in Round 1. Here are the headline makers:
1. United: Hokey [#1] versus Bronzie
The Undisputed Champion was a late entrant into the 2016 Grand Slam Launch, replacing m0s as the #1 seed upon admission. Hokey has very little to prove, entering Tournament 63 as both the top title holder and the reigning Grand Slam tournament champion! His 2015 Summer Grand Slam win may have been a long sought career achievement -- but the prestige of winning more Grand Slam titles was simply too much to ignore! No fighter has ever won all four Grand Slams in a single year. Could Hokey be the first? T63 will be a perfect test for the new champion, and one of the most talked about fighters of 2015!
2. The_Purple_Bunny versus "The Secret Weapon" SubScorpTile
The potential for The_Purple_Bunny to face the Undisputed Champion in Round 2 has all eyes on the top of the bracket! TPB won the event in 2014, and has two more Grand Slam titles to his name. He's one of the most decorated fighters in the league, but he also has one of the toughest draws with "The Secret Weapon" SubScorpTile pointed at him in the first round! They met in the Fourth Round last year, where TPB comprehensively took care of The Secret Weapon. SST has proven to be a dark horse in any fight, and with the motivation of past results, could be a real threat!
9. Benjamin versus ]{0MBAT
With a serious case for Division 2 Championship contention; Benjamin will enter Tournament 63 with a plan to go as deep as he can to firm up his chances for gold! ]{0MBAT will throw up a decent challenge in the First Round, but with his experience level plateauing during the year it will likely be Benjamin's to win or lose!
16. Mime versus shin
The 2016 Grand Slam Launch will mark the ranking debut for newcomer: shin. Fighting out of Malaysia; the little known combatant has been a part of the system for quite some time, but has made little to no impact. He'll jump directly into the fire with his first major match, facing seasoned veteran Mime in a bout that will be more about experience than winning!
19. mwgrant0 versus "Voice of Reason" Damo
As the leader of "The Service Krew", Damo dominated the Duo Division in 2015, but now looks to further his exploits as a solo competitor. On the surface, it seems as if the 2013 Grand Slam Launch winner has an easy start -- but beneath the unassuming surface of mwgrant0 lurks a secret! The Duo Division competitor has been largely protected by his partner Unknown265, but injuries sustained in a KFL Armageddon Month match with TonyTheTiger have him severely weakened. This match could be do or die for mwgrant0 -- and that could make him a serious danger to Damo's grand designs of a second tournament win!
23. ShawnMichaels versus King Ken
The "King of the World" Ken has been keeping some high profile company since his win in the all nations November tournament. He'll come back down to Earth in Round 1 when he faces the leader of The Invasion. The exact motives or goal behind the Invasion movement remains unknown, but you can bet winning a Grand Slam tournament and beating the King of the World would sit nicely!
25. Reiko versus The Great Genku
2015 proved to be a story of redemption for The Great Genku. In spite of his impressive five Grand Slam tournament wins -- including back-to-back 2011 & 2012 January crowns -- he was constantly foiled when it came to winning the big ones. That changed at All-Star Summer Showdown when he finally won the Undisputed Championship, but ended in December when he lost it. The tournament will begin his trek back to the gold, but how much did a big 2015 take out of him?
28. "The Guardian" CaTigeReptile versus "Pegaso" Zentile
Freshly minted Division 2 Champion Zentile has spent the year surprising everyone with big wins in tight situations! No victory came as a bigger shock than his KFL Championship win over 7-time champion: CaTigeReptile! The gift of the random draw promises to produce an intriguing grudge match between the pair, as CTR chases the elusive dream of the Undisputed Championship. She has the confidence of winning the 2015 Grand Prix Warm-Up slam -- but never has the threat of an upset been more real! Better still: if Zentile wins, he could face former Div.2 champ Sekktor in Round 2!
37. Porygonix versus The_Hurricane
On the opposite side of The Invasion stands a force now called The Alliance. The_Hurricane stands as one of the figureheads of the firewall movement, which brings ICWW immortals back into conflict with old rivals. Hurricane has already shown himself to be a potent player next to tag team partner AlbertBeefcake, but at the end of 2015, Porygonix found new energy in forming a team with long time contemporary Jammer2Omega. These two could very well find themselves on opposite sides of a different war -- the 2016 race for the two-man gold! An intriguing match-up of two well matched foes.
54. "The Rocket" MKR versus VenoMark
You can always count on the random draw to produce some unusual match-ups. T63 has outdone itself with the First Round meeting of two old friends! Though they've partnered many times in the past; VenoMark spent the majority of 2015 flying solo as the most dominant KFL Champion in history! He's also shown in the past that he'll more than gladly play a cutthroat hand if beating his friends will take him one step closer to glory. With his coveted KFL gold back in his possession, VenoMark may be the most dangerous opponent MKR could face!
64. "The Redeemer" LordSkarlet versus m0s [#2]
The tournament draw has saved the best for last! History repeats as m0s finds himself with one of the toughest First Round matches of the field! Throughout 2015, they led opposing sides in a KFL war. LordSkarlet surprised many when he emerged the victor against Team m0s. It was a different story during the December Master's Series tournament, where LS faltered and m0s carried through to become the first fighter to win two Master's Series titles! Can he convert that success into his first Grand Slam tournament win? It won't be easy -- but it will be one helluva match to watch!
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