Wednesday, November 30, 2016

The Invasion Decides - Recap & Result

The Invasion have been an opposing party since emerging under ShawnMichaels, late last year. In 2016, the importance of their influence has been growing steadily. The party underwent a leadership change in July, beginning with more moderate policies towards The Invasion's position within The Great Arena. As the months wore on, they became more emboldened, pursuing opposing parties more aggressively, and ultimately setting their sights on the Undisputed Championship.

The Great Genku brought considerable hope with him in July as he emerged as The Invasion's great white hope under DaemonX. "American Nightmare" LordSkarlet soon emerged as a second viable choice for the championship race, backed by Violent`J.

LordSkarlet launched his campaign with close ties to Violent`J at the end of September. The pair appeared together at Pre-Show 84:A Lovely Tea Party, publicly opposing Ratt & NightHawk and further cementing their association by protecting the Duo Division Championship. Genku was slow to respond, favouring safe, basic attacks on broad enemy The Alliance, before tackling LordSkarlet head-on on October 3rd. The clash provided Genku with his first important victory and kick the championship race into a higher gear.

LordSkarlet looked shaky heading in to Supercard 84, losing face in a brutal annihilation at the hands of Ratt. He was able to turn it around in spectacular ways, however, earning a career defining victory inside the Steel Cage at Pre-Show 85 - a result that completely removed Ratt from the equation! At that same time, Genku became distracted with personal issues with Damo. Some saw this as a petty distraction, while his attacks on The Alliance were too safe. Through DaemonX, he made the master stroke of shifting his attentions to The British Exit. He crossed borders to go after DemoniaX on October 14th. It was a bold move that paid off and drew turncoat Banging onto Genku's home turf, where he scored another important victory on October 17th!

The Steel Cage win against Ratt was a tent pole victory for LordSkarlet, but it also cost him most of October. While Genku attended Devil's Night, LordSkarlet's absence in The Great Arena allowed the seeds of a narrative of inexperience to take hold. He had an ace in the hole, though. Neither fighter attended the Halloween Battle Royal, but LordSkarlet saw King Ken as a potential recruit who could bring veteran experience to his campaign. The offer backfired in the best way possible. On November 7th, LordSkarlet eliminated a stated threat to The Invasion by removing Ken from the scene! Once again LordSkarlet was a hero, and a slayer of giants! A potential game changer!

Things continued to go LordSkarlet's way in November. Genku again found himself distracted by personal rivalries at Pre-Show 86. On November 14th he suffered an even bigger setback when DemoniaX showed up to score an upset victory! Genku's campaign was now all-in on The British Exit, but it was blowing up in his face. Public opinion was now firmly behind LordSkarlet.

Supercard 86: Survivor Sequence - Invasion was a defining moment not just for the candidates, but for the entire Invasion party. Their resources were spread thin as they were forced to fight a war of multiple fronts. This trial by fire made friends all the more important to LordSkarlet and Genku.

DaemonX was in the trenches with Genku, leading their team against The British Exit. It came as no surprise they were able to defeat the British relatively easily. On the other hand, with Violent`J busy keeping the Duo Division Championship within The Invasion's hold, LordSkarlet took a leadership role against the forces of The Alliance. His team was outclassed and very nearly defeated, were it not for the grit and determination of LordSkarlet himself. He snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. It was another example of LordSkarlet as Invasion hero, overcoming overwhelming odds. Genku was a winner, but some felt the hard work was done before he took the glory. LordSkarlet was still ahead, but the gap between candidates was significantly closed as they shared success.

They were difficult to separate on November 21st as they both beat their opposing team captains from the night before. On November 23rd, the final week of the championship race was announced. Neck and neck, their next steps would prove pivotal to the election.

They were together on November 25th, participating in a joint assault on Friday Night Fights. The tactic that had given Genku an edge early was now shared between them as The Invasion performed a precision strike on The British Exit. While LordSkarlet was kept to these events only, Genku got more aggressive with his campaign, making an effort to have a greater presence in the arena between battles. He risked being seen as antagonist, controversially mixing "alternative facts" that snubbed former Undisputed Champion Violent`J with his claims of proven championship experience. With everything to play for, he pulled his trump card -- a final one-on-one battle between he and LordSkarlet. On November 28th, just two days ahead of the election, he scored a decisive victory.

Closing arguments were difficult to separate. Genku leant hard on LordSkarlet's inexperience, and pushed the title bout experience that brought him to The Invasion in the first place. LordSkarlet talked up his own achievements in a short amount of time, instead of attacking Genku's failures. Both sold the dream of the Undisputed Championship. Genku said he could make The Invasion Great.

Including the two candidates themselves, twenty-seven members of The Invasion gathered to vote. DaemonX publicly supported The Great Genku, while Violent`J carried his Duo Division title into the voting booth for LordSkarlet. All twenty-seven votes were tallied, and the verdict determined. It was incredibly close race - a verdict decided by just one vote!

With 51.85% (or 14-13 votes in favour): The Great Genku is the Contender Elect!

Contender Elect Genku now looks ahead to January 29th, 2017, when he will have the opportunity to complete his path to the Undisputed Championship at Supercard 88: Battle Royale!

No comments:

Post a Comment