Masked player defeats pro in Tekken 8 tournament, then gets disqualified
Fans of fighting games had fun with „Dr. Doom,” who joined a Tekken 8 tournament with extra equipment - and was disqualified, as befits a villain.
Disqualification from the tournament for throwing toilet paper after defeating an elite player—that's the notoriety "Dr. Doom" has gained for himself in Tekken 8 last weekend. However, the rumor slightly misses the truth.
Competition always stirs up strong emotions, whether it's in traditional sports or e-sports. Fighting game tournaments such as EVO, CEO, Dreamhack, or Supernova are certainly filled with intense emotions, especially with the legendary "Evo Moment 37" leading the way.
Some clashes are not remembered for their display of skill, legendary "runs," or premature celebration of victory in the grand finale. Flying chairs and crabs - these are just a few well-known examples. The CEO 2025 weekend competition could bring another moment that players will remember for years. And at least for the next week.
Online Warrior in real life
The American tournament in Orlando drew thousands of professional and amateur gamers who competed in games like Street Fighter 6, Super Smash Bros Melee/Ultimate, Guilty Gear Strive, and Tekken 8. Although the last one still needs fixing for the issues introduced in the 2nd season of the game, it was still the second most popular brawl with 463 players competing for the trophy.
Among the last fights before the selection of the top 24 players was the clash between Bilal Ilyas, considered one of Bryan's specialists (the best representative of this character in Pakistan), from the Wolves team. His opponent turned out to be... Dr. Doom. Or rather disguised as the Marvel villain "Joe Budden" - an American more known for his online clashes and annoying players with his Claudio than for live tournaments.
Even if the term "online warrior" means nothing to you (hint: it's not a compliment), all you need to know is that Bilal was undoubtedly the front-runner. His "seed" (the predicted place in the tournament, used to determine who will play against whom at the beginning of the tournament) was clearly better than "Budden's" (43 to 86). Despite this, the professional lost to "Joe Budden" 0:2.
Such upsets of talented players, who can't really travel around the world, happen often. However, it was not even the result of the clash that made this match attract the attention of fans and Bandai Namco itself.
"Foot Dive!" behind the scenes with toilet paper
We've already talked about the winner's outfit, but to be honest, it's nothing out of the ordinary - it's easy to find players dressed up or equipped for similar events (although it's less common at this stage of the tournament). Also, the ki charging as a mockery after the first win was funny, but not a very remarkable episode of the fight.
What viewers remembered most was the epilogue with the toilet paper. After the fight ended, "Joe Budden" presented the packaging of this product to the camera, clearly pointing to the inscription "Ultra Soft."
However, this is not the end. The player also went backstage, where he threw a roll of paper at the commentators (via Mein-MMO).
The "victims" themselves were not at all outraged by this incident, but "Joe Budden" was still disqualified by the organizers and didn't play in the Top 24. The reason was simple and unrelated to the "product" itself: the tournament rules clearly prohibit participants from going backstage.
Some fans expressed their dissatisfaction with this decision, but it's hard to blame the host. It's better not to create a precedent and an exception to the rule - even for safety reasons. In any case, "Joe Budden" gained a group of fans with his truly villainous performance. It's not like it was his first performance like that, and maybe he deserved a chance for something more than just Top 24 (which would still be a great finish for him).
- Tekken Dev Comments on Criticism of Microtransactions. “If We Simply Do Nothing, the Game Will Simply Stop Running in a Few Months.”
- Modern Gamers Can’t Take a Loss? Tekken Producer Wants More Team Elements in Fighting Games
- Tekken 8 sold 3 million copies. Bandai Namco revealed Season 2 first character
