The finals of the Thaiger Uppercut Tekken 8 tournament have concluded in Bangkok, Thailand, and The Jon from Pakistan has been crowned champion.
Adeel “The Jon” Sheikh won a hard-fought final against Shadow 20z from the United States, following a top-8 full of surprises, including EVO champion Arslan Ash managing to reach only 7th place, while Knee was eliminated in losers final by Shadow 20z.
The grand final was won with a score of 3-2, with The Jon playing King and Shadow 20z playing Zafina and Claudio.
This was the last event Master event of the Tekken World Tour following Emirates Showdown 2024 in Dubai and Punishment 3 in La Paz.
The finals of the Tekken World Tour will happen in Shibuya, Tokyo, between December 5 and December 8, 2024.
Earlier in the tournament, a controversial decision by the organizers led to the disqualification of Chinese player Xiao Chen Chen after he reached the Top 16.
The Tekken World Tour rules enforced by Bandai Namco dictate that players who don’t reside in countries eligible for the TWT cannot participate in streamed matches and earn points.
While Xiao Chen Chen was allowed to participate, his potential reaching the Top 8 would have run afoul of that rule since China is not part of the 15 Regions that include the countries eligible for the TWT.
Below you can find the post on X (formerly Twitter) in which Bandai Namco explained the decision. Chief Producer Katsuhiro Harada, who is usually very vocal in addressing potential controversies, just retweeted the post offering no further comment at the moment of this writing.
The event caused consternation and anger among part of the community, and negative reviews have already started to appear on Steam in protest.
Tekken 8 is currently available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Bandai Namco just released a beloved (or much hated) returning fighter, Heihachi Mishima.
