The #1 Seed of Every Tournament - Part 1
Fandom Singles
2019 - Jeremy Adams?
The early days of Fandom are a bookkeeping nightmare. I’ve tried to parse through it. The first ever official Fandom Singles tournament was in 2019, and it didn’t have official seeds. Putting myself in Koho’s brain (it’s cold and dark and I’m scared), I believe Jeremy Adams would have been the official #1 seed of the tournament. He was 4-2, and his most recent loss prior to the tournament was in a title match. Oddly enough, Jeremy would be upset in Round 1 of the tournament by Richard Schwartz, and the tournament would go on to see Tim Brzakala defeating his wife Maggie in the finals.
2020 - Dominic Rizzi
The beginning of 2020 saw a vacant singles belt that needed filling, and it was picked up by none other than Dominic Rizzi. Rizzi then lost the belt in his first defense to Thomas Scully. Entering the tournament as the only former Champion, he was granted the #1 seed. Rizzi would be upset in Round 2 of the tournament to his former manager Kaleb Koho, in a match of the year-winning, record-setting spectacle. The tournament was ultimately won by the #4 Nicholas Twohig who defeated the #3 seed Tim Brzakala in the finals.
2021 - Thomas Scully
Just before the 2021 tournament, Thomas Scully made it back to the title ring for the belt he had lost to Nicholas Twohig nearly one year earlier. Unfortunately, the challenge was unsuccessful, but allowed Thomas to enter the singles tournament at #1. The first Fandom #1 seed to make it to the finals, Scully ultimately lost to the #3 seed and now two-time tournament winner Tim Brzakala.
2022 - Robert Castner
Oh the controversy! But not really. Robert earned his #1 seed. Finishing his rookie season at 4-1 and winning a team championship along the way, Robert deservedly won rookie of the year. The only match he played in prior to the tournament was a five-way contender match, where he and four others lost to the eventual champion Joe Farrelly. In the tournament, Robert was upset in round two by the #8 seed, future champion Tyler Burch. Tyler would then go on to lose in the finals to his teammate, the #6 seed Brittani Tapley.
2023 - Abel de Leeuw
Prior to the tournament, I would have told you Abel lucked his way to the #1 seed of the 2023 Triples Crown Tournament. After the tournament, I would have pretended not to know before-the-tournament me so as to avoid public humiliation. Abel was 4-1, with his only loss to the previous #1 seed Robert Castner. To get to the #1 seed Abel had to defeat Alex Martinez and Tyler Burch, no easy feat. Abel then made history as the first official #1 seed to win the tournament. In three triple-threat matches he took down Anthony Tisdall, Bill Cariola, Cameron Holzmann, Antonio Chavez, and defeated Amaru Moses and David Garcia in the finals.
2024 - Abel de Leeuw
2024 sees Abel return to the #1 seed as a former champion. What will his fate be, given that we have not seen him since losing his title to Tyler Burch in October of last year? Let’s see.
