EVO is a tournament that is a loving celebration of fighting games in general, and it has been this way since EVO debuted 28 years ago. But there has been one game series that has been the lifeblood of EVO since that first Battle by the Bay, and that, of course, would be Capcom’s world changing Street Fighter series. Featuring every year since 1996, Street Fighter has been arguably the cornerstone of the massive fighting game celebration. But one fact, that many players worldwide liked to joke about, is that ever since the great Street Fighter revival in 2009 with Street Fighter IV, the great United States of America has not won a single main Street Fighter tournament. Well, that would be the case, were it not for Punk, the victor of this past weekend’s latest EVO 2024 Street Fighter tournament.
In winning this year’s EVO tournament Punk has broken a 25 year curse that had previously been placed on the United States ever since that great Street Fighter revival. A great feel good story not only for the country, but also for the player himself. Punk, for the longest time, had been pegged as someone who is always the bridesmaid but never the bride. Last time Punk found himself in the EVO grand finals was in 2017 against legendary fighting game player Tokido. In a crushing defeat Punk was beaten in spectacular fashion and it seemed like he’d never recover.
But Punk has proven all of his doubters incorrect this weekend, by winning 2024’s EVO, a tournament that featured an insane 5,265 players, Punk has cemented himself as the greatest Street Fighter player out there right now, and the United States as the place to be in terms of Street Fighter competition. While this title will be put under duress almost immediately, for now this is a sweet win and a victory that has been a long time coming for both Punk and the US.