Shacknews Esports Hero of 2024 - Victor 'Punk' Woodley

There are a wide range of opinions about the temperament of Victor “Punk” Woodley from players all over the world. However, there’s one thing every one of them has to admit if they’re being honest with themselves: He’s a phenom of Street Fighter. He might be fiery. He might be abrasive, but he is also insanely talented. And at EVO 2024, he left it all on the floor to achieve one of the most emotional and impressive victories Street Fighter 6 has ever seen.

Punk came into EVO 2024 with a certain aura following him. He was no stranger to FGC Top 8 appearances, but when it came to the big one, EVO, he had yet to capture the first place finish. Heck, no North American had put up a first place in a mainline Street Fighter game outside of Jason "AfroCole" Cole, who won Street Fighter 2 Turbo in 2002. That’s a pretty damn long time, and Punk had a stigma to break. He could get to big stage, but could we win there?

The answer is yes. Punk went on a 12-win hotstreak that included overcoming a collection of fellow Top 8 monsters such as Tokido, Nemo, and Momochi. He even handed an L to the opponent that would be his final competition when the Street Fighter 6 Grand Finals arrived: Adel "Big Bird" Anouche of Red Bull eSports. Big Bird was rocking a terrifying Ken and took Punk’s Cammy to the brink. Big Bird even won a bracket reset against Punk, marring an otherwise perfect run with a nasty 3-0 and earning his chance to challenge Punk to a true Grand Finals.

That last set came down to the wire. They took each other all the way to a 2-2 battle, and that 5th match ended up at a last round with precious slivers of life left and only a few seconds to spare. Who knows what Punk found in himself that day, but it was what he needed to finish the story and conquer the Street Fighter 6 gauntlet at EVO 2024. When the dust settled, he held the first place trophy high in a misty-eyed ultimate victory.

Punk made history when he won that match, stamping his legacy as the first United States player to grab a mainline Street Fighter win at EVO in decades. More than that, he undid the idea that he couldn’t grab the brass ring and take it all at the biggest FGC event of them all. Folks will argue and debate on whether Punk is too cocky, but there is one thing you will never take from him: His confidence is earned and he has the first place trophy to prove it.

Be sure to read over the rest of the Shacknews Awards in our Year of the Games: 2024 feature.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.