Axe (gamer)

Williamson started playing Super Smash Bros. Melee upon its release in 2001. He would only discover the competitive Super Smash Bros. scene five years later when he competed in his first tournament in high school. He formally became involved with the competitive scene after he started attending local tournaments in 2007,{{cite web |last1=Stubbs |first1=Mike |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/jeffrey-axe-williamson-smash-bros-melee-profile |title=How Axe became the first Smash Melee player to win a major with Pikachu |publisher=Red Bull |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=July 4, 2019}} taking inspiration for his handle "Axe" from the Axe product brand.{{cite magazine |last1=Groot |first1=Justin |title=Both flesh and, somehow, light: Axe Williamson and the electric thrill of Melee |url=https://killscreen.com/themeta/flesh-somehow-light-axe-williamson-electric-thrill-melee/ |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |magazine=Kill Screen |date=September 23, 2016}} By the end of the year, he became one of the top ten Melee players in the rankings for his home state of Arizona.{{cite web |last1=Womack |first1=Barrett |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/friendlies-axe-the-pikachu |title=Friendlies: Axe, the Pikachu |publisher=Red Bull |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=July 3, 2015}} He began competing at national tournaments after attending Genesis in 2009,{{cite news |last1=Wolf |first1=Jacob |title=Axe: 'Loser's bracket Mango or beast mode Armada, I feel like I can take them' |url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/17084902/loser-bracket-mango-beast-mode-armada-feel-take-them |publisher=ESPN |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=July 15, 2016}} and was ranked as the best player in his state's rankings in 2010. After defeating several high-ranked players at Apex 2010, he began to solidify his status as a top player through high placements at major tournaments.

In 2014, Williamson tied for 5th place at MLG Anaheim after defeating top player Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma. In July, he signed a sponsorship deal with esports team Mortality eSports, and quit his job later that year to fully dedicate his time to professional competition.{{cite news |last1=Gonzales |first1=Israel |title=Remembering His Roots: Gamer 'Axe' Williamson honors Arizona while championing his craft |url=https://entertainermag.com/blog/2017/06/26/remembering-his-roots-gamer-axe-williamson-honors-arizona-while-championing-his-craft/ |work=The Entertainer! Magazine |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=June 26, 2017}} He has also been affiliated with esports team Most Valuable Gaming. Representing Mortality eSports, Williamson tied for 5th place at EVO 2014, where he notably defeated Otto "Silent Wolf" Bisno, completing a four-stock in Game 3 in under a minute.{{Cite web |title=Get Hype with the Best from Evo's Past |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/get-hype-with-some-of-the-best-evo-moments |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=Red Bull |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Otero |first=Jose |date=2014-07-17 |title=5 Great Smash Melee Matches You Should Watch |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/17/5-great-smash-melee-matches-you-should-watch |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=IGN |language=en}} He departed from Mortality eSports after six months. In April 2015, he attended MVG Sandstorm, a national tournament, where he placed in third after defeating top players William "Leffen" Hjelte and Joseph "Mang0" Marquez.{{cite news |last1=Hernandez |first1=Patricia |title=Watch The World's Best Pikachu Player Defeat Smash Bros. Gods |url=https://kotaku.com/watch-the-worlds-best-pikachu-player-defeat-smash-bros-1699028954 |accessdate=September 12, 2020 |work=Kotaku |date=April 20, 2015}} In July, he signed a sponsorship deal with Tempo Storm alongside fellow Melee professional Weston "Westballz" Dennis.{{cite news |last1=Khan |first1=Imad |title=Westballz and Axe picked up by Tempo Storm |url=https://dotesports.com/general/news/tempo-storm-westballz-axe-2184 |work=Dot Esports |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=July 5, 2015}} Later that month, he tied for 7th place at EVO 2015.{{cite news |last1=Pack |first1=Ben |title=EVO 2015 is over, here's how it ended |url=https://www.destructoid.com/stories/evo-2015-is-over-here-s-how-it-ended-296302.phtml |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |work=Destructoid |date=July 20, 2015}} In October, he placed in 17th at The Big House 5.{{cite news |last1=Womack |first1=Barrett |title=The Big House 5: A Retrospective |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/the-big-house-5-a-retrospective |access-date=November 28, 2020 |publisher=Red Bull |date=October 6, 2015}}

Williamson attended GENESIS 3 in January 2016, and took 4th place after defeating top players Mang0 and Zachary "SFAT" Cordoni. Subsequently, he placed in at least 6th place at EGLX 2016, CEO 2016, and Super Smash Con 2016. For his overall performance through 2016, he was ranked as the ninth best Melee player by SSBMRank, a biannual power ranking presented by Red Bull.{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Daniel |title=SSBMRank 2016: 7-10 |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/ssbmrank-2016-7-10-red-bull-esports |publisher=Red Bull |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=January 10, 2017}} He began 2017 with a 7th-place finish at GENESIS 4, and continued to attend many major tournaments through the first half of the year.{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Daniel |title=SSBMRank 2017: 10-1 |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/ssbmrank-2017-10-1 |publisher=Red Bull |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=January 16, 2018}} He was one of sixteen top Melee players invited to Smash Summit Spring 2017 in March,{{cite news |last1=Khan |first1=Imad |title=ChuDat, Ice among six electees to Smash Summit Spring 2017 |url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/18706814/chudat-ice-six-electees-smash-summit-spring-2017 |publisher=ESPN |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=February 17, 2017}} where he placed in 5th. He subsequently took 3rd place at CEO 2017, and then tied for 9th place at EVO 2017 after losing to Adam "Armada" Lindgren. In the second half of the year, he took 4th place at DreamHack Atlanta 2017, 3rd place at DreamHack Denver 2017, and 5th place at Smash Summit 5, with the latter two performances including victories against Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman. Williamson was ranked as the seventh best player in 2017 by SSBMRank.

The first major Melee tournament of 2018 was GENESIS 5, where Williamson tied for 7th place. Subsequent performances included a 9th-place finish at EGLX 2018, 2nd place at Flatiron 3, and 3rd place at Get On My Level 2018, defeating Leffen and Mew2King at the latter two tournaments, respectively.{{cite web |last1=Nestico |first1=Andrew |title=Summer #MPGR2018: 10-1 |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/summer-mpgr-2018-10-1 |publisher=Red Bull |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=August 2, 2018}} The latter portion of the year included a victory at Runback 2018, a local Arizona tournament, as well as a 5th-place finish at Smash Summit 7, a major tournament. Panda Global Rankings, a biannual power ranking that superseded SSBMRank, ranked Williamson as the tenth best Melee player in 2018.{{cite web |last1=Nestico |first1=Andrew |title=#MPGR2018: 10-1 |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/mpgr-2018-10-1 |publisher=Red Bull |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=February 7, 2019}} Williamson took 2nd place at the first two major tournaments of 2019, GENESIS 6 and Get On My Level 2019, after losing to the number one-ranked Hungrybox in the finals of both tournaments.{{cite web |last1=Nestico |first1=Andrew |title=#MPGR2019: 10-1 |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/mpgr-2019-10-1 |publisher=Red Bull |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=January 24, 2020}}

Later that year he won Smash Summit 8 after defeating Justin "Wizzrobe" Hallett in the finals.{{cite news |last1=Michael |first1=Cale |title=Axe and his Pikachu win their first Smash Summit 8 |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/axe-pikachu-win-first-smash-summit-8 |work=Dot Esports |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=June 17, 2019}} With this victory, he became the first player to win a major Melee tournament using Pikachu,{{cite book |last1=Chaloner |first1=Paul |author-link=Paul Chaloner |title=This is esports (and how to spell it) : an insider's guide to the world of pro gaming |date=May 28, 2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9781472977779 |page=132 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3IXUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT132 |accessdate=August 25, 2020}} a character often described as being in the "mid-tier" of the game's roster of characters in terms of fighting ability.{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Nico |url=https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/8475/axes-ascension-at-smash-summit-8-shows-melee-refuses-to-stagnate |title=Axe's Ascension at Smash Summit 8 shows Melee Refuses to Stagnate |website=InvenGlobal |accessdate=September 1, 2020 |date=June 20, 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Lopez |first1=Alan |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/06/feature_meet_axe_the_smash_bros_underdog_who_changed_the_competitive_scene_overnight |title=Feature: Meet Axe, The Smash Bros. Underdog Who Changed The Competitive Scene Overnight |website=Nintendo Life |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=June 25, 2019}} In September, Williamson placed 2nd at Mainstage 2019.{{cite news |last1=Michael |first1=Cale |title=Hungrybox wins his seventh Super Smash Bros. Melee Major of 2019 at Mainstage |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/hungrybox-wins-his-seventh-super-smash-bros-melee-major-of-2019-at-mainstage |access-date=November 28, 2020 |work=Dot Esports |date=September 23, 2019}} He was ranked as the fourth best player in the Panda Global Rankings for his performance in 2019.

Before the Panda Global Rankings suspended the 2020 competitive season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,{{cite news |last1=Michael |first1=Cale |title=Super Smash Bros. PGR season to be frozen due to coronavirus and travel concerns |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/super-smash-bros-pgr-season-to-be-frozen-due-to-coronavirus-and-travel-concerns |work=Dot Esports |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=March 12, 2020}} Williamson attended Smash Summit 9 in February. He tied for 5th place at the tournament, after losing to Mang0 in the quarterfinals.{{cite news |last1=Michael |first1=Cale |title=Smash Summit 9: Live results and standings |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/smash-summit-9-live-results-and-standings |work=Dot Esports |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=February 16, 2020}} In November, he tied for 13th place at Smash Summit 10, an online tournament.{{cite news |last1=Michael |first1=Cale |title=Smash Summit 10 Online: Live results and standings |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/smash-summit-10-online-live-results-and-standings |access-date=November 28, 2020 |work=Dot Esports |date=November 22, 2020}} He finished 7th at Smash Summit 14 in November 2022.{{Cite web |last=Michael |first=Cale |date=2022-11-07 |title=Smash Summit 14: Live Melee top results, scores, standings |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/smash-summit-14-live-melee-top-results-scores-standings |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=Dot Esports |language=en-US}}

Williamson mainly competes using Pikachu, and is considered to be the best Pikachu player in the world. In a 2016 interview, Williamson stated that he chose to continue using the character in Melee after originally playing the character in Super Smash Bros., the first installment in the Super Smash Bros. series.{{cite interview |last1=Taylor |first1=Nicholas |title='I'm confident that my Pikachu can win a major, and I'm going to prove it' - Axe talks Pikachu's strengths and weaknesses, SSBM growth and more |url=https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2016/jan/13/im-confident-my-pikachu-can-win-major-and-im-going-prove-it-axe-talks-pikachus-strengths-and-weaknesses-ssbm-growth-and-more/ |website=EventHubs |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=January 13, 2016 |quote=Tempo{{!}}Axe: I loved playing Pikachu in Super Smash Bros. 64, so when Melee came out, I naturally had to try out the character. I still thought that he was pretty good and decided to just stick with him.}} Esports journalists have highlighted the complexity and speed of his style of play, which incorporates "tricky movement options" and "lightning-quick movement" that allows him to anticipate his opponent's attacks and swiftly retaliate against them.

Williamson was born in 1991{{cite tweet |number=850428245304422400 |user=TempoAxe |title=On my 16th bday, all I wanted to do was play Melee. Today for my 26th, I wanna celebrate with even more Melee. Some things never change |accessdate=September 7, 2020 |date=April 7, 2017}} in Germany to parents in the U.S. military. He was raised in Sierra Vista, Arizona. He has two older siblings.

{{Reflist}}

• {{Twitter|TempoAxe}}
• {{Twitch|AZ_Axe}}
• {{YouTube|user=AZaxe}}

{{Competitive Super Smash Bros.}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1991 births

Category:Super Smash Bros. Melee players

Category:Tempo Storm players

Category:American esports players

Category:People from Sierra Vista, Arizona