King of the Dot is in a tough spot. They’ve got a controversial champion who needs to prove himself against a top-tier opponent and no clear No. 1 contender. A transition to more international promo battles has left KOTD’s best prospects with vague records as of late. They could cherry-pick someone based on loyalty or performance or popularity, but that would alienate the rappers and fans who disagreed with the choice.

Charron has been campaigning for a King of the Dot title shot for as long as we can remember. And lately, he’s made a compelling case for getting that opportunity.

Just a few weeks ago, Charron won 106 & Park‘s Freestyle Friday tournament, taking home a $5,000 cheque in the process. Now, he wants to put his $5K on the line in a $10,000 title match. The other $5K, of course, would come from Arcane, the current title holder and last year’s Grand Prix champion.

In a video released yesterday (above), Arcane accepted the $10K battle. The trouble for Charron is that Arcane is unwilling to put the title on the line. According to Arcane, Charron hasn’t staked his claim as the No. 1 contender, nor has he defeated enough top-tier opponents to earn a title shot. Simply put, Arcane doesn’t think Charron deserves the opportunity.

Organik even took time from his Mexico vacation to issue a statement on Facebook:

Just for the record…

Campaigning for title shots does NOT guarantee you a title shot. We think it shows drive and we like that hunger but their are no guarantee’s until KOTD officially sets the match up regardless if the champ accepts a challenge. Also, no champion will battle in KOTD without defending the title. If KOTD feels their is a true contender and the champion turns it down they will be stripped of the title and another match will be set up for the title. This goes for the #1 contender spot as well.

The next Title Match will happen at WD4… Lets make history & let the debating begin!

If not Charron, who deserves a title shot? It’s a difficult question, as there are few obvious contenders. But we’ve assembled a short list of worthy opponents for Arcane.

DNA

Why he deserves a title shot: Like Charron, DNA is openly pining for the opportunity. He released a video last night (below) that outlined why he deserves a title shot. Basically, his argument is that he’s performed in three classic KOTD matches: against Dizaster, Eurgh and The Saurus (where he called out Arcane twice although the footage has yet to be released). On that front, it’s tough to argue against him. Plus, DNA brings views, which KOTD would want from any title match. His battle against Dizaster has over 1.7 million views. DNA also has cross-border appeal that few KOTD battlers can match.

The downside: DNA’s KOTD resumé is somewhat thin at three matches, however great his performances. And it’s possible that KOTD would like to keep the chain from being owned by a revolving door of URL battlers.

International appeal: DNA has one of the strongest international profiles in battle rap. He performed at Don’t Flop’s very successful 4th birthday event, and he recently battled Anecdote in Australia.

Best KOTD moment: DNA vs. Dizaster. Some people dislike this battle — the one-hour length plays a factor — but this match-up has set the benchmark for all subsequent high-profile battles in KOTD.

PAT STAY

Why he deserves a title shot: Pat Stay is the most obvious choice. He’s arguably the best battler in the league, and he’s clearly faced the toughest opponents. Over the past couple years, Pat has proven that he can hang with (if not beat) top-tier competition from the States. He might also be the most popular emcee in the league. No one would object to Pat getting a title shot.

The downside: Pat Stay doesn’t seem interested in the chain; instead, he prefers to cherry-pick top-level American opponents who bring in YouTube views. His arrangement with KOTD is pretty sweet, so it appears unlikely he would stray from it to take a battle with Arcane.

International appeal: Pat Stay has battled twice in Sweden, and is slated to face Nils m/ Skils this summer. Clearly, Scandinavians think Pat is a Norse god reincarnated.

Best KOTD moment: Pat Stay vs. Hollohan was a deeply personal slugfest with high replay value. It might also be the best Canadian vs. Canadian battle that KOTD has ever hosted. In the past year, Pat’s best battle was against Head I.C.E., another instant classic.

LOE PESCI

Why he deserves a title shot: Pesci remains one of the best lyricists and performers in the league, years after making his KOTD debut. Like Pat Stay, he’s proven he can hang with top American talent. Unlike Pat Stay, he’s actually beaten American battlers on their home turf (against DNA and Tantrum). In Pesci’s last two KOTD battles — against Sketch Menace and Bender, two former title holders — he’s executed strong performances. A battle against Arcane would also be a rematch from the first Grand Prix.

The downside: Pesci doesn’t seem too fussed with the KOTD chain. Plus, Pesci has an exceptionally high choke-rate, so it’s possible KOTD wouldn’t risk a title match on a Pesci performance that fails to meet expectations.

International appeal: Pesci has battled several Americans, plus he went to the U.K. to battle Oshea, which posted solid traffic. His stock, however, will reach new heights when he battles Anygma from Flip Top (a Filipino battle league) later this month. Flip Top easily records the best YouTube traffic of any league, and in battling its founder, Pesci will likely score a multi-million-view battle.

Best KOTD moment: Possibly against Marvwon. If the judgment wasn’t scrapped due to all the surrounding drama between Pat Stay and Marv, it’s likely that Pesci would have come out victorious.

CAUSTIC

Why he deserves a title shot: Caustic vs. Arcane would be the ultimate grudge match. Their tilt would comprise two-thirds of the main players in BarGate, and there would be genuinely bad blood between the two. The final product would be highly entertaining, at the very least. Further, you could argue that Caustic deserved a title shot after crushing the Grand Prix opponents he faced, followed by a strong showing against John John Da Don.

The downside: KOTD might be want to put BarGate behind them. Pitting these two against each other — while entertaining — would only fan the flames of a controversy that has dwindled in interest. The biggest reason for not arranging this battle, however, is that Caustic clearly has trouble crossing the Canadian border. (He’s missed two battles due to border issues.) Even if Caustic is a worthy champion, it’s difficult to justify having one who can’t battle in the league’s home city.

International appeal: Caustic has battled twice in the U.K., against Deffinition and Jefferson Price. The second battle has posted solid traffic and established Caustic as a bona fide career-killer.

Best KOTD moment: It’s a toss-up between three moments: his first round flip to Daley; his complete evisceration of Q Shinobi’s career; and his entire performance against John John Da Don, which proved that Caustic is a top-tier battler.

REAL DEAL

Why he deserves a title shot: The Pittsburgh native has been riding with KOTD since the first World Domination where his debut was overshadowed by Pesci’s epic choke. His latest battle, against Don’t Flop champion Tony D, had a similar outcome. Both those battles, as well as his Blackout 2 bout with Okwerdz, were promo, but good luck finding someone who says Real Deal didn’t decisively take all three. He also unanimously defeated Nebula in the Calgary division and put up a good showing with Fresco in the 2-on-2 Grand Prix.

The downside: Again, without judged battles, the case is harder to make. Real Deal is also a bit of a mercenary, taking opponents in different leagues, so availability becomes a factor if he becomes champ.

International appeal: Deal is part of a small group of white guys to have battled (and arguably, won) in the URL. He’s also beaten Deffinition in the U.K. and Swedish battlers Tay Tay/Shazaam in a 2-on-2 with Fresco.

Best KOTD moment: Unfortunately his KOTD matches haven’t had much replay value, though through no fault of his own. As it stands now, the highlight is the harsh material he brought for Okwerdz.

Or hell, just give it to Knamelis.

Think someone else deserves a KOTD title shot? Let us know via Twitter.

Check our other content:

How to judge a rap battle (interviews with Knamelis, Baby T and Stig of the Dump)

The best battle rap GIFs of all time