Today marks the end of an era, as the oldest continual sponsorship in Super Smash Bros Melee comes to an end. Aaron ‘Professor Pro’ Thomas is set to depart VwS Gaming today, having signed for the team (then known as Reign) back in January of 2014. This marks an end to a relationship that has seen Prof go from number 2 in the UK scene and top 10 in Europe to a top 30 player worldwide who enjoys near-total dominance on home soil.

Known at the time for his incredible proficiency with Snake in popular Brawl mod Project M, Prof immediately made an impact for Reign when he travelled to North America and took on fellow Snake main Rolex at SKTAR3. Having demolished the American pretender to his throne in a money match at the event, Prof went on to take third overall, putting himself firmly on the American map.

Professor Pro facing Alliance's Armada at B.E.A.S.T

“VwS was there when I first started taking Smash seriously and has supported me through pretty much my entire journey of improvement in the Smash world which is actually pretty crazy. It has definitely been a fun journey together but after my long stay, I feel it is time for me to see what else is out there. I’m grateful for the chance they took on me way back when, and I’ll always look back on my time as part of the team with great fondness”.

A combination of some troubles for Project M and his own desire to improve saw Prof focus more on Melee in the coming months as the team transitioned to new ownership, and in the three years with the organisation he has gone from being unranked by MIOM to likely holding a top 30 berth this winter, with wins over Hungrybox, Leffen, Ice and many more under his belt.

Another B.E.A.S.T matchup, against Cloud9's Mango

While we are all sad about the end of this relationship, here at VwS we wish Prof all the best for the future and will continue to follow his progress. CEO Joe Levy said, “Although he predates our takeover of Reign, Prof is the player I’ve worked with longest in my time as CEO here, and it’s been a pleasure. His commitment to improving as a player is virtually unrivalled in my experience in eSports, and I am sure he will continue to do great things in 2017 and beyond”.

The team has not decided on whether they will be picking up a new Smash player yet, but there is no doubt today is the end of one of the most enduring partnerships in the professional era.

Professor Pro's most recent placings:

Melee singles @ UGC Smash: 5th place

Melee doubles @ Eden: 1st place

Melee doubles @ DPoTG: 4th place