The Movie Trivia Schmoedown is Collider’s hugely popular film trivia competition. Heavily influenced by pro-wrestling, the Schmoedown features huge characters, shocking storylines, and twists galore. Check it out here!
It’s been a while since my last Schmoedown article, so why not join me as I theorise about some of the biggest storyline talking points. You can find all of my Schmoedown content by clicking here.
The Patriots
As far back as the Schmoedown awards, the seeds have been planted for a Patriots break-up. Here’s a quote from Jeff Sneider, when asked why JTE didn’t appear with his faction for the pre-show interview: Kid’s got a big head on him, he, you know, he’s doing really well so he feels like he can just skip practice. Since then, JTE has missed every Lion’s Den match that he has been competing in. We didn’t see him during Donica’s matches against Haibon/Inman, Napzok’s match against Knost, or Sneider’s matches against Ellis/Rocha. After the Rocha match, Sneider was asked if his victory vindicated JTE for his loss against Rocha, to which Sneider replied: Oh, no. No, it doesn’t vindicate him whatsoever, JTE’s going to have to get his own revenge on Rocha, and I’m sure that he will. Along with this, in interviews and cut scenes, Sneider has been criticising JTE’s spelling and pronunciation. Finally, add to the puzzle the fact that, before the Free For All, Dagnino was also absent for a lot of Den matches. Harloff has made a point of calling this out, such as in the season opener, in which he said [Dagnino] has other business, very interesting that he would say that. I mean, that’s just a red flag, an invitation to speculate!
Of course, at the Free For All, we saw the return of Finstock, surely the ‘business’ to which Harloff was referring to. But you don’t make a big decision like bringing back Fintock, just for him to fail to answer a couple of questions. The Free For All was the first indication that the Schmoedown might actually commit to the idea that Finstock and Dagnino are separate entities, and it is around this idea that my theory revolves.
The Patriots can’t stay together indefinitely. Having been dominant champions, JTE and Sneider won’t make for an appealing team without the belt. As such, since the beginning of the season, I feel that preparations have been underway for their first loss. Technically, the pair are owed an immediate rematch should they lose the belts, but I don’t think that this makes for a compelling storyline: either the Patriots reclaim the belts, and we continue with the same champions, or they lose again, and have to win a series of matches. Both of these options are a bit stale, and so I think that the pair will break up. In fact, even if they win their title match on Tuesday, I think that this will be the last time that the pair compete together. At 10-0, what’s left for the pair to do? The Schmoedown needs to stay fresh.
It’s at this point that I would expect JTE to reveal that he has spent the season in conversation with Finstock, and that Finstock will manage JTE going forward. After all, as part of team Patriots, JTE has always been called the weaker of the two, and whether or not that is true, that has been the perception. Sneider is currently having the best season of anyone in 2018, while JTE is having one of the worst. Little Evil may understandably feel that he is in his partner’s shadow, and so will seek new management.
In this situation, it’s possible that Napzok could be left managing the Den, but I’m hoping that the Schmoedown goes all-out: JTE managed by Finstock, Sneider by Dagnino. The pair can find new teammates, and, because of their team success, the pair could be offered a shortcut to the belt (since they either never lost the belt, or never got their immediate rematch). The pair could play one another (allowing for some fantastic Dagnino/Finstock interactions in the pre and post game interview), with the winning team perhaps playing the winner of MODOK/Critically Acclaimed, before facing Top 10 for a title shot. This way, the Patriots can continue their rivalries without the title picture becoming stale (look at the title matches so far this year: both are rematches. There’s only so long that this can go on before fans become bored of seeing the same teams play for the title). Should Above the Line take the belts from the Patriots, we’d be looking at one hell of a title match, should either of the pair make it to the top.
In terms of teammates, there are a lot of options, some of which will be covered later in this article. Sneider could partner up with Napzok, but it feels like some heavy hitters might be required. Harris is a fairly deadly looking free agent at the moment, but isn’t an out-and-out heel. The same could be said of the long-promised Duralde or the dominant Erwin. No, there’s one option that might be in play, but I’ll be covering that later in this article….
McWeeny
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen a few cut scenes, in which McWeeny tells Thadd that he wants the match that he was promised: initially, the winner of Rocha/JTE, and then the winner of Rocha/Snider. Initially, I thought that the idea was that McWeeny would be best suited to playing JTE, since Above the Line have a rivalry with the Patriots. However, after Sneider won, this was again snatched away from the Godfather, since Bibbinai cashed in his #1 contender shot. It should go without saying that the Godfather is not going to be happy about this. From a practical point of view, it seems likely that the Schmoedown simply doesn’t want to see McWeeny fight for the title while his partner holds the belt. Matches where teammates face one another can work, but, especially when faces are concerned, can lack excitement. It seems that the Schmoedown has taken this problem and used it as an opportunity to do some brilliant character work for the Godfather. Of course, should he lose to Erwin (a genuine possibility, as yesterday’s record-breaking performance demonstrated), this will all come to nothing, but it’s possible that we could see the second half of the year dominated by a huge event storyline that has been brewing for months:
A Commissioner War?
The Schmoedown divided! Two men (maybe more) stake their claim for the title of commissioner. Chose a side! At this point, the Thadd/Harloff storyline has gone on for so long that there needs to be a huge payoff, and what could be bigger than all out war? Both men have made mistakes: Thadd signed a contract that might make Dagnino commissioner, while Harloff has made poor decisions while calling matches. Both can make a genuine argument that the other should not hold the title of commissioner, and that they are the man for the job. Add to that the fact that Dagnino has been vying for the title, and the fact that Thadd has indeed prevented Harloff from calling matches (it’s a deliberate choice to keep him away from the hosting chair in so many recent matches, since often he is still on set to announce the winner) and you’ve got all the ingredients for a Schmoedown war!
This isn’t just crazy speculation: there are some seeds that may have been planted. For example, McWeeny is soon to make his distaste for Thadd clear, having lost the match that he was booked to play. That’s one for team Harloff. Does his partner feel the same way? An event like this could bring about some major changes, and many teammates could find themselves on opposite sides of the argument (okay, I am basically pitching Captain America: Civil War at this point, but go with me). On the other side, Rocha is likely to side with Thadd, since Harloff is the man that made the call that the Outlaw believes cost him the team title. Broadly, I see the Horsemen lining up with Thadd, the Lion’s Den with Dagnino, and, for the sake of balance, the Fyffe Club with Harloff. Throw in wildcards like Team Action, and you’ve got the setup for a huge, one off event, a huge match, in which each potential Commish puts up their best team and IG player for three way matches, in which the points carry over to a dramatic final three way, in which Dagnino, Thadd and Harloff play for the Commish title!
Chandler
Since winning the Free For All, we’ve seen a number of contenders, from Napzok to the Kingsmen to just about everyone, all of whom want Chandler’s title shot. There are two ways I think that this story could go: if Chandler doesn’t want to compete, then hopefully she can either join or affiliate herself with the Fyffe Club, giving the faction yet another shot at gold. This would make a lot of sense, since Chandler has been one of the most prominent voices for female representation in the Schmoedown, something that the Fyffe Club champions. Should Wolfe fail to beat Levine next week, the Fyffe club could go after another singles title shot, but with that title picture looking somewhat busy, perhaps a Team or Innergeekdom title shot would be preferred. It’s also worth remembering that Witwer is part of the faction, and should he lose his title at Collision, this would be one way of sending him straight back into the fray.
However, this isn’t what I’m hoping to see. I want to see Chandler cash in that shot herself, and prove everyone wrong. When Brianne took a step back from the Schmoedown, it had all become too much. Chandler has been refreshingly open about her own mental health problems, and this, coupled with some of the negative voices online, had become too much. Then the Free For All rolled around, and Miss Movies shut down every doubter, every idiot that said that she couldn’t do it. She earned that title shot, and I really hope that she uses it, and that all of the competitors that have come and begged for a title shot are just being set up to look stupid. Brianne would be a worthy champion, should she win the title, so I don’t want to see anyone out there claiming she doesn’t deserve the title, because it’s people like that who forced her to take a step back in the first place. This one isn’t really a theory at all, I just wanted to take the time to make it clear that Brianne Chandler rocks, that she deserves her title shot, and that if she chose to take it, win or lose, she will absolutely slay!
The Horsemen
The biggest and most obvious question in the Schmoedown at the moment, and one that would have been answered had Rocha defeated Sneider. I should note that the fact Top 10 are remaining a team bodes well for my Patriots theory, since Rocha and Knost are not allowed to compete for the title only when the Patriots hold the belts. If the decision has been made that, win or lose, their next match will be their last, then it is easy to see why Team Top 10 are preparing to continue their fight for the belts. In terms of who the new Horsemen will be, there isn’t too much to add to the article that I wrote about this when the idea was announced at the live event (which you can find here).
However, there is more evidence to look at, and so I do feel that I can confidently predict two of the new Horsemen. It’s worth noting that we will definitely see at least 5 members of this new faction, since Rocha told Take Three that people needed to drop the idea that there would be just four.
The most obvious member of the new faction remains Kalinowksi. This pick is so obvious, it feels like there must be some massive twist that the Schmoedown is just waiting to spring (Kalinowksi in the Den?), but in Kalinowksi’s match with Clarke Wolfe, Rocha can be heard offering his friend support. In the post game, Kalinowksi is clear that there was ‘someone’ in the crowd rooting for him, and that he is unhappy that his faction did not appear. DC Movie News have a match to play against Action, after which there is no doubt in my mind that Kalinowski will join with his friend Rocha, and become part of the New Horsemen.
Next up is Inman, another obvious pick. Since the Spectacular, the Innergeekdom champion has been looking for a faction, and this desire has only increased in recent matches. Having initially offered his services to the Fyffe Club, it’s interesting that a point has been made to push Inman as ‘edgy’. The Fyffe Club are a face faction, but do not have room for Inman, their IG spots being filled by Cushing and Fyffe. If Inman is to join the Horsemen, the edgier side of his character will have to be emphasised, and this is exactly what the Schmoedown has done. Inman is another perfect fit for the faction, is friends with Rocha, and has appeared on the Top 10 show before.
The question that this prompts is: will Mantz follow Inman into the Horsemen? He certainly could, since his rivalry with Rocha has been declared over. Indeed, there are storyline reasons for this to happen, since Mantz is scheduled to face Rocha-rival Ben Bateman. However, I’m not convinced. Mantz sits at 2-4, and goes into the Bateman match as the underdog. Lose here, and his singles career is surely over, not an appealing prospect for a faction recruiter. Couple this with Team Trek’s run of loses, and it is surely time for Inman to find a new partner. Kalinowksi and Inman are, I feel, set to join forces.
But where does that leave the fifth member? I’m almost certain that Inman and Kalinowksi are Horsemen, but if not Mantz, who else? Well, as a faction, the Horsemen will want to compete on all fronts, just as the Lion’s Den and Fyffe Club do, and the current selection lacks a Star Wars player. With the live triple threat match coming up, what better way to announce a member of your faction than in front of a live audience? Either Scimshaw or Damon are strong picks for as the final member of Rocha’s new faction. From a storyline perspective, Scrimshaw is friends with Ken, so that could make for an interesting rivalry. On the other hand, Damon is a Schmoedown fan, and might be able to compete in other divisions. On this issue, I’m not sure, but Scrimshaw seems potentially more able to lean into the theatrical aspect of the Schmoedown, and so he is my pick for the final member of Rocha’s new faction.
Team Action
Much like Above the Line or the Patriots, Team Action is one of those teams that only really functions if they are part of the title picture. The kings of smack talk need to back up their smack with wins, and so have been offered a stipulation: beat DC Movie News and the Shirewolves, and they get a title shot. Lose both matches, and they break up. This makes a lot of sense, and while the outcome of two victories is obvious, I want to focus on the outcome of two loses (surely a risk, if Ghai hasn’t improved his trivia game). Should the pair break up, what next?
Well, if this article is accurate, I know two Patriots that might be looking for new partners. Sneider especially has long expressed an interest in Team Action, and Bateman would be the perfect partner for Sneider. Seriously, that’s a partnership that would make for some ridiculously compelling viewing. Turning to Ghai, while I love the current ‘chaos heel’ angle that they are playing, it can’t last forever. Might Ghai be the surprise redemption story of the pair, even joining Rocha’s new Horsemen and reconciling with his ‘father’? It’s not as crazy as it sounds: what Ghai lacks in trivia skills is made up for in his involvement in storylines, so why not? If the pair split up, it’s possible that one will stay heel, the other turn face, and there’s no chance of Bateman joining a Horseman faction that contains Inman.
That’s about it for speculation – it’s been a while since I’ve had time to write one of these articles, and while I hope to have more time in the future, you’ll probably only see these articles pop up when there are storylines to predict, or big events to preview. Keep an eye on my twitter (@FilmDiscursion) if you’re keen! I pretty much just tweet about the Schmoedown – match ups, reactions etc.
Finally, if you want my predictions for next week’s big title matches, I have Above the Line defeating the Patriots and Levine retaining the belt against Wolfe. She might have bested him before, but the 5 round format definitely plays to Levine’s strengths!
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SCHMOEDOWN: Horsemen, Commissioners, and #1 Contenders
SCHMOEDOWN: Free For All II Preview
Talking About the MCU at the Box Office
FAVOURITE FILMS: The Incredibles
The Schmoedown Breakdown 
Pretty sure Action breaks up then Bateman will team up Robert Meyer Burnett
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