FACTION FIGHTS AND UNLIKELY TEAM-UPS: Schmoedown Storyline Predictions for 2019 (Patreon)

FACTION FIGHTS AND UNLIKELY TEAM-UPS: SCHMOEDOWN STORYLINE PREDICTIONS FOR 2019

By Tom Maston

Here we go again!

Season Six of the Movie Trivia Schmoedown promises to be the biggest yet, and with belts changing hands quicker than you can illegibly write the words ‘Jane Fonda’ over the past 12 months, the stage is set for another enthralling year of film trivia action.

And while what happens at the table will continue to drive the Schmoedown forward, the continued story arcs that surround the raw movie trivia continue to create the biggest talking points for fans and competitiors alike.

So what can we expect from a story perspective in 2019?

Given the break-up of Team Action and Robert Meyer Burnett’s revenge were the two main takeaways from Spectacular III, it has been decided to ignore those in lieu of some more speculative topics.

So here are four big (and likely incorrect!) predictions for some stories to look out for in 2019…

THE VIPER SQUAD

It’s easy to forget, but since the fall of the Lion’s Den, it is the Viper Squad that now hold the crown as the oldest faction of any of those currently trading within the Schmoedown.

Yes, they have gone through two different names, but the key morals upon which Jay Washington’s group of extraordinary female competitors was built remain very much in place.

Or so they did until “The Urban Gladiator’s” head was turned when given the opportunity to work with Ethan Erwin.

While few are buying Washington’s apparent change in demeanour since being employed to handle “Big Time’s” movie trivia affairs, it is clear that his priority has switched from those who he previously managed to his new golden goose, particularly now Erwin has a shiny piece of hardware catching Washington’s eye.

As such, do not be surprised in Season Six to see the Viper Squad turn their backs on their current manager and plough their own furrow during 2019.

Markeia McCarty shone as a no-nonsense manager during the Anarchy Tournament, and given she was unveiled as a Viper Squad member over the summer, she would be the ideal candidate to usurp “The Urban Gladiator” and lead the likes of Stacy Howard and Jeannine going forward. Watch this space!

JTE’S RETURN

If the season-ending Spectacular lacked anything, it was the presence of JTE. A staple of the Schmoedown’s biggest events up to that point, the accident that ruled “Little Evil” out of the Season Five finale robbed the fans of one of the most engaging personalities the show has to offer.

In his absence, the Schmoedown has been turned on its head. He has tumbled down the singles rankings as the stocks of others grow while he heads into 2019 without a team-mate and with his manager and longest ally, Tom Dagnino, suddenly hobnobbing with rival competitors.

Quite where JTE goes from here remains to be seen. Could he form part of Burnett’s plan for revenge on Dagnino if “The Captain” is able to get in his head? Will he be embroiled in another e-mail scandal in his bid to find a new partner and recapture the belt he held for so long?

Those questions may remain unanswered for some time, but here’s a bold prediction for you… the Patriots will be back in business by the end of 2019!

And not just in the upcoming exhibition match against the Schmoes either. With the Shirewolves looking unstoppable as team champions, they surely have half an eye on equalling and eventually bettering the Patriots record of nine straight victories.

Were they to come close to challenging the Patriots’ crown as the most dominant duo in movie trivia history, then you know JTE and Jeff Sneider would be back together before you could make a meal of pronouncing a dinosaur’s name correctly.

“The InSneider” might currently be tied up with Marc Andreyko as one half of The Odd Couple, but this writer cannot see that lasting for too much longer, particulary if “The Android’s” Fyffe Club faction-mates continue to rule supreme over the team division.

THE FALL OF THE HORSEMEN (AGAIN!)

It’s happened before, and now it’s going to happen again – by the time Season Six ends, the Five (or Four) Horsemen will be a distant memory for Schmoedown fans.

While it is understandable why John ‘All the Belts, All the Records’ Rocha would want to build the most fearsome faction the movie trivia world has ever seen, but he does not seem to have learned his lessons from the previous incarnation.

Yet again he is attempting to manage the faction while competing at the highest level. Yet again he has brought together competitors who all have their eyes on the same prize. And yet again he has stablemate who is fraternising with some of the Schmoedown’s darker individuals – and this time he cannot even use the excuse of it being done in secret!

Matt Knost’s decision to retire and step away from the Schmoedown is just the first step towards the Horsemen falling down around “The Outlaw” yet again. Mark Reilly’s success alongside Ben Bateman and with Dagnino in his corner is likely to see “Yodi” eventually pledge his allegiances to another other than Rocha while did anyone pick up on Jason Inman’s “two captains” remark during the Spectacular pre-show?

That – at least to this writer – hinted at a team-up with Burnett, and given his history with Rocha that is unlikely to go down too well. Looking on from afar, there is only one thing that can save the Horsemen, and that is a non-competitive manager. Fortunately, the man for the job is available if they need him.

Enter Scott Mantz.

Having buried the hatchet with his long-time adversary during Season Five and with his own Schmoedown career only going in one direction, “The Mantz Man” is both the external mouthpiece and objective voice the Horsemen require to remain a cohesive unit. Will Rocha be willing to cede power, though? It’s unlikely.

KALINOWSKI’S REVENGE

If you believed that the Schmoedown power struggle was over just because Kristian Harloff has installed himself as Chairman, then think again!

Mike Kalinowski’s reign of terror over the movie trivia world might be done, but the new Innergeekdom Champion is not finished when it comes to ensuring that he is never used as anyone’s pawn again.

Betrayed by The League before being manipulated by Harloff and his associate, Paulie G, “The Killer” is out for blood heading into Season Six. However, with only Ken Napzok and Chance Ellison seemingly by his side, he has few allies to fall back on.

But what about if he turned to an old adversary? A man whose life he made a misery over the last six months? Could Kalinowski attempt to join forces with Thadd Williams in a bid to bring Harloff to justice? You bet he could!

Williams was as much a victim of Harloff’s manipulation as Kalinowski, and as such has his own axe to grind. While it might not be palatable to work alongside a man who routinely ordered him around during the second half of 2018, given he fell out with almost every other competitor Williams has few friends to fall back on, and as such a working relationship with “K.O.” could be advantageous for both.

Quite how they would go about plotting their revenge is another thing altogether, but do not be surprised to see the Schmoedown’s former commissioner team up with the man  who previously terrorised him in the coming months.

What do you guys think? What are your top storyline predictions for 2019? Let us know in the comments below!