Who Could the Next Member of the Horseman Be? (Patreon)

Monthly Patreon Article

By Tom Matson

It was fun while it lasted, but the Five Horsemen are no more following Matt Knost’s retirement at the Spectacular back in December.

In fact, it seems that the Four Horsemen are no more after Jason Inman announced he would be taking an indefinite break from competition.

That leaves John Rocha, Dan Murrell and Mark Reilly out on their own somewhat, looking for potential new members to fill the void. “The Outlaw” has made no secret of the fact that he is on the lookout for new faces to join his group, but who could they be?

Let’s break down some of the biggest candidates…

BEN BATEMAN

Though I know you’re unlikely to believe me, Ben Bateman was one of the names already on this list before his inclusion within the Horsemen was placed firmly on the table by Mark Reilly last week.

There is very little to say about the prospective inclusion of “The Boss” and what that might mean for the future of the Horsemen that has not already been debated, but what is certain that he certainly does not lack the knowledge to fit in with his potential new stablemates.

Whether he has the right personality traits to get on with the likes of Rocha and Murrell remains to be seen, but he is certainly a worthy candidate.

JEFF SNEIDER

While Bateman would definitely not be one of the applicants that Rocha hinted at during the Schmoedown Awards, he did drop a hint that he was considering the resumes of certain competitors who “haven’t been seen in a while”.

One such Schmoedown personality is Jeff Sneider who, other than in a Patreon exhibition match, has been conspicuously absent since the Anarchy tournament and has not competed in the singles division since early July.

While “The InSneider” is currently aligned with Marc Andreyko and Roxy Striar as part of the The Odd Couple, it seems we are entering an era of cross pollination when it comes to the alliances of certain competitors, meaning they can play with a teammate who does not strictly come from their own faction (thank you Mike Kalinowski…genuinely).

As such, given Sneider’s history as one half of the most successful teams in Schmoedown history, he would certainly be a good fit from an ability point of view. The unknown is obviously whether he would be able to bury the hatchet with Rocha given their previous history, but if he is truly trying to turn his character around, then Sneider would make for an intriguing addition to the Horsemen.

JTE

If Sneider doesn’t float your boat as a potential Horsemen, then how about his former partner in crime, JTE?

Since his season-ending accident in the autumn of 2018, “Little Evil” has seen his manager and closest ally, Tom Dagnino, take on a new team while his prospective new teammate from the Anarchy tournament, Lon Harris, has tasted success alongside his brother Jonathan.

As such, the former team champion has been left on his own somewhat, forlornly treading the halls of the Schmoedown looking for someone to take him under their wing.

What better way to get back at Dagnino, then, than to join up with a stable whose patriarch is a man whom “Tricky Tom” has warred with for the better part of three years?

JTE might need a little rehabilitation in terms of his character and attitude towards other Schmoedown competitors, but if his presumed anger towards Dagnino can be channelled in the right way, then his eye for mischief could come in handy moving forward.

SAMM LEVINE

As unlikely as it might seem that the new Commissioner of the Singles division would step out of retirement, it is easy to forget that the Horsemen have a history of rehabilitating those who previously stepped away from competitive action.

“The Inglorious One” would certainly fit in with the new ethos of the Horsemen, and as a former champion himself, he’s unlikely to feel left out when the subject of belt polishing comes up between the other members of the group.

Perhaps most pertinent, though, is the recent revelation that Drew McWeeny is set to turn to the dark side.

Barely six months have passed since Above The Line went their separate ways, and yet “The Godfather” has now chosen to align himself with Andrew Ghai and Robert Meyer Burnett in a bid to resurrect his stumbling Schmoedown career. What Levine thinks of this development remains unclear.

Should he want to turn around the fortunes of his former "ride or die" though, then joining up with the Horsemen could be a logical path to go down. It’s certainly not the only one, but it should not be ruled out.

THE SHIREWOLVES

Now obviously Clarke Wolfe and Rachel Cushing will not have been among those applying for places within the Horsemen during the off-season, but the early developments of Season Six have left the current team champions somewhat out on their own.

Now few would argue with the Shirewolves were they simply to venture out on their own, but if they were looking to align themselves with an existing faction, then the Horsemen would surely welcome two more belt holders.

Rocha has always maintained that he wants to create the most fearsome stable the Schmoedown has ever seen, and adding the Shirewolves into the mix would certainly do that. Whether the Shirewolves want to be in cahoots with a team in the Founding Fathers that could potentially challenge for their throne, however, is another matter.

Who do you think the 4th or even 5th member of the Horseman might be going forward? Have we covered all possible candidates or is there a dark horse in this race we have overlooked? Let us know in the comments!