FREE AGENT FRENZY: Who Will Each Manager Pick?

With the voting closed for the Schmoedown Awards, which will be announced shrtly, it’s time to start looking ahead to season 8 and all-out WAR. Stage 1 of the war will begin 1 week after the Awards show in a Free Agent Special, which will end with each of the 8 factions having secured the services of 3 Schmoedown Pros ahead of the 2021 Draft.

But who will end up where? It’s not just a matter of the manager wanting a certain Schmoedown Pro, that person has to also decide that said manager is the right one for them. My predictions for tournament brackets were woefully off in season 7, so hopefully I can kick off season 8 with a bit more accuracy.

KOrruption

Not really a prediction here as Shannon Barney’s prize for winning the Faction Championship last season was the chance to lock in her 3 before Free Agency even opened for any other manager. In no real shock, Shannon chose to keep hold of Mike Kalinowski, Chance Ellison and Adam Collins, securing herself 2 triple-threats, one of the 3 longest-tenured teams (and arguably one of the elite teams) remaining in the league and the undefeated Singles Champion, who will be a solid lead to a second team.

Stars

I’m making Roxy the first of my actual predictions as I can’t help feel that her trio is pretty obvious. I’m assuming that with big names like Chris Jericho there will be some unspoken agreement that other managers won’t come after them allowing Roxy to not have to use one of her 3 spots on him and being able to pick him up a couple of rounds into the draft. This will allow Roxy to pick up her 3 champions in Jeff Sneider, Marc Andreyko and Alex Damon. While Andreyko may only be featuring in Teams so may be on the bench early in the season, it gives Roxy an elite team once that division gets going, with a strong chance of defending for big points, while Sneider already has a #1 Contender Match scheduled. Similarly, Alex will likely still be the favourite in his upcoming title match, and can also look to push on after a great first season in IG and could also be a solid B player on a team, utilising the IG-specific wheel slices.

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Quirky Mercs

Next up is Coy Jandreau, as he is in a relatively similar situation to Roxy. Like Jericho, I am assuming that Coy will be able to pick up Kevin Smith in the draft, allowing him to get quality cover for 3 divisions with his 3 picks. Keeping hold of the Shazam! pairing of William Bibbiani and Brendan Meyer appears a no-brainer for all parties involved – Coy gets an elite team and 2 elite Singles competitors (as well as the master of FreeForAlls, while Shazam stick with the manager who got them over the hump and helped them win their first Team Title. For his final pick, I see Coy sticking with his top 3 from last year’s draft by picking Mara Knopic, who has a Title Match early in the season, and I can see Mara showing some loyalty to Coy for keeping her on the faction through season 7 despite being inactive.

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S.W.A.G.

This is where things get interesting. Winston Marshall and Chandru Dhandapani look like a solid match so I envision the Innergeekdom Champion sticking with S.W.A.G. Paul Oyama looked revitalised with Winston and is a former champion with solid strategy, so I can see the pair also agreeing to stick together. However, I can see Final Exam coming to an end after twice failing to get the win against the elite teams, with Winston Marshall bringing in Ben Bateman as his third pick. I feel that Bateman will respect the effort that Winston puts into the league and his players, while a pairing with Oyama would cover some of his weaker areas like Classics and family movies, while he knows that Oyama will put in the same effort he will. Don’t be shocked to see Winston looking to secure Ace in the opening round of the draft.

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The Den

The Den was hard to call as it feels like there will be big changes here with Kate now having a year of experience under her belt. Ben Goddard impressed over 3 divisions before being left out in the second half of the season, but I think that a fired-up Kate could convince him to stay as one of the leads within the faction. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Paul Preston move on after a disappointing season, but I think that she could convince him to stay by proving she has learned from last season and pairing him with the GOAT Dan Murrell. A shock move for Murrell? Maybe, but the faction feels like it has good quality and was just missing an elite veteran to lead them.

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Finstock Exchange

What a difference a year makes. Tom Dagnino kicked off 2020 by drafting all 4 Horsemen and future star “The Barbarian”. Now hehas to start almost from scratch after losing the support of Ben Bateman and then throwing out Dan Murrell. By doing so though, he appears to have secured the services of John Rocha to lead the faction. Early in the offseason, I had thoughts that Ben Bateman may convince The Barbarian to follow him to a new faction where they could pair up, but I now see Dagnino holding onto him by offering him a partnership with Rocha as the lead team. Barbarian’s ability to also cover IG means that Dagnino will look to cover all 4 divisions with his 3 picks by holding onto Andrew Dimalanta, who has a guaranteed title shot early in the season.

Usual Suspects

So much was expected from the Suspects last season, but the early retirement of Drew McWeeny and the impact of COVID seriously hampered their season. One good thing did come of it though: a trade with the Burning Droogs that involved Ethan Erwin joining the Suspects at the cost of their 1ˢᵗ round draft pick. Well the dissolution of the Droogs has allowed Samm to keep his draft pick and I’m sure he will also be keeping Ethan Erwin. However, it looks like he may be getting a new partner as Andrew Ghai has been MIA on the Schmoedown scene since Spectacular, while he has also previously talked about how he is focused on Teams but struggles in the online environment. For that reason, I see Samm looking for a new partner for Erwin, and who better than someone who he already knows well: Liz Shannon Miller, who had a great run in the Singles Tournament. For the final spot, I see Samm also showing faith in someone whose 1-2 record this season does not match up with her quality, Jeannine “The Machine”, who could become a legitimate triple threat if she looks to carry on from her foray into the IG tournament.

The Dungeon

And so that brings us to The Dungeon, who probably have a little more wiggle room here as they own the 1ˢᵗ overall pick in the draft to supplement their 3 picks here. Last season, Kaiser chose to try dominating the IG Division with his early draft picks, picking up Kevin Smets and Robert Parker with his first 2 picks. Well Smets will be inactive this year as he continues to smash cancer, so I see Robert Parker stepping into the role of the team’s IG leader. I expect the IG focus to continue though with the acquisition of Brandon Hanna, who is the 4ᵗʰ most accurate of all time in IG (min 5 matches) and hinted at his quality outside the division with his foray into Teams with Jader Paramo. Hanna is an underrated player and as a triple threat, he could cause some havoc under Kaiser’s tutelage. For his final spot, I can see Kaiser showing loyalty with one of his originals and holding onto Eric Zipper, who is another legitimate triple threat and has improved year on year. Don’t be shocked to see Kaiser looking to pick up the best available Singles/Teams competitor on the board with his opening pick to pair with Zipper/Hanna.

So those are my predictions. Who you think each manager will pick up?

5 Takeaways from Schmoedown Spectacular V

Merry Christmas you filthy animals! This has been an interesting year to say the least with the COVID-19 pandemic changing everybody’s life to some degree. But through it all, one constant remained: the Movie Trivia Schmoedown. Season 7 was titled “The New Era” and that proved the case even more than we expected, as it adapted to the changing environment by moving to an online format to ensure that we continued to get or weekly entertainment and another fantastic season ended in truly spectacular showpiece event to end the year – the 5ᵗʰ annual Schmoedown Spectacular.

Schmoedown Spectacular V was available to watch live and on demand in the aftermath for those able to purchase it, but for those who are waiting for it to drop on YouTube for free, only 1 match has aired at time of writing. This article will be looking back at the whole event, so be warned there will be spoilers galore beyond this point!

Spectacular V ended up being a 9 hour epic, with betrayals, mystery and 6 fantastic matches:

Alex Damon TKO’d Andres Cabrera 32-24 to retain the Star Wars Title

Britney Young defeated Chris Jericho 16-15

The Odd Couple defeated Shazam! 41-40 to claim the Teams Title

Chandru Dhandapani defeated Chance Ellison to retain the Innergeekdom Title

Kevin Smith TKO’d ZaFlertinflouse 18-9

Adam Collins defeated Dan Murrell in Sudden Death 39-38 to claim the Singles Title

KOrruption win the Faction Title

Rushmore secured

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The make-up of the Schmoedown Mt Rushmore is a constant debate, with so many players in the conversation and Dan Murrell probably one of the only players who would make it onto everybody’s list. I would argue that Jeff Sneider should have also secured his place following this season.

“The Insneider” has become the first Schmoedown Pro to win 10 matches with one team and the Teams Title 3 times – 1 time with The Patriots, twice with The Odd Couple – and while he has had his ups and downs in Singles, he has still accrued a 13-8 record that includes a Championship Match and 2 other #1 Contender Matches.

Having debuted in Season 3, he is one of the longest-tenured Schmoedown Pros and has not taken a break from competing since he entered the league, while always putting on a show in his own unique way. Does he court controversy? Yes, but the league would be much more boring without him, and for his longevity, expertise in the Teams Division and his entertainment value, he has earned his spot on Mt Rushmore.

Stock crash

When season 7 started, it looked like the Finstock Exchange would run away with the Faction Title. Having been manager for the Horsemen in Season 6, with Ben Bateman and the Founding Fathers ending the season as champions – and Who’s The Boss being among the top 5 teams, making them a protected team – Dagnino was able to draft 4 legit superstars of the league with his first 4 picks, while picking up the relatively unknown rookie the Barbarian in the 6ᵗʰ round. However, things didn’t go to plan and the season ended with the Exchange dropping to 4ᵗʰ, behind Roxy Striar’s Roxstars at Spectacular.

It’s going to be all change for them next year too, if the way the season ended is anything to go by. Ben Bateman made clear after his 2ⁿᵈ loss to Dan Murrell that he was done with Finstock’s mismanagement, and the 2-time Manager of the Year then made the critical error of backing John Rocha as he split from Dan Murrell, leaving the GOAT as a Free Agent. So that’s 2 of the big 4 who are gone for good. But the Barbarian has also seemed a little put out at the way 2 greats of the game have been treated and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him turn his back on the faction to partner with either Bateman or Murrell and create a new superteam. Meanwhile Free Agent pick-up Sabrina Ramirez was given little chance to show her quality and if her statement at the beginning of the event is anything to go by, she’s another who will be looking to ply her trade elsewhere in Season 8.

And then we come to Andrew Dimalanta. The Star Wars specialist finally got his first wins in the division under Tom Dagnino and with a guaranteed title shot, you’d think that Bobby Gucci would want to retain his services going into 2021. However, as John Rocha went on a spree of blaming everyone (except himself and Dagnino) for the faction’s failings, even Dimalanta came under fire for his loss to Ace Cabrera. Will Dimalanta stay loyal to a manager that helped him get his first win, or will the shots from the new face of the faction make him look elsewhere for a more supportive faction?

Keep an eye out for my predictions on who each manager signs during Free Agency over the next week.

The Schmoeminati are real!

How can we forget the moment on Schmoedown Backstage when Andrew Ghai turned up to discuss his upcoming match with Mike Kalinowski, but instead spent his time telling us that there was a Schmoeminati controlling the league behind the scenes.

We all thought he was crazy as we watched his descent into madness through the second half of the season and promised to prove to us at Spectacular that the Schmoeminati exists. Well he did that, but not in the way he had planned, as we watched him get kidnapped by a group being led by this masked figure.

And so we are left with plenty of questions. First of all, is Andrew Ghai OK? If you watched the next couple of shows on the Action Industries channel, then he was unexpectedly absent, with an odd new answer phone message and text responses to “keep smiling :)” Next up, who is the Schmoeminati and what do they want? Ghai made it clear that Kristian Harloff is not involved, but with so many people involved in the League as a competitor/manager/announcer/pundit/crew member, that doesn’t really narrow things down too much.

Keep an eye out over the coming weeks for my thoughts on the likely culprits.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

It’s not just the Finstock Exchange that will likely look very different in 2021, as Kate Mulligan followed up ZaFlertinflouse’s loss to Kevin Smith by firing adviser Grace Hancock.

Will this be the end of Grace? I think it would be foolish to rule “the Lioness” out, but she’s running out of allies in the league. She abandoned the Lion’s Den so won’t be welcome in the Finstock Exchange, was fired by KOrruption to make room for Shannon and has now been fired by the Den. Meanwhile Kaiser an Roxy have both found themselves at odds with her. But with so many feuds, don’t be shocked to see her back at some point – maybe not this year – as a manager for a new faction hell-bent on causing trouble.

Increasing value

It’s hard to imagine that many Star Wars specialists will be picked up in Free Agency due to the limited number of matches they will play in a season, so much so that they may not even be a priority in the opening rounds of the draft as managers look to ensure they have strength in Singles and Innergeekdom with at least 1 top quality team. However, a couple of competitors likely saw a rise in their stock at Spectacular.

Andrew Dimalanta was already promised a title shot against Alex Damon, but Commissioner Clarke Wolfe also announced during Spectacular that Mollie Damon and Laura Kelly will face off in a #1 Contenders Match, with the winner either facing the winner of Damon v Dimalanta or joining them in a Triple Threat (at Alex Damon’s discretion). There are very few competitors with guaranteed matches in 2021 at this point, so to be able to pick up a Star Wars competitor with a guaranteed match very early in the season is a chance for some early points, and Kelly/Damon may even look more attractive options than Dimalanta due to the potential of 2 matches early in the season, while I also feel that both are capable of Dimalanta, who got a number of favourable calls during his tournament run.

Similarly, another competitor who may see a rise in their stock is Mara Knopic. The former Innergeekdom Champion may not have played in years, so there may be some questions about her ability to compete at the top straight away, however a guaranteed title shot early in the season will probably see her rise above many of the other IG specialists as there is the chance of an early victory to win the title, and even if she loses then it will not be too long until she is able to make another run for the title.

For more thoughts on Free Agency and the Draft, keep an eye on this site, as I will be posting my Free Agency predictions over the coming weeks, and I’m planning to put together my draft predictions once Free Agency has completed.

Credit for the header image goes to Alex from the Let’s Get Ready Network – check them out on Twitter @0M3GAxVID30

Masked Intentions

“Do you really think that I’m the type of Ghai that would give that guy this guy’s mask? You don’t know this Ghai at all.”

Tom Dagnino and Schmoedown fans around the world were shocked ahead of the recent match between Jader Paramo and Britney Young as Andrew Ghai presented Dagnino with a gift, the infamous beard mask, thought to have been burned by Robert Meyer Burnett during Spectacular III, over a year ago.

The two-time Heel of the Year has been undergoing a change in personality since his short-lived retirement at the end of the 2019 season – highlighted by his name change from “Dastardly” to “Debonair” – but the reveal that he had not actually given Burnett the real beard mask and is willing to give it back to someone who he spent all of last season in a feud with raises some questions as to what Ghai’s intentions are here.

You scratch my back…

An obvious result of this action is that he is sure to be in Finstock’s good graces moving forward. Good enough perhaps to start working an angle that sees him convince Finstock to trade for him. With Drew McWeeny’s recent retirement, Ghai is currently without a teammate and a move to the Finstock Exchange would give the option of a Team Action reunion or a pairing with rookie sensation “The Barbarian” that would create a third superteam within the faction. With Dan Murrell joining the Innergeekdom Division this season, the offer of Emily Rose Jacobson and potentially 1 or 2 of Grae Drake, Cody Hall or BC could sway Samm Levine into accepting a trade for a Schmoedown Pro who has the potential to make a run in the Singles Division but is most likely to challenge for a title in the Teams Division if given the right partner.

Similarly, Ghai maybe trying to get in Finstock’s good books to arrange a trade between the Finstock Exchange and Usual Suspects to get Ghai a partner on the Usual suspects. “The Barbarian” looks a real talent at the moment and pairing him with Ghai could create a legitimate title contender, but he probably wouldn’t come cheap despite being a 6ᵗʰ round pick. However, if Ghai can create some goodwill with Finstock, the may convince the three-time Manager of the Year to accept a cheaper offer than expected, suddenly putting the Usual Suspects in a much stronger position.

Debonair Apology Tour

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We all remember when Kristian Harloff came back to compete for one final “Revenge Tour” that saw him go all the way to winning the Singles Title from Dan Murrell. Maybe Andrew Ghai is beginning a tour of his own, though not waiting for matches to do so. We saw him telling Mike Kalinowski “it’s not your fault” that Mike was KOrrupted to the dark side following DC Movie News’ loss to Team Action. Now we have seen him bringing his season-long feud with Tom Dagnino to a end by giving him back his most prized possession. Who could be next on the list?

Well Mark Reilly and Dan Murrell would be obvious options giving the way the Dastard treated them during his TKO victories back in 2018. Perhaps we’ll see him buying orthopedic pillows for Ben Bateman and John Rocha, who both found themselves on the end of Ghai’s infamous tackles. Or maybe we will just see him finally getting Jenn Sterger’s name right!

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Shifting attention

As you may have noticed with the last section, Andrew Ghai has somewhat of a rocky history with a large number of the current Finstock Exchange roster. If the Exchange felt it benefited them, they could use this as an excuse to continually call out members of the Usual Suspects for matches.

Right now, the Usual Suspects are not in a strong position, and the Exchange look super strng, so it would be hard to see the Usual Suspects pick up many points from those matches. Perhaps Ghai’s gift of the beard mask will work as a peace offering, resulting in the Exchange turning their attention instead to Robert Meyer Burnett’s Burning Droogs. And while those 2 factions fight it out, the Usual Suspects can recover from the loss of Drew McWeeny, rebuild and restrategize, finding matches that give them the best chance of victory.

At the end of the day, the enemy of your enemy… is a pretty good weapon to take advantage of.

Sowing seeds of destruction

“The fire that burns in your fireplace is the same fire that burns down your house” – Finstock

His current faction may be the Finstock Exchange, but if you were asked which faction you associated the Finstock character with, it would be the Lion’s Den. Finstock was very much part of Dagnino’s heel days and though the character did appear to mellow during Who’s The Boss’ run through the 2018 Ultimate Schmoedown, it wasn’t until his mask was stolen that we really saw Tom Dagnino completely give up his antics.

Now he has the mask back, will he be able to geek on the straight and narrow… or will his old antics start coming back? Let’s not forget how much beef “The Dope Rocha” and Reilly both had with Finstock back in the day. There has already been a fair bit of disharmony within the Exchange this season, some due to some questionable calls by Dagnino. Could Andrew Ghai be hoping that the return of Finstock be the spark that burns the faction down to the ground?

If you have any other theories as to Andrew Ghai’s intentions, leave them in the comments below – I’d love to hear your thoughts. But for now, let’s just take a moment to enjoy the return of one of the league’s biggest characters…

The greatest match in history?

With the Movie Trivia Schmoedown going into its 7ᵗʰ season, there are a number of matches that can be looked back on as the “greatest ever”. There are so many things that go into a match being considered for that title: stakes (is a title on the line), the format (Iron Man match/3-round/5-round), rivalries, perfect rounds, perfect games, sudden death, comebacks, shock upsets, crazy wheel spins, not to mention the personalities of the competitors and the way they interact onstage. Add in the live events and an audience of hundreds watching live and things go to another level.

There have been so many fantastic matches: Dan Murrell winning the Singles Title from Ethan Erwin in New York, Rachel Cushing winning the Innergeekdom Title from Mike Kalinowski in sudden death, Mara Knopic beating Rachel Cuhing on the 11ᵗʰ question in sudden death, Andrew Ghai defeating Dan Murrell by TKO, Mark Reilly winning the Singles Title from John Rocha, Sam Witwer winning the Star Wars Title from Ken Napzok in an Iron Man match as time elapsed.

But after February 29ᵗʰ, I think we could have a new contender for the title “greatest match of all time”.

No offence to Alex Damon and Emily Jacobson, but I am of course talking about the Singles Championship Match between Ben “The Boss” Bateman and “Dangerous” Dan Murrell.

Dan Murrell entered the league in Season 2 as part of Team Champs alongside Mark Reilly, but it was in the Singles Division that he made his name, with his exploits in Seasons 3 and 4 having him considered the GOAT of the Schmoedown before his retirement. He returned in Season 5 and after a bumpy start, his partnership with John Rocha in the Founding Fathers and his return to success in Singles brought him back into the GOAT discussion, with his absence from Innergeekdom (until now) the main argument to put Rachel Cushing ahead of him.

Ben Bateman joined the league in Season 4 as part of Team Action, but it was Andrew Ghai’s suspension at the end of the season that really kick-started his Singles career going into Season 5. While he showed flashes on his own, it looked like he was potentially on the road to a good but not great Singles career, until he smashed his way through the 2019 Ultimate Schmoedown, finishing off by winning the final against William Bibbiani at Spectacular IV and returning later int he evening to win the title from Paul Oyama via KO. Murrell will be his first attempt at defending his title.

These 2 competitors are stars of the league and have become part of the most successful iteration of the Horsemen, who find themselves at the head of The Finstock Exchange. While they may be teammates within the Exchange, these are 2 driven individuals and neither will want a loss on their record. Ben Bateman is one of the driving forces of the new wave of Schmoedown competitor. He coined the term “Schmoedown Pro” and has embodied it, going heavy on the study not just of the movies, but also his opponents and the game, to ensure that he has the strategy to beat anyone. Murrell has certainly developed more strategy since his return to the league, but his game has always been more about having the superior knowledge and it is a shock if he misses more than a couple of questions in a match. This difference in styles will be incredible to see play out in front of us.

Add in the extra historical significance of this match: Dan Murrell has never lost at a live event, with 6 victories and a Free 4 All victory to his name. Bateman is 3-2 in live matches. Murrell has never lost when coming in as a #1 Contender, whereas this is Bateman’s 1ˢᵗ title defence. If Bateman wins, he will be the 5ᵗʰ of the 9 Singles Champions to have successfully defended the title at least once. If Murrell wins, he becomes the only 4-time Singles Champion and only the 4ᵗʰ double-belted champion.

I may be jinxing this match, but with so much at stake and 2 elite competitors in front of a manic crowd, I really think we could be looking at the greatest Schmoedown match of all time. Who do I think will win? I can’t separate the 2, so I’m going to chicken out and call The Finstock Exchange the winners.

Tickets for the live event are available at theschmoedownlive.com where you can also purchase access to the live stream, or if you are a $10+ patron on the Schmoedown Patreon you will automatically be granted access to the live stream. It will be available to watch at a later date, but I don’t think this is one to be missed!

Draft Kings: Looking at the new Factions

The New Era began on Saturday with the Movie Trivia Schmoedown’s first ever Draft. 9 Factions will be facing off this season and between Saturday’s live rounds and Sunday’s non-televised final rounds, the initial line-ups for each faction are set.

Now that the Draft is available for all to see, it’s time to cast an eye over the new factions and give my thoughts on the rosters each manager has put together. Now I’ll say before we start: my knowledge of the 2020 rookie class will be limited, so if I gloss over the next Ethan Erwin/Mara Knopic/Kevin Smets/Paul Oyama, then I apologise in advance!

Also before we begin, I just need to give a massive shoutout to Jacob Patrick for putting together such awesome graphics to summarise each faction’s draft.

The Usual Suspects

While I still think that Shazam! were a better option with the 1ˢᵗ overall pick, The Family are still a great selection and given Samm Levine’s history with Drew McWeeny it is no surprise to see him go for them. McWeeny never technically lost the Teams Title, vacating it due to Samm’s decision to step away, so I am sure that he will be keen to get McWeeny a title again, while I think that Ghai and Levine will get the best out of “The Godfather” this season. Jeannine is arguably now one of the best to have never won a belt, but I can see her forming a great team and if paired with Matt Atchity, her knowledge of the game will be a great foil for him. Jen Kempe is a rookie who I heard good things about and she already has some experience under the lights with an appearance at Free 4 All 3, so she could be a steal with Samm’s 8ᵗʰ pick, while Jader Paramo impressed in Orlando and will benefit from having a former champion as his manager. Napzok will also be a great presence in this group, while also providing a great mouthpiece to help take the pressure off of the rookies, and while I don’t know about Cameron Rice’s trivia abilities, I believe that he has been close to the game for a while so will know how to play the game.

Roxstars

This is a very strong roster for Roxy Striar, who has chosen to go for proven talent rather than take any rookies. The Odd Couple remain a top-tier team and she really gets the best out of them, while both Andreyko and Sneider can put together strong Singles runs. Alex Damon looks hard to beat in the Star Wars Division and I think that he will also have a strong season in Innergeekdom. Stacy Howard has been a little inconsistent recently, but I think that could make Roxy the perfect manager for her and she could be a contender for Comeback Player of the Year. JTE and Jim Vejvoda seemed odd picks to me – they are both great talents in the game, but JTE is not based locally anymore and Vejvoda’s investment in the game ahs been questioned previously – however I heard Roxy say on SEN Live that she had spoken to everyone that she drafted, which suggests to me that she is confident that they will not be wasted picks, which gives her a very strong top 6 picks. Beyond that, Del Rio and Haibon have both had success previously and could do well with such an invested manager, while it is nice to see a reunion for The League with Adam Gertler making the squad, someone who could be an underrated B-player in a team.

The Mouthy Mercs

I had Shazam! going with the 1ˢᵗ overall pick, so to see them drop to Coy with the 3ʳᵈ overall pick was great news for him. Bibbs and “The Kid” are both legitimate threats in both the Teams and Singles Division and will be kicking off the season in a Triple Threat #1 Contender Match against Dan Murrell. Mara is a great 3ʳᵈ pick and hopefully she will recover soon to challenge Smets for the IG Title. To get Tim Franco and Haleigh Foutch with his 4ᵗʰ and 5ᵗʰ picks gives him a fantastic 2ⁿᵈ team who could even be a dark horse for a title run. As one of the few to push Alex Damon close in the Star Wars Division and with experience in the 5-round format, Joseph Scrimshaw was a steal in the 7ᵗʰ round, and the Reel Rejects can never be taken lightly, while their fun personalities will help them get matches even after a loss. Coy is in a very strong position here and with 2 spaces left to fill, he could snap up someone who kicks off the season strongly or look for another IG competitor.

The Dungeon

This was a very interesting draft for Kaiser. With protected pick Smets in the 1ˢᵗ round and then Robert Parker in the 2ⁿᵈ round, it looks like the Dungeon are looking to dominate the Innergeekdom Division this season, but it does leave them without a clear superstar in the Singles Division – although it may be that he has some diamonds in the rough with his rookies. Of the rookies, the only one I have any knowledge of is Britney Young, who impressed in the GLOW Celebrity match, and it will be interesting to see how she does in regular competition (and how often she is available). As for Eric Zipper and Adam Witt, I would have considered them both good B-players on teams, but I think that could be undervaluing them due to limited tape and they could be a dark horse team. While not as initially star-studded as most other squads, The Dungeon may find themselves going under the radar and it must be remembered that Kaiser managed 2 rookies to titles in 2019, so don’t be surprised if they have a great season.

The Finstock Exchange

With the Horsemen all protected with Dagnino’s first 4 picks, The Finstock Exchange were already in a fantastic position and their remaining picks look to have just made them even stronger. The Horsemen alone gave good cover over the 3 main divisions with Dan Murrell entering IG, while he now has a #1 Contender Match against both halves of Shazam! to open the season. Andrew Dimalanta is a great competitor whose 0-2 record in the Star Wars Division really doesn’t do him justice, while I was shocked to see Emily Rose Jacobson fall as far as she did given her upcoming match against Alex Damon – she could be a great sleeper pick in IG. Beyond that, Cody Hall will always be a fan favourite and his knowledge is underrated – he took Lon Harris to Sudden Death following a perfect first round – while “The Barbarian” has been highly touted by people in the know. I’m a bit skeptical of Grae Drake, but as a late-round pick she could still prove a steal, while BC will have good tactical knowledge from the time that he spends around the Schmoedown.

KOrruption

Before anything, we need to acknowledge that Shannon Barney has already won Heel of the Year by breaking up the Wildberries… Have you no heart?!!!

Moving beyond that, this looks a strong squad for KOrruption. Mike and Chance provide 2 legitimate triple threats (Singles, Teams, IG) with the first 2 picks. Marc Edward Heuck has looked extremely knowledgeable in his limited matches so far and could pair well with Dewberry, who is a quality option as a B-player and a very experienced player. Laura Kelly brings a high-level talent to the Star Wars Division, while Bonnie Somerville could be a steal with the 8ᵗʰ pick… assuming that she turns up to her matches! I’ve not heard much about any of the rookies’ talent, but one thing can be guaranteed: taking Nerd Chronic with their final pick has just guaranteed KOrruption will have the most epic promos this season.

S.W.A.G.

With no teams remaining by the time it got to Winston, Paul Oyama was the obvious first round pick, and pairing him with Lon Harris makes a very strong team. Chandru will be a threat in IG and Liz Shannon Miller has great knowledge and could benefit from a manager that will be learning the tactics from the Chairman himself on SEN Live. Adam Hlavac could be a steal at 6 with his strength in IG, while he is also a good option in the Teams Division. Josh Macuga may have been picked a bit high, due to other commitments leaving him unavailable, but he will get matches when he is free. RB3 could be a sleeper pick at 7 picking up a lot of tips while engineering SEN Live, while Andres Cabrera could be a steal with Winston’s final pick. And that leaves Demi Adejuyigbe, who performed well on debut and Ed Greer, who is currently an unknown commodity. S.W.A.G could be an dangerous squad, but if nothing else, they’ll be fun to watch! Drip Drip!

The Den

Watch out for The Den this season! Kate Mulligan may be an inexperienced manager, but will benefit from being paired with Grace Hancock. Assuming they have good chemistry, “Tom” and Paul Preston make a very dangerous team, while I expect strong runs in the Singles Division from both of them this season. Brandon Hanna is a great talent in IG and will be looking to prove himself after a disappointing end to season 6. Rachel Silvestrini was an absolute steal in the 5ᵗʰ round and I expect great things from her this season. Ben Goddard is somewhat of an unknown but has already shown himself to be a student of the game and will learn a lot from being on SEN Live and Schmoedown Backstage, while Alex Marzoña was often shown to have good knowledge on Collider Live. Sean Sullivan and Diane Ademu-John are unknowns for me but Kate and Grace must have heard good things to draft them in their top 5, while if nothing else, we will get some great fun watching Saul and the sniper himself Brett Sheridan. Sleep on this squad at your peril.

The Burning Droogs

Trust Robert Meyer Burnett to go wild in the second round. While Ethan Erwin was an obvious pick in round 1, the second round feels very high for a rookie – though I have heard good things about James White. “The Captain” has got good value for his next 3 picks though, with Duralde, Seibold and VIDEODREW all being strong presences in Singles and Teams. The Warfather looked a good talent on his IG debut and I think his character will help him get matches. The final 3 picks are unknowns to me, but with such a knowledgeable and experienced group ahead of them, they will have some talent to learn from.

So who looks in the best position following the draft? Right now, my top 3 squads would be The Finstock Exchange, The Mouthy Mercs and the Roxstars, while The Dungeon would hold the bottom spot. Will that be the case? Only time will tell…

Draft Day! Schmoedown Mock Draft v2

It’s Draft Day!

Today will see The Magic Season come to an end with the 2019 Schmoedown Awards and The New Era kick off with the Schmoedown’s first ever live draft!

Last week, I put out my first ever Mock Draft for the 6 rounds that are planned to be televised, but as I began to promote it on social media, I saw that a trade had already been announced that made my draft wrong. So with the draft just hours away, I have taken a second* shot at predicting how things will go.

*It’s actually probably more like a version 7, due to manager changes, trades and some other announcements, but this will be the second published version

So here are the big news points that have had an effect on this new mock draft:

Due to other commitments, Emma Fyffe has had to drop out as a manager. The Fyffe Club has been rebranded as The Den and will be managed by Kate Mulligan, with Grace Hancock as her advisor
Tom Dagnino’s prize of a pick swap with Kaiser/Fyffe does not transfer over to Mulligan, so he can now only pick swap with Kaiser
John Kaiser and Robert Meyer Burnett agreed a trade that saw them swap places in the first 2 rounds of the Draft – The Dungeon now has the 9ᵗʰ & 10ᵗʰ overall picks, The Burning Droogs have the 4ᵗʰ & 15ᵗʰ overall picks
John Kaiser and Kate Mulligan agreed a trade that saw The Den give up their 3ʳᵈ round pick (26ᵗʰ overall) for The Dungeon’s 4ᵗʰ & 5ᵗʰ round picks (33ʳᵈ & 40ᵗʰ overall)

So, the big talking points from this one:

With the way the Dungeon’s trades have worked out, Tom Dagnino would not gain any benefit from a pick swap with Kaiser until the 7ᵗʰ round, which would only see him move up one spot. Instead, he will use it to sabotage Kaiser in the early rounds as he looks a dangerous rival, swapping positions in the 2ⁿᵈ round. Tom not get a pick here as it is sacrificed to hold onto his champions, but it makes it less likely that Kaiser will be able to pick up an elite Singles competitor
Coy Jandreau will still attempt a trade with KOrruption, but will sweeten it by throwing in his 5ᵗʰ round pick to make it more attractive to Shannon Barney
Josh Macuga drops to the 6ᵗʰ round due to questions over his availability, but his experience of the game will see him picked up to Roxy Striar. Though I have her picking Dewberry, it may be that she pairs him with Lon Harris rather than keep the Wildberries together.
“The Barbarian” was one of the rookies recently announced by Kristian Harloff, but what makes him stand out was a comment on the announcement from Ethan Erwin praising him. Kate Mulligan was present on SEN Live when this was discussed and will take a chance on him with her 6ᵗʰ round pick.
Kate will be in a strong position following the Draft. “Tom” and Jeannine make a strong 1ˢᵗ team, she has one of the dark horses of the IG Division this season in Robert Parker and a former Star Wars Champion in Ken Napzok. If Ken is also entering teams, he will be an experienced partner who knows the game to pair with Matt Atchity. Ben Goddard would also make a fine teammate for Atchity, as he is a student of the game and will be picking up a lot of tactical knowledge from being on SEN Live and Schmoedown Backstage. If Napzok will enter teams, then he, Atchity, Goddard and the Barbarian could make 2 strong teams.
The Finstock Exchange will pick up an elite Star Wars specialist in the 5ᵗʰ round in case Rocha and Reilly choose to focus on the bigger divisions this year, then pick up Keetin Marchi – who is often overlooked when discussing IG but has had some help previously from Rocha, putting her on their radar
VIDEODREW will drop to the 5ᵗʰ round due to questions over her availability. While splitting up The Loony Bin will not prove popular with the fans, it would put Samm Levine in a good position following the draft (or even in the later rounds) to offer a trade with The Den to get a couple of competitors/picks from them.

How do you see this draft going? Bring on The New Era!

Schmoedown Season 7 Mock Draft

If season 6 was “The Magic Season”, how do you take things even bigger? By creating “The New Era”! 2020 will see the Movie Trivia Schmoedown take its next step by having its very first draft. The factions and teams that we have come to know will be coming to an end (for the most part) and 9 new, larger teams will be taking their place, competing for a prize at the end of the season.

So here is what we know so far:

The Draft will take place at The Comedy Store on January 11ᵗʰ 2020, following the Awards
There were originally intended to be 10 teams, with the teams announced at Spectacular, however other commitments means that Jay Washington has had to pull out of being a manager, so he has taken on an advisory role, leaving us with the following 9 teams:
- The Usual Suspects – Samm Levine
- Roxstars – Roxy Striar
- S.W.A.G. (Schmoedown Winners And Greatness) – Winston Marshall (Jay Washington advisor)
- The Mouthy Mercs – Coy Jandreau
- The Finstock Exchange – Tom Dagnino
- The Dungeon – John Kaiser
- The Fyffe Club – Emma Fyffe (Grace Hancock advisor)
- KOrruption – Shannon Barney
- The Burning Droogs – Robert Meyer Burnett
Each team can sign up to 10 Schmoedown Pros at any moment. Managers will not compete, so Robert Meyer Burnett must keep a slot free for himself to face Andrew Ghai, and can then fill the spot afterwards
The draft will be a snake draft, with the order picked out of a hat on Schmoedown Backstage #4
Managers will be allowed to drop personnel and acquire new people during the season, as well as trade with other managers
Mike Kalinowski has said that he will demand a trade if drafted by Roxy, similarly Ghai with Burnett
Each victory will earn points for the team. Innergeekdom and Star Wars matches will earn more points as there are less matches, a win in a Championship will earn extra points, as will a knockout victory
Managers who currently manage a champion can keep their Champions, with the cost being their first however many picks covers the champions they have (Kaiser 1 pick, Tom 3 picks)
The top 5 teams in the rankings – other than the champions – are protected. If a manager drafts one of the team, they also get the teammate at the cost of their next pick (so as Who’s The Boss are protected, Reilly remains with the Finstock Exchange at the cost of Tom’s 4ᵗʰ pick)
Due to his victory in Orlando, Tom Dagnino can swap a pick in his first eligible round with either Kaiser or Emma

With that in mind, it was time for me to do what all sports fans love doing for American sports: a mock draft. Now on the whole, I will be keeping this pretty basic and staying away from too many trades. I will also be looking to go through the first 6 rounds as that is what it appears we will get at the event, with the rest of the free agents being acquired over the following days. I will show you my draft board and then run through my predictions in a little more detail after. When putting this together, I’ve not had a copy of the roster to look at, so I have gone off names that I have heard mentioned and made some assumptions about the divisions that people will compete in… plus my memory is terrible so I’ve probably managed to miss out a big name somewhere – though I will admit that I can see Josh Macuga slipping out of the top 6 rounds due to availability questions, similarly Scott Mantz, who did not compete in 2019.

Let me know how you think the Draft will go!

Tom & Kaiser’s Champions

First off, I 100% expect both Tom Dagnino and Kaiser to keep hold of their champions. While the 4ᵗʰ pick overall may be a bit higher than you would expect for an Innergeekdom specialist, there is too much of a risk that someone would steal Smets if Kaiser didn’t sacrifice his first pick. Add to that, as defending champion and one of the most dangerous Schmoedown Pros in IG, you would expect Smets to have a chance of multiple title defences, while he has also mentioned that he is keen to enter the Star Wars division. Dagnino meanwhile has 2 of the best teams in the Division, comprised of 3 of the last 5 Singles Champions and another former Champion in Reilly who should never be ruled out for putting another title run together. Though it will mean that he can’t pick until the 5ᵗʰ round, there is no way that he would be able to get such a strong stable with his first 4 picks, while Murrell’s decision to enter the IG division means that he already has the 3 main divisions covered.

Round 1

I know a lot of people want a reunion between Samm and Drew McWeeny, but Samm is a competitor and he needs to consider the value of the 1ˢᵗ pick overall. Due to this being a snake draft, he won’t get to pick again until the end of Round 2, so are The Family really good value for him? Personally I see him taking Shazam! Both Bibbs and “The Kid” look like they have the potential to challenge for the Singles Title in 2020 (Bibbs already has a #1 Contender match) and Shazam! are arguably one of the strongest teams in the league. Add in “The Beast” still having his Free 4 All MVP prize of a #1 Contender shot and I thin that Samm has to take Shazam!

Next up is Roxy and this is an easy pick as she has worked so well with The Odd Couple since the beginning of Anarchy, so I can’t see her letting another manager build on that work. Things will get very interesting with the 3ʳᵈ pick, though. With Kalinowski and Chance both a factor in all 3 of the main divisions, KOrruption are the best value team left on the board (maybe even better value than some of the already acquired teams). However, Mike has already said that he will refuse to play for Roxy, and I think that would likely extend to many of the other managers too. However, Shannon will be the next manager to pick so I expect Coy to pull a move here and take KOrruption ahead of her, then immediately offering them to her for her 1ˢᵗ and 2ⁿᵈ Round picks, while also taking her 4ᵗʰ Round pick. With Shannon now having KOrruption via this trade, Coy will use her first 2 picks to take The Family, as this gets him an elite team, but also a great strategic mind in Andrew Ghai that will help an inexperienced manager so much.

With the protected teams now gone, Winston will look for the strongest name on the board, which I see as Paul Oyama, as he has shown how good he can be in Singles (which means the right teammate will make him a danger in the Teams Division), while he has also mentioned possibly entering the IG Division. Paul is not just great at trivia, but he is also great at the game, which will be another big aid for a new manager. Emma Fyffe will pick up Ethan Erwin, who clearly has a wide and deep knowledge of movie trivia and will benefit from a manager who knows the game well. The Round will finish with Robert Meyer Burnett, who I think will take the best ranked Singles competitor available: Paul Preston.

Round 2

With Round 2, I expect Burnett to look for another elite Schmoedown Pro to pair with Paul Preston. While he is yet to play in Singles, “Tom” has made a name for himself with The Loony Bin and looks like he will be a real danger in both Singles and Teams. Paul and “Tom” will be a strong team, and it will be interesting to see how their personalities gel on a team. Now the Fyffe Club have a big choice to make. Jeannine is probably one of the best competitors to have never won a belt and looks to have worked well with Ethan in their couple of matches as Time Machine. However, Ethan has shown a clear weakness in Disney and similar animated movies, so I think that Emma will instead pick another underrated competitor who knows the game well, has a good general knowledge but absolutely crushes Disney: Rachel Silvestrini! With Time Machine officially broken up, I expect Winston to pick Jeannine up with the next pick, reuniting her with Jay Washington and creating a strong team with Oyama. With everyone else having picked protected teams, The Dungeon are the only other pick in Round 2 and they will need a strong competitor to build around in Singles and Teams, so I think that they take a shot on Marc Edward Heuck, who has shown himself to be a great talent in his appearances for the Self-Righteous Brothers, even if results haven’t gone his way.

Round 3

With most of the big names from the Singles Division off the board, I can see Samm Levine taking Mara Knopic, who has a guaranteed Title Match in IG and will probably get a couple of chances to go for the title this year even if she does lose to Smets. I can see this sparking a run on the top names in the IG Division, with Roxy taking Chandru, who came close to beating Smets in their #1 Contender Match and will likely shine with a manager like her. Coy will follow that up by taking Brandon Hanna, who again knows both the IG categories and the game really well, probably being the last of the current top tier of IG competitors.

With Smets already in The Dungeon, I think that Kaiser will look to find a strong partner for Marc Edward Heuck and take Stacy Howard, who will bring experience to the pair even if her results have been somewhat hit and miss of late. With Mike and Chance covering all 3 of the main divisions, I expect Shannon to look for someone they think can look to compete in the Singles Division and potentially be the first name on a 2ⁿᵈ team. For me, that is Haleigh Foutch, who has shown promise and just needs more experience around her to help her grow in the league. While Oyama may compete in IG, I expect Winston to bring in a specialist here and I think that his time on SEN Live may benefit him here, as he will have heard mentions of Robert Parker as one of the big names coming up from the fan leagues, while Oyama’s experience there may also help solidify this pick.

The big IG names may be gone but I think that Emma may still draft a big name who will be competing in IG: Star Wars Division Champion Alex Damon, who looks nigh unbeatable in Star Wars and has a guaranteed match on the schedule already in IG. While we already know he’s unlikely to miss a Star Wars question in IG, he is also a big Indiana Jones fan and knows Middle Earth very well, so could be a strong sleeper pick in this division. Finally, Burnett will pick up the highest-ranked remaining competitor in IG: Emily Jacobson, who not only has a confirmed match, but also showed just how much she was growing over last season, so she could be another to keep an eye on in the division.

Round 4

With The Burning Droogs having 2 strong players but maybe not an obvious challenger in the Singles/Teams Divisions, I think that Burnett looks for another who can go on a strong run and takes Liz Shannon Miller, who could also work very well as part of their main team if either Paul/Tom doesn’t want to compete in Teams this season. The Fyffe Club will look at Eric Zipper who may not be challenging for the Singles/IG Titles but can still pick up wins in the divisions, while also being a reliable teammate. Considering Robert Parker is a (albeit slight) risk as he does not have the experience in the big leagues, I think that Wiston will pick up another big name in IG: Adam Hlavac, who will become a real danger again in the division if he takes the time to study Middle Earth and some of his other weaker categories. Per the earlier trade, Coy would have the next pick and take a veteran of 3 divisions: Ken Napzok. As well as being a potential challenger for the Star Wars Title, Ken will bring great experience for a new manager and could even be a helpful B player in a team like in the days of The Nerd’s Watch. The Dungeon will again look at the Singles and Teams Divisions and take a highly knowledgeable competitor in Alonso Duralde, someone who could again benefit from and experienced manager when it comes to tactics. Coy would have his second pick of the round and take Witney Seibold, whose results in Singles and with the Self-Righteous Brothers have not matched up to the ability he has shown in Critically Acclaimed. Roxy will look to Tim Franco, who again knows the game very well and is also a very knowledgeable competitor, and Samm Levine will end the round by taking VIDEODREW, who was an underrated part of The Loony Bin’s Ultimate Schmoedown run and could even prove to be excellent trade bait if Burnett wants to bow to public pressure to keep The Loony Bin together.

Round 5

There are still some big names available going into Round 5 and I think that Samm’s next pick could (with the right manager) be in the running for Comeback Player of the Year: Lon Harris. With her next pick, I expect Roxy to partner Tim Franco with his debut opponent Matt Atchity, who has great knowledge but struggles with the strategy, so would benefit from having Tim as his partner and Roxy as manager. The Mouthy Mercs can then pick up Adam Witt, who didn’t have a great debut, but gave a much better account of himself against Shazam!

The next pick would usually belong to Kaiser, but would instead go to Dagnino, courtesy of his victory in Orlando. With strength already there in Singles, Teams and IG, I see The Finstock Exchange looking to get a legit challenger for the Star Wars Division and taking Joseph Scrimshaw, who has ran Alex Damon close in multiple matches and has the benefit of being based more local than many of the others in the division. With a number of big names coming off the board in the Star Wars Division, I think that Kaiser takes the chance to pick up a specialist in the division in case Smets can’t get a match this season. On Beyond the Schmoedown, Dimalanta mentioned that he has been in discussions with Kaiser, so I see him going to The Dungeon with this pick. As the next pick would be only the 4ᵗʰ competitor for KOrruption, I see them getting a teammate for Foutch and going for Eliot Dewberry, who has an underrated level of knowledge as shown by his recent perfect round.

By this point, the big names are all off the board and it becomes looking for people who you think can pick you up some points and who you know a bit about. For that reason, I can see Wisnton looking at his fellow SEN Live regular RB3, whose likeable personality will see him go down well with fans and who will likely be picking up advice on studying and competing by spending so much time on SEN Live. I can see the Fyffe Club taking a punt on one of the big names I have been hearing about from the fan leagues, Jen Kempe, who will likely benefit from an established manager and form a possibly underrated team with Zipper. Burnett will finish the round by taking David Del Rio, who has looked good in his 3 matches last year.

Round 6

For Burnett’s final televised pick in the draft, I think that he looks to bring in another IG specialist and who better than Warfather, who looked decent on his debut and looks like he may be one of the few people who could come close to making himself heard over Burnett. The Fyffe Club don’t have an IG specialist, so I can see her picking up the former champion Hector Navarro, who would likely benefit from an established manager like her. Winston again will go back to the largely unknown quantities that he will have got to know through SEN Live and pick up Ben Goddard – even if he doesn’t get any wins, he gets to come out to an entrance song he is already in love with and free bagels could guarantee it.

With 2 decent teams and 2 representatives in IG, Shannon will use this pick to get a representative from the Star Wars Division, taking Laura Kelly, who just gets better with each match and now has the experience of competing both in studio and in a high-stakes match in front of a live crowd. With only their 2ⁿᵈ pick in the draft, I have The Finstock Exchange taking Jader Paramo, who has a guaranteed match after his win in the fan event and would be trained by some of the biggest names in the game. The Dungeon will take Sean Gerber, whose perfect match in the MCU exhibition should put him on managers’ radars, while he could also provide a could partner for Alonso Duralde with his IG knowledge and calm head. The Mouthy Mercs will look to take a competitor that lives up to that name, so take Devon Stewart, who may not be an elite player but will get matches due to his fun personality and can also put in very strong performance if the right categories get picked. The Roxstars have no representation in Star Wars to this point, so I see them bringing in Mollie Damon, who put in a good performance at Celebration and will only get better with experience. Finally, Samm Levine takes Sabina Graves with the final pick of the 5 rounds as she is another with a good range of knowledge who could do well with a great manager.

Thoughts from the world of sport and the Schmoedown

KOrruption

Stars

Quirky Mercs

S.W.A.G.

The Den

Finstock Exchange

Usual Suspects

The Dungeon

Rushmore secured

Stock crash

The Schmoeminati are real!

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

Increasing value

You scratch my back…

Debonair Apology Tour

Shifting attention

Sowing seeds of destruction

The Usual Suspects

Roxstars

The Mouthy Mercs

The Dungeon

The Finstock Exchange

KOrruption

S.W.A.G.

The Den

The Burning Droogs

Tom & Kaiser’s Champions

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6