WHY KORRUPTION SHOULD BE A FACE FACTION
KOrruption turning face seems like an oxymoron, almost like it goes against their very nature. So let’s investigate the roots of KOrruption’s heel nature.
Within the storyline, Mike Kalinowski turned heel for multiple reasons. He was bitter about his lack of success, and he felt betrayed by the fans who did not acknowledge his talent and potential, as well as being disillusioned with his faction The League for not doing enough. Shannon Barney had similar reasons as she was angered by Grace Hancock and Ken Napzok’s management and how the fans diminished Kalinowski’s accomplishments, and she took that anger out on the fans by breaking up the Wildberries.
Fast forward to today. Kalinowski is one of the most accomplished and successful players within the game who has finally gotten the fan recognition he deserves. Kalinowski even acknowledged this during his appearance on LGR’s Collision After Party, saying “I noticed a change when I won the IG belt this past season. There was a narrative switch where there was a lot of people at that point like, ‘okay, I can’t argue Mike is one of the greats anymore.'”
Kalinowski is currently the star player of one of the most successful and talented factions the Schmoedown has ever seen. Barney had one of the best managerial seasons of all time, and she was acknowledged by the same fans that she had hurt with Schmoedown Awards for that season. At this point, Kalinowski and Barney just don’t have the reasons or the anger to continue their heelish ways. They’ve accomplished so much and have not only proved their doubters wrong but converted them into fans.
I would argue KOrruption has reached the same place Andrew Ghai did as a heel: the place where it is hard to root against them, especially given the additions of Adam Collins and Marisol McKee. Collins’ character just doesn’t feel like a heel and a face turn might put his character over with the fans. McKee’s character is literally Lady Justice. While some may argue McKee is currently a warped version of justice or is KOrruption’s image of justice, I would say because McKee is so likable, and the fans clearly gravitated towards her, it would be much more effective if she was a face. After all, the fans want to see McKee and I doubt she would receive many boos at a live event. In addition, the camaraderie among the faction that McKee and Collins helped Barney cultivate is not very heel-like.
Some may argue turning KOrruption face would take away what makes them interesting or force them to lose their edge. I vehemently disagree with this idea. Not all faces are like the Quirky Mercs. There have been many faces that have had a bit of an edge to them. Examples of this include Dan Murrell during Season 8, Kevin Smets, John Rocha during the Founding Fathers days, Matt Knost, etc. If KOrruption turns face, they can still have their edge, especially if they directed it at heels. I would argue that this mindset already fits with Kalinowski, who is a player that respects the game and goes after those who don’t (i.e. Chandru Dhandapani). I think it is very telling that KOrruption’s best rivalries this season have been against Dhandapani, Hancock, and Ben Bateman, all of whom are currently heels. I think KOrruption as a face team that relentlessly goes after the villains of the league would be very successful with the fans.
Lastly, KOrruption turning face has a lot of future story potential. I doubt Roxy Striar would buy Barney and Kalinowski’s switch and would go hard at them just like she went hard at Bateman when he was a face. Those within the Schmoedown will be hesitant to imminently trust this turn, and this would be a very interesting dynamic for Season 9 to follow. Overall, the face turn would make sense within the storyline and create a lot of intrigue and interest. This way, Kalinowski and Barney’s characters can move forward instead of stagnantly keeping the same villain routine.
While Barney could build a powerful face faction around Kalinowski, Collins, and McKee, there would be some consequences to this turn, most notably Chance Ellison. While a face version of Ellison would be interesting and doable, I think he is one of the best heels currently within the league. His character work is very underrated and losing that is not ideal. This may lead to Ellison leaving Kalinowski and Barney. Some may view this as a positive since the team KOrruption could be considered to be at the tail end of its career, and this would be a stellar reason for the team to split at least for one year. This move could bring new blood into the teams division and it would be fascinating to see Ellison on another team. The fallout could cause a rivalry between Kalinowski and Ellison strong enough to headline Season 9. Overall, KOrruption could lose a lot with Ellison, Marc Edward Heuck, and James White should they turn face since none of those characters seem likely for a face turn. Yet I argue they have much to gain by going face and with the new faction system, the faction will be splitting up anyway.
WHY SWAG SHOULD BE A HEEL FACTION
There are a lot of fans who have a considerable attachment to the face version of SWAG from Winston Marshall, Andres Cabrera, and Final Exam. Admittedly, this move would break many fans’ hearts, and this heel turn would get a similar reaction to the breakup of the Wildberries. This is the exact reason why this heel turn should happen. The Wildberries’ breakup, while heartbreaking, entertainment-wise had a lot of positives. The investment the fans had in the Wildberries carried over to the fallout of the breakup of the team. Fans of the Wildberries would watch every cutscene featuring Eliot Dewberry and Josh Macuga hoping it would lead to their favorite team reuniting. That investment and hope being crushed by a Dewberry vs Macuga retirement match was a great conclusion to an interesting storyline. The only problem with that specific storyline is that it was centered around two non-competitive players. Therefore, there were not a lot of opportunities match-wise to continue the storyline.
SWAG, on the other hand, has the same love and investment from the fans that the Wildberries had, but without the weakness of centering around non-competitive players. Marshall, Dhandapani, Kelly, Cabrera, Paul Oyama, and Lon Harris will all likely be heavily featured within Season 9 and would have multiple opportunities to deal with the aftermath of a possible SWAG heel turn.
Storywise, there are a lot of reasons Marshall might turn heel. Firstly, he is surrounding himself with two of the most promising heels in the league with Dhandapani and Kelly. (I doubt the Kelly face turn lasts given how good she is as a heel.) It’s very believable that Dhandapani and Kelly can corrupt Marshall given they are two of his star players. Marshall might even be able to convince Oyama to turn heel, given most of Oyama’s success came as a heel. While some may find it inconceivable for Marshall to turn, I would argue that based upon how this season went, it’s very possible.
It is easy to be nice and happy when you’re winning as SWAG was last year, but that isn’t the case this year. Losing hurts and can turn anyone, even Marshall, especially if he sees the possibility of losing Dhandapani and Kelly if he doesn’t turn heel. Marshall already chose Kelly for the Star Wars tournament rather than staying loyal and choosing Cabrera. Given how he drafted Kelly first, it showcases who he prioritizes keeping and pleasing. There is a lot of incentive within and outside the storyline for Marshall to turn heel. Given the fans’ attachment to SWAG, this turn would create a similar reaction to the Wildberries’ breakup and add a very interesting storyline that can sustain itself throughout Season 9.
What is so interesting about SWAG’s heel or face future is that a lot of their players could go either way character-wise. Oyama, Eric Zipper, and Vinnie Mancuso could succeed as either faces or heels. No matter what choice is made for the faction, it is bound to be split up after this season. Harloff has made clear his disdain for faces on heel factions and vice versa, so we could either get a face SWAG centered around Final Exam and Cabrera or a heel SWAG centered around Dhandapani, Kelly, and possibly Oyama. (If Oyama wants to stay a face, then there are a lot of suitable replacements to help lead this heel version of SWAG in singles and teams, i.e. Paul Preston.)
I would argue that a heel version of SWAG would be more interesting and have more potential storylines in Season 9, causing a huge fan reaction and investment in the faction’s future. If SWAG were to turn heel, we could possibly see Coy Jandreau and the Quirky Mercs try to turn SWAG back to the light given Jandreau has been referenced as Marshall’s mentor. We could also see Cabrera vs Marshall and Cabrera vs Dhandapani rivalries emerge. Cabrera would most likely dislike this heel turn and also be disappointed in where he was drafted and for not being chosen for the Star Wars tournament.
There has already been some buildup for Marshall’s turn, even if unintentional. Whether it was his post-match interview from the Kempe vs Horowitz match, his constant defense and acceptance of Dhandapani’s actions, or the cutscene where he put Dhandapani and Kelly in their place, it all showcases his potential as a heel. So with the buildup, the fan attachment, and the heels and faces already within the faction that rivalries can be created with, it makes sense within the storyline to turn SWAG heel. The turn has the potential to be the best storyline the Schmoedown has ever seen.