Schmoedown Journeys is a new feature where we talk to people in the community and find out their journey with the Schmoedown, from when they first found it to where their fandom is now.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND MOVIES
Honestly, I am not a big movie fan. I enjoy the Comic Book and Star Wars movies, but other than those, I do not put effort into seeing movies. At best I see around 5 movies a year. This does not mean I do not enjoy movies when I watch them. I have very fond memories of certain movies: my two favorite movies being Cinema Paradiso, and Your Name. However, I grew up in a sheltered environment where I was only allowed to watch animated movies for a while. I did not see a lot of the classics that made some fall in love with movies.
Despite not being a movie fan, I loved reading and watching film critics. When I was young, I had trouble expressing my thoughts and opinions. It became difficult to even have an opinion sometimes and I just defaulted into liking it. Which is why I was fascinated by the film critic’s space. Some of the critics I watched was, Jeremy Jahns, Chris Stuckman, Movie Fights, Nostalgia Critic, etc. To see others coherently explain their thoughts on why they dislike or liked fascinated me. To me they had their ability to talk about movies was a superpower. After watching those critics, I was not happy just having opinions in my head. I wanted to understand the reasoning behind my likes and dislikes and to be able to voice said reasoning when needed. Watching those critics helped me become better in this field and since then, I pride myself on my improvement. As those who read my articles can probably tell, I became less afraid of having a wrong opinion. Since even if I am completely wrong, I have my own reasoning behind each opinion, and having decent reasoning was more important to me than being wrong.
HOW DID YOU FIND THE SCHMOEDOWN?
One of the film critics I watched was the Schmoes Know. Schmoes Know was one of the critics I barely watched but stayed subscribed to and followed up on what they were doing. For one reason or another which I cannot remember I found myself watching the new movie trivia segment of their podcast.
THE FIRST MATCH I WATCHED WAS…
The match I watched was Mark Reilly vs Alicia Malone. After watching that match, I had one clear feeling towards the Schmoedown: Indifference. I cared about movie opinions, not movie trivia. To me, movie trivia was just boring. I did not have much investment within the competitors, being a casual Schmoes Know viewer. The game itself did not jump out to me. Overall, the feel just felt too casual for me. I am a big sports fan because of the intensity and stakes within the game. I just felt that aspect was lacking in the match I watched. It just was not for me, or so I thought.
Yet, this clearly was not the last match I watched. A couple of years later while watching Movie Fights, Dan Murrell and John Rocha were promoting their title match. I was (and still am) an enormous Dan Murrell fan and seeing him defend a belt intrigued me. I was always down to root Murrell on, so I gave the Schmoedown another try. The game I returned to had completely evolved. The rules seemed more defined and more fine-tuned. The match had me at the edge of my seat and I could clearly feel the stakes I was missing previously. At the time I did not realize how much the character work of Murrell as the face and Rocha as the heel drew me in. It was a great second impression and because of that, I started watching the Schmoedown weekly. Each new match I watched gradually got me more invested. Before I knew it, I was hooked.
FAVORITE STORYLINE(S)
In my opinion, the KOrruption/Anarchy storyline is perfection. From Kalinowski leaving DC Movie News to the Conclusion at Spectacular, it just works so well. Every match had me at the edge of my seat and I remember vividly rooting against Kalinowski at every turn. But Kalinowski kept winning and because of that, the storyline was able to continue and evolve. Looking back on it, the storyline greatly benefited from Kalinowski’s breakout year. It was a perfect combination of a great heel turn, great storyline planning/writing, and wins continuing the storyline. The storyline had the perfect length and there were no points where it dragged. The original KOrruption saga made me realized how invested I was in the Schmoedown. How much I looked forward to each match, how invested I was in the storyline, how excited I was for the title matches, how much I thought about the game and players’ legacies, etc. This storyline has a special place within my heart and in my opinion, is the most technically superb storyline the Schmoedown has ever produced.
The rise and fall of Team Action also had a huge impact on my Schmoedown fandom. Team Action vs Late to the Party was the match that made me care about storylines and characters rather than just gameplay. It’s tough to describe prime Team Action but they were special. They just had a way to be so entertaining and alluring, so easy to root against, and can easily hit all the right buttons. I thought the breakup of Team Action, and the Action Civil War was handled excellently. Ghai and Bateman are all-time great characters and almost every storyline they have been a part of has been great (the only exception is the Schmoementai storyline which in my opinion was a swing and a miss).
I also want to quickly give props to Chandru Dhanadapani and Brandon Hanna as their rivalry and individual journeys within the storyline have been very underrated.
FAVORITE PLAYER(S)
Dan Murrell brought me into the Schmoedown and I have always been a massive Dan Murrell fan. He just has an inherent likability and his accomplishments are mind-blowing. This must have been how people felt about Michael Jordan since I am always down to defend Murrell’s title as the GOAT and his legacy. Murrell will always be my favorite player of all time. Rachel Cushing also was an inspiration to watch, and I loved seeing her compete. She is by far the retired player I miss the most. Out of Action Civil War, I was 100% team Bateman and still always support Bateman. With Murrell and Bateman joining the Dungeon, I became a big Dungeon fan. I already enjoyed Smets and Kaiser beforehand, now I may as well go all in being a Dungeon fan.
Out of nowhere, I became an enormous Brandon Hanna fan. I always find a way to convince myself to pick him to win his latest match and I think his character work is greatly underrated, very nuanced. Shazam! made me great fans of both William Bibbiani and Brendan Meyer, both come off as so likable and positive, both qualities I need more in my life. Other honorable mentions are Chandru Dhanadapni, Mara Knopic, Joesph Scrimshaw, Both Damons, VIDEODREW, Deep 13, and Paul Oyama.
YOURSELF AND THE SCHMOEDOWN COMMUNITY
As I got more and more invested within the Schmoedown, this investment at the beginning drove me a bit crazy. Since I had all these Schmoedown thoughts, takes, opinions, and excitement and nobody to share it with. I didn’t have a lot of friends, and the few friends I had, had no interest in the Schmoedown. I tend to be introverted and reserved so it took me a while to convince myself to get more involved with the Schmoedown community. However, the community always seemed like a positive welcoming space, and I was desperate to discuss Schmoedown with anyone else.
So, with zero previous social media experience, I started posting my Schmoedown thoughts on the Facebook group and Twitter in 2020. I did not expect much of a response, which is partially why I called my Twitter account “A Random Schmoedown Fan”. After all, I am a random fan, nothing more nothing less. Some of my posts did decently and I was always grateful to get any response let alone a positive one. I remember my first Facebook post, which was a lengthy discussion about how Superteams like Season 7’s Exchange are not a problem (I would argue this aged like fine wine), got a very positive response. This not only shocked me but really warmed my heart. The experience wasn’t all positive, some embarrassing cringy moments that keep me up at night. Some posts which I regret either due to the content or the timing of the post. But overall, the experience was great. It helped me become more outgoing and try new things. It felt nice to be within a community and to have some discussions with others. It was an important step for me to take and it changed me for the better. In a lot of ways, it was a very therapeutic and fulfilling experience.
As time passed, I started to put myself out there more and more. I started writing some articles for Schmoedown Breakdown, starting with an extensive draft guide heading into Season 8 draft. Each article I would write would give me more and more confidence. I could see myself getting better at the analysis I gave and my takes. It also became easier to express myself as I posted more. There was one guy on Twitter, ASG, that would semi-consistently reply to my tweets and we had some very interesting back and forth Schmoedown discussions. Later in 2021, ASG, invited me to onto the Let’s Get Ready Tailgate, a short live Twitch stream before a PPV. This was another big step that I was not sure if I was ready for. At that time, I was not sure if I was on-screen material, and stage fright nerves ravaged me. However, I could not pass up the opportunity to talk Schmoedown with others in real-time rather than on Twitter or Facebook. So, I tried it out and it went great. I was just happy I was given the opportunity to talk Schmoedown with others. The LGR crew invited me back on for future Tailgates and I continued to have a blast. Before I knew it, I was invited to join the LGR crew and write some articles for them. With my newfound confidence gained from the past articles and tailgates, I gladly accepted. Since then, I haven’t looked back. Being a part of the Schmoedown community has been a fulfilling and fun experience and I cannot wait to see where it goes next.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Schmoedown’s impact on me is immeasurable. The matches always gave me something to look forward to even at some of my lowest moments. It helped take my mind off stressful subjects. The community has been nothing short of great. The Schmoedown clearly helped me progress as a person. Firstly, I often have trouble giving myself things. I do not long for or want much. Therefore, I often did not pay extra for anything. So, it shocked me when I started yearning to become a patron of the Schmoedown. The rewards were appealing, and I want to support the sport I have fallen in love with. I am also the person who often has more fun watching sports at home rather than going to a crowded stadium. Yet I started to want to go to the Schmoedown live events. And once I went to my first Live Event, I had a blast. I never thought I would put myself out to any community on the internet in a meaningful way. Yet I immersed myself into the Schmoedown community and put myself out there in ways I never thought I would. It’s been a blast and I owe it all to the Schmoedown. I’ve become a better more well-rounded person thanks to the Schmoedown. I cannot wait to see where my Schmoedown journey takes me next.
If you are interested in being featured on Schmoedown Journeys, please comment below.