Monthly Patreon Article: The return of JTE

The return of JTE: Where will Little Evil find a new home?

By Tom Maston

It’s Free 4 All week in the world of the Movie Trivia Schmoedown, and more so than any event it can provide a platform for new and returning competitors to make a surprise appearance.

One such competitor who could well come bounding onto stage in Los Angeles is “Little Evil” himself, JTE.

The former team champion has not been seen within the Schmoedown since injury ruled him out of the latter stages of the Anarchy Tournament and Evil Geniuses partner Lon Harris joined with brother Jonathan and make the final as the Harris Brothers.

As such “Little Evil” has been left out on his own somewhat, but as a competitor who has performed at his best when flanked by a formidable faction. As such it would be surprising to see him not form a bond with an existing stable when he does eventually return, whether that is at the Free 4 All or further down the line.

But which faction would be the best fit for a combustible personality such as JTE?

Let’s break down his options…

WHO’S THE BOSS?

JTE and Tom Dagnino go together like cookies and milk when it comes to the Schmoedown. Almost inseprable since their debut as Box Office Breakdown, their’s is one of the strongest relationships the movie trivia world has ever seen.

And yet it is not wholly clear as to whether the pair would again alighn themselves when JTE does eventually show his face again.

“Little Evil” was the only member of the Lion’s Den to stand by Dagnino’s side when the most fearsome faction in movie trivia was torn apart midway through 2018, but since then “Tricky Tom” has been on quite the journey himself.

As manager of Who’s The Boss? he has a new and successful team under his wing as well a fresh outlook on life, and one wonders whether that quite aligns with the route JTE wishes to go down remains doubtful.

Factor in his battles with Mark Reilly in the past, and we may look back on the pairing of “Yodi” and Ben Bateman as the moment JTE lost his greatest ally.

THE HORSEMEN

So if he’s not about to reunite with Dagnino, where could JTE find a new home?

One option might prove to be the ever-decreasing Horsemen, who since their return as a five-piece over the summer have lost the services Matt Knost, seen Jason Inman take an indefinite step back from action and Reilly drift further and further towards permanently aligning himself with Dagnino.

As such John Rocha and Dan Murrell have been left to fend for themselves for the time being, and while both are experienced enough to fight their own battles, “The Outlaw” has made no secret of the fact that he is on the lookout for some new additions to his faction.

One such addition may well prove to be JTE. The second coming of the Horsemen prided themselves on bringing together a host of current or previous champions, and “Little Evil” certainly fits the bill given his dominant run as one half the Patriots.

It would also prove to be a final f*** you to Dagnino if he were to align himself with “that dope Rocha” (Dagnino’s words, not mine!) should he leave his former manager behind in a less than amicable way.

KORRUPTION

If JTE is unable to convince the Horsemen to take him into their collective bosom, he may well find a more welcoming group with Korruption.

Headed by the Schmoedown’s new power couple Ken Napzok and Grace Hancock, Korruption’s intent to shake the movie trivia world to its very core certainly fits with “Little Evil’s” previous outlook on life while the famous Ecuadorian film critic already has a relationship with “The Pitboss” to lean on.

There is even the potential for JTE to have already been maneuvering to join the ranks of Korruption given he is one of the prime candidates to be joining Stacy Howard as her as yet unrevealed mystery partner.

Quite how he would combine with “Sassy Stacy” would be interesting to watch, but with both having a parchant for back chat and smack talk, they would certainly be very watchable as a duo. As long as JTE is happy to embrace an all-black wardrobe and it might just be one to watch out for.

THE FAMILY

If the dynamic between Robert Meyer Burnett, Andrew Ghai and Drew McWeeny was not fascinating enough already, just imagine the chaos throwing JTE into The Family would cause.

If there is one faction right now that fully encapsulates the spirit of “Little Evil”, then it is The Family. Burnett and Ghai in particular have no regard for authority or previous achievements within the ring, and will stop at nothing to get their hands on the ultimate prize.

As a long-standing membert of the Lion’s Den, JTE knows all about less than scrupulous methods to get what he wants, and he could become a crucial cog were The Family to welcome him into their house in the coming weeks.

The only sticking point is likely to be Burnett given how he was dismissed from the Den in late 2017, but if he is able to forgive and forget when it comes to “Little Evil”, then The Family may well have all their pieces in place to truly burn all other stables to the ground.

Have we covered all the options? And when do you think we might see JTE reappear in the League outside of Exhibition matches? Let us know!