The June 24th edition of FNT finally gave us the season debut of Robert Parker taking on Moose Haas in the Innergeekdom division while the main event was a Teams Title rematch between Shazam (William Bibbiani & Brendan Meyer) and King Arthur (Griffy Newms & KIng Kan).
Robert Parker (7-3, 5KOs) vs Moose Haas (2-2, 2KOs)
Robert “The Spider” Parker has been on the hunt for an Innergeekdom Championship ever since he entered the league and many thought he would have accomplished that goal by now. But with a change in scenery moving on from The Dungeon over to The Den he is more determined than ever. That could not have been more evident in his season debut against 2nd year player Moose Haas.
In the first round Parker was lights out making quick work of all 10 questions including the bonus. Haas on the other hand had a decent round with 7 points but still was the victim of a 4 point deficit.
In the 2nd round Haas seemingly felt the pressure to keep pace with Parker. After spinning away from “TMNT” he landed on “Batman”. It was not the performance he would have liked going 3 of 5 for only 5 points out of a possible 10. However, he was able to pick off a 1 point steal from Parker for a total of six 2nd round points. Parker however managed to pick up 2 points on a steal opportunity to go along with his 4 of 5 performance in the category of “Fantasy SciFi”. He tallied 10 total points to give him the 21-13 lead going into the 3rd round.
It was an uphill battle for Haas in the 3rd round to try and force it back over to Parker. He was able to hit his 2 and 3 point questions but the 5 pointer proved to be too difficult and Parker walked away with his 6th career knockout via TKO with a final score of 21-18.
THE FINAL QUESTION:
“In what 90s superhero film will you find the line, “I dreamed I tore all the skin off my face and was somebody else underneath?”
ANSWER:
The Shadow
Match Numbers
Robert Parker (8-3)
Accuracy Rate: 89% (16/18)
PPE Rate: 84% (21/25)
Moose Haas (2-3)
Accuracy Rate: 68% (13/19)
PPE Rate: 58% (18/31)
Shazam (14-2, 4KOs) vs King Arthur (4-1, 1KO) | Team Title Match (5 Rounds)
William Bibbiani and Brendan Meyer already owned the Teams division record for number of wins but the one record they were chasing, that seemed nearly impossible to catch up to, was the six title defenses record set by The Patriots (JTE & Jeff Sneider). The fact that they had already racked up four defenses in this era of the game was a feat that stands all on its own. Going for their 5th defense against a team they had previously defeated back at Schmoedown Spectacular VI would still be no easy task. King Arthur, while relatively young to the scene, was as hungry as ever and looking for redemption.
Getting deep into the 1st round with King Arthur clinging to a 1 point lead, the 9th question of the round proved to be a pivotal turning point:
What is the subtitle of the 2021 sequel to ‘The Boss Baby’?
It was this question that tripped up not one but both members of Shazam. The dreaded double miss had finally struck Shazam in their 17th career match. Sure, it had happened only once before in their 2nd successful title defense against Lightning Time (Ethan Erwin & Liz Shannon Miller) but seeing as both teams were stumped no harm, no foul. However, this time was different. Both Griffy Newms and King Kan had submitted the right answer: The Boss Baby: Family Business. This turn of events also coincided with both members of King Arthur going perfect in the round (Kan missed the bonus) and Shazam was staring at a 4 point deficit, 21-17. It was unfamiliar territory for the Greatest Team of All Time.
Into the 2nd round both teams really settled into a “no-miss” mode. Shazam spun “Martial Arts” and dominated it with ease hitting all 5 questions for the max 10 points. King Arthur spun “The Coppola’s” and also hit all 5 questions dropping down to multiple choice just once earning 9 of 10 points in the round. 30-27, still in favor of the challengers.
The 3rd round was just as routine with the category once again “The Coppolas”. King Arthur however did exercise their right to spin away from the first category spun “Jurassic Park”. Both teams wagered 3 points. Both teams earned 3 points. 33-30, advantage to the challengers.
If Shazam was to retain their titles then the 4th round, the Speed Round, was where it would have to happen with only one round in the match remaining. To no avail Shazam battled back and forth with King Arthur trading blows on the first 4 questions, with both teams splitting 2-2. Things did get a tad interesting as King Arthur answered incorrectly on the 5th and final question which cost them a point. 34-32, advantage challengers.
In the 5th and final round worth a total of 10 points spread across 3 questions, Shazam would need all 10 while hoping that King Arthur would stumble on just one of those questions. Being the champions that they are, Shazam hit all their questions for the max 10 points. It would all come down to the final question for King Arthur to secure their first championship and hand Shazam their first loss since December of 2020 at Schmoedown Spectacular V in a title match against The Odd Couple (Marc Andreyko & Jeff Sneider). For good measure King Arthur exhausted all three of their repeats before delivering the winning answer. With a final score of 44-42, King Arthur claimed its first title and became the 10th different team in the division to hold the belts.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP QUESTION:
“Dennis Quaid, Max Von Sydow, and Christopher Plummer star in what 1984 film about psychics who use technology to enter people’s dreams?”
ANSWER:
Dreamscape
Match Numbers
Shazam (14-3)
Accuracy Rate: 90% (28/31)
PPE Rate: 93% (42/45)
King Arthur (5-1)
Accuracy Rate: 94% (32/34)
PPE Rate: 92% (44/48)
Outside The Matches
After the devastating loss for Korruption against Shazam which required Mike Kalinowski and Chance Ellison to split up, their manager Shannon Barney had to come up with new partners for the once iconic pair. While many speculated that Chance would now team up with former Singles Champion Marisol McKee with the departure of her former teammate Adam Collins, many may have been surprised for that to not be the case. Instead, Shannon decided it was best to put Kalinowski with McKee to form The Impact. But Chance would not be left standing alone. With Shannon deciding it was time for Chance to take on more of a leadership role she recruited the FCL Champion Travis Fishburn to be the next teammate for Chance Ellison. Time will tell how these new duos will perform under the bright lights of Friday Night Titans.
Looking Ahead
Rumor has it that it will be an all Innergeekdom affair for both matches on FNT #18. Tune in to find out!
You can watch the latest episode below:
Written by: Frank Janisch
