3 Ups And 12 Downs From WWE Raw (Sept 21)

1. A Final Word On RETRIBUTION

Yes, there has been a lot of negative stuff said about RETRIBUTION in this column, but you really can’t understate how much of a flaming bag of dogs*** disaster this entire storyline has been.

The worst part is, WWE has done successful invasions by NXT wrestlers before – twice! The Nexus actually started off really hot, and for a few weeks invigorated WWE before they became obsessed with John Cena and things went off the rails. The Shield was a home run from the get-go and turned its three members into legit main-eventers, something that hasn’t been replicated since.

With RETRIBUTION, we have an nWo-esque attempt to wreak havoc on WWE, but the “destruction” is being done in the most WWE way possible: controlled, choreographed and most definitely in WWE style. (Contrast their attacks with Nexus’ debut and the Shield’s early assaults.) Their promos are horribly convoluted, full of nonsensical phrases, with no clear direction or goal.

Worst of all, the group hinted a couple of weeks ago that it was comprised of castoffs, and given the April bloodletting, fans – and this writer – speculated that some of the released superstars could return to seek revenge. Instead, anyone who watches NXT even semi-regularly immediately recognized the five wrestlers who unhooded themselves Monday night. Even with their masks on, you could still make out Mia Yim, Mercedes Martinez, Dominik Dijakovic, Dio Maddin and Shane Thorne (though he was tougher to identify).

Why would five current NXT wrestlers suddenly want to destroy WWE? Why would they need contracts? The scariest part is that rather than just make it a straight-up NXT invasion, they gave the men different names Monday night, which makes you wonder if they’re going to try to pawn them off as different characters. If that’s the case, this will rank as one of the worst storylines this side of Katie Vick.