If WWE Was Being Honest About RETRIBUTION

RETRIBUTION WWE
WWE

There was no reconciling these two independent Vince McMahon brain farts. In order to present the pretty show that was going to make everything feel normal again, RETRIBUTION were gradually removed from it after doing almost nothing on the ThunderDome debut. It was since reported, hilariously, that RETRIBUTION were to become a RAW-exclusive act. The group that had aimed to dismantle the entire system decided that RAW was enough.

They didn't feel the need to attack NXT. They had grown frustrated on the brand that defeated RAW and SmackDown at Survivor Series to become the main roster - but it wasn't, apparently, the main roster that had shunned them and thus didn't need to be destroyed. 205 Live, Main Event? Irrelevant. SmackDown needs to look nice for FOX, they surmised quite conscientiously.

That's the core issue with a group like RETRIBUTION. If they are going to destroy everything, that destruction seems rather pathetic, contrived and hard to take seriously when it is localised to a few hours on a Monday.

RETRIBUTION had started to reveal more of themselves in recent weeks by delivering promos on the RAW show they had politely agreed to stay on - this, before signing RAW-exclusive deals. These promos were, of course, hilariously awful. Following a weird decision to present decoys in protest gear - "decision," or placeholder since they rarely know what the f*ck they are doing? - the identity of the group became clear: Dominik Dijakovic, Dio Maddin, Shane Thorne, Mia Yim, and Mercedes Martinez were behind the face masks. Some other feckless tossers were, too, but they were the core.

CONT'D...(3 of 6)

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!