It’s Official: THIS Was WWE’s Most Hated Moment Of 2020

7. RETRIBUTION Wreaks Havoc On SmackDown (SmackDown - August 7, 2020)

Dislikes: 7.4K

RETRIBUTION will never win everyone over, though the stable's output is now being met with far more positivity than those grim early days, when their name was nought but a punchline.

This clip highlights one of their earliest offerings. Invading SmackDown right as the 7 August episode came to an end, these cheeky mask-clad scamps took a chainsaw to the ring ropes after screwing with the lights, shouted indecipherable nonsense, bashed their pipes and bats into the apron, and swung for commentators Corey Graves and Michael Cole. Not quite as limp as their Raw frolics, but still flaccid compared to the angle they were clearly trying to recreate: the Nexus' formation.

Those unfavourable Nexus comparisons like explain the number of dislikes. RETRIBUTION felt like no more than a cheap imitation act early on, and none of what they did here resonated with the impact of Wade Barrett's group.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.