Why this latest Retribution rubbish by WWE?
Have they run out of any good ideas?
Pretty much.
The group also gives them an out when they book a match between two guys they don’t want to lose (that happens a lot).
1 Like
I guess i’m of the opinion that there is nothing wrong with reusing a successful program.
The closest group to have a similar storyline starting with wrecking the ring was Nexus and that was over 10 years ago. A whole generation of fans have come and gone since then. And while the Nexus angle did fizzle out it was initially very engaging so I don’t see the harm in trying it again.
That being said, Retribution already looks dead in the water by not having a standout singles star to be the center of the group. Nexus had Wade Barrett who was (and still is) great at promos. If Retribution’s biggest stars are Dijakovick and Mia Yim, neither of which were even NXT champions and they are feuding wither perennial mid-carders MVP and Bobby Lashley then the group won’t be taken seriously. They will just fade away like Sanity.
They really needed a leader like Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles or at least members like Ciampa/Gargano to give the group credibility.
Agreed. In it’s current (reported) incarnation, every appearance is just furthering the build to a major letdown when Dijak or whoever takes off his mask and half of the audience doesn’t know who he is. Even the fans who haven’t read the spoilers can probably already feel that they’re watching a midcard act. Maybe some of the individual workers will overcome it in the long run, but “Retribution” as a group isn’t going to stick at the top of the card.
Then again, several people here joked that WWE didn’t even know who was in the group when they debuted. It’s not too late to throw a curveball… just put a big star in one of the hoods starting Friday, and never show the old footage again.
1 Like
I have a feeling Kevin Owens is going to End up leading the group. They seem to be dropping little hints about if. At the PPV he used the term while on commentary, then on Raw this week, he got the win after the light flickered. I think it will be a Hogan/NWO situation where his reveal will be later.
If they were going with a Roman heel turn anyway, I don’t understand why they didn’t have him bring the leader. He has genuine reasons to be upset (fans always rejecting him, and the company turning their back on him during the pandemic due to his choices).
Probably would have given a real boost to the angle. And given it a memorable moment in terms of a modern Hogan / nWo leader homage.
He also already dresses like them, from a visual standpoint (Outfit wise), he fits right in.
I think the company turning their back on him may be a hard sell though. That’s more fan fiction than anything else. He took time off with zero ramifications, came back and won the world title on his second day back. What’s he going to say “this company edited me out of some video packages!!!”. Though I guess if he’s a heal, it could work, but then again, the internets fans who push this narrative would like to hear this and it would babyface him lol.
The fans turning on him part could work though.
1 Like
As a heel he could definitely spin the fact that he was ignored for the last six months. “Erased from the Main event of WrestleMania”. Removed from all videos. At the worst point in modern world history, Roman, the ultimate company man, was forgotten about.
There are tons of ways he could have spun it.
And yes, definitely the look fits with them too.
1 Like
I guess he could also play the “nobody called me” “nobody even cared if I was here” card. True or not, it could make sense within the storyline.
1 Like
The Roman/Heyman pairing has been a home run. It’s driven a lot of interest in SmackDown. I think it’s way to early to say that in hindsight he should have joined Retribution.
Out of the two options (Retribution or Heyman) I think WWE made the right choice this time.
I hope @kliq is right and that the main-roster mastermind is Kevin Owens. That would allow Retribution to possibly be a heel or a face group. And they may work better as a face group to allow them to develop more personality. Otherwise they will just be Owens generic backup.
1 Like
By no means am I disregarding the success the Roman / Heyman pairing has been.
Purely fantasy booking on my end.
1 Like
People would have been a lot more forgiving of the angle had they not made the ANTIFA connection early on and tried to politicize it. Either you’re pre-disposed to hating the angle for political reasons, or you’re pre-disposed to thinking it’s a cringey attempt at controversy. It’s a recipe for the much-ballyhooed “go away heat.”
1 Like
You very well could be right, but without crowds its so hard to know what the overall sentiment is.
I think the group has potential, they just need to be careful with who is in it, and I really hope Owens is the leader. I also wouldnt mind putting Zayn it as well. His ability on the mic is just so good right now, and he can use being stripped of the IC title as motivation.
Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t Owens interviewed awhile ago saying essentially he was burned out on being a heel for so long that he wanted to do a decent sized run as a face?
That being said given how Sami cuts his promos it can be slightly altered to match up with the group. I would put my vote for him to be the leader.
1 Like
You could always have Zayn be the leader, and then down the road have him recruit his BF. You could even have Sammy say that he was helping Owen without Owens knowing about it. (ie. lights flickering on Raw allowing him to beat Black).