WWE: Can Retribution actually become a legitimate threat?

The highly controversial faction, Retribution, has made their way into WWE programming.

As there are a lot of strong opinions about this certain group, will Retribution eventually succeed as a legitimate threat?

Retribution has taken much of the buzz within the wrestling world. As it seems Retribution is being portrayed as an “outsider” type faction in WWE, critics have strong opinions about them as a supposed threatening unit. Some have argued that the members of Retribution are too small to be taken seriously as a threat.

Because of this, it’s becoming harder for Retribution to be taken seriously as one of the main attractions on WWE programming. With that said, some might ask how can these individuals within that very faction be taken seriously as a threat. They don’t necessarily have to be on the level of the NWO, but at least find a way to get viewers interested in what they’re going to do next instead of being perceived as a joke.

Mindlessly destroying backstage equipment in a comedic fashion will destroy any credibility this faction may have. If they want to be taken seriously, going after the toughest WWE has to offer will work to their advantage. Specifically, going after such imposing stars with credibilities like Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman may help get these over with the fans.

Will strength in numbers help RETRIBUTION in WWE?

It’s worth noting that having a lot of members that are associated with Retribution could work as well. One of the biggest criticisms over this very group is the fact that some of these members appear too small. Though having more members may even out the playing field considering their size, this goes back to how it may hinder these members of the faction by being taken seriously.

One of the things that made the NWO not only succeed for a while but also became a mainstream appeal in the late 1990s’ was the fact that viewers to them seriously.

In the world of professional wrestling, Hollywood Hogan came off as someone who could legitimately beat up on a lot of people. The same goes for Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Even Scott Steiner, when he joined the NWO, he had a frightening presence to him.

To an extent, critics can even make that same argument about The Nexus, as they attack top wrestlers like John Cena the minute they arrived in WWE. Not to mention some of the wrestlers within Nexus came off as intimidating, rather than portraying themselves as juvenile delinquents.

Though things could change for Retribution, as they finally attacked members of the WWE roster last Friday on SmackDown, WWE can’t afford to have these wrestlers continue to appear goofy for weeks to come. Even if WWE manages to book Retribution in the right way, it’s important not to turn off a lot of fans’ interest over an integral act of the show.

It’ll be interesting, to say the least, on how WWE will move forward booking this faction despite the criticism that came their way.