WWE: What is next for the former members of RETRIBUTION?

After weeks of inner turmoil – RETRIBUTION finally imploded on the kick-off show before WWE Fastlane. During the aftermath of Mustafa Ali’s loss to Riddle – the group’s leader berated his team, blaming them for his shortcomings, a recurring theme. Tired of being patronized – SLAPJACK, who Ali said was “nothing without him”, walked out, as did RECKONING, after Ali accused her of not “pulling her weight”. T-BAR and MACE remained in the ring with Ali. Sick of his antics, they hit him with a High Justice, leaving him lying. That seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for RETRIBUTION. Only Ali has been on television since the pay-per-view.

RETRIBUTION began well. On their second WWE appearance, on the August 7th episode of SmackDown, they attacked “fans” at ringside and destroyed the Performance Centre with a chainsaw. Those scenes were similar to Nexus a decade earlier – fans were intrigued by this storyline.

The renegades targeted Braun Strowman, Angel Garza, The Street Profits, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, and The Hurt Business. They explained WWE “discarded and disowned” them, and the company was “corrupt” from top to bottom.

While not officially confirmed – Mia Yim, Dio Maddin, Shane Thorne, and Dominik Dijakovic were reportedly behind the masks. On the October 5th edition of Raw – they were joined by Ali, who turned heel by revealing himself as the mastermind behind the hostile takeover. It was a genuine surprise – nobody saw it coming.

After that moment – RETRIBUTION should have been pushed however they lost matches against The Hurt Business, The New Day, The Lucha House Party, and others. Their momentum was gone – the WWE Universe, as well as the company’s creative team, had given up on them.

Now they have disbanded – their futures are far from certain.

With that in mind – below is what could be next for the former members of RETRIBUTION.

SLAPJACK

The man who has the most to be concerned about after the demise of RETREBITION is Shane Thorne. After being called up to Raw in May last year – he briefly teamed with Brenden Vink, managed by Thorn’s future rival Montel Vontavious Porter, but the trio disbanded within a month. Thorn returned to NXT in July – four weeks later, he was repackaged as SLAPJACK.

As evident by his booking in RETREBITION, he often took the fall during their matches – it is hard to envision Thorn being nothing more than a regular on Main Event for the foreseeable future. The creative team made it clear they have no faith in him or any plans of pushing him.

Thorne could return to NXT – where he and Vink teamed together. That division does lack depth at the moment – they had good chemistry.

If that does not happen – it would not be a surprise to see him released in WWE’s next set of cuts.

MACE

Dio Maddin is a unique case in WWE as he became a commentator on Raw before making his televised in-ring debut on NXT.

While behind the desk – Maddin was F-5’d through the table by Brock Lesnar. Nine months later, MACE made his debut. The attack from “The Beast Incarnate” was his reason for joining RETREBITION – he felt “abandoned” by WWE.

Maddin comes from an athletic background. He used to play American Football and has the size Vince McMahon likes. Before is run in RETREBITION – Maddin did not have much live television experience, but that is not an issue anymore. Despite the outcome, the past eight months could prove vital for his future.

Once he takes his mask off – Maddin should find a place in the mid-card of Raw or Smackdown. He has the tools to make an impact in WWE.

T-BAR

There was a collective groan from the WWE Universe when they found out Dominik Dijakovic was a member of RETRIBUTION. He was a ready-made star in NXT – his new gimmick was unnecessary and counter-productive. Not one to complain – he made lemonade out of lemons, doing his best of television and social media to get himself over. It was not to be, but Dijakovic has nothing to worry about – now he is free from that awful Bane mask.

Dijakovic proved how good he is in NXT. His matches with Keith Lee are evidence of that. Given the opportunity – he could put on bangers with Drew McIntrye, Bobby Lashley, Riddle, AJ Styles, or John Morrison on Raw. The likes of Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rey Mysterio, and Big E await him on the blue brand.

You can not rule out Dijakovic and Dio Maddin teaming together. They could use their past disappointment to fuel their future – both shows could use fresh blood in the tag doubles ranks.

Dijakovic is such a talented individual. WWE would be foolish not to realize this – they should push him no matter where he ends up.

Mustafa Ali

Mustafa Ali has been in WWE for five years, yet they have failed to capitalize on his talent.

Ali put on several show-stealing matches on 205 Live, but that did not translate to Raw – where the Cruiserweights had their time cut because they were not connecting with the fans, who were unaccustomed to seeing them on the show.

Ali got drafted to SmackDown in 2018 – this is where he had his biggest matches to date; against the likes of Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, and Randy Orton. Ali was scheduled to be in the WWE Championship match at the 2019 Elimination Chamber but suffered an injury. Kofi Kingston replaced him – the rest is history.

After months of inactivity – Ali returned on Raw in 2020, revealing himself as the brains behind RETRIBUTION. He did his best as the leader of the quintet, unfortunately, they were doomed from the start.

Two weeks after being shut down by his former henchmen – Ali returned to Raw. He tried to collect the WWE Championship shot on offer by Bobby Lashey, a reward for taking Drew McIntrye out before WrestleMania 37. Ali put up a good fight but succumbed to the Claymore Kick.

Ali should be okay on Raw – maybe a face turn is needed. As seen on his social media – he is a family man, who speaks on global injustices. It is easy to get behind the man who is so dedicated to his craft that he is working through a torn posterior cruciate ligament.

His heel run was a disaster – a fresh start is needed for the former police officer.

Mia Yim waited four years to make her debut on the main roster – it was an anticlimax as she lost to Dana Brooke in a short bout. To make matters worse – her mask fell inadvertently fell off, which summed up her entire run as in RETRIBUTION.

RECKONING

It took four years for Mia Yim to make her debut on the main roster – it was an anticlimax as she lost to Dana Brooke in a short bout. Things got worse when her mask fell inadvertently fell off, which summed up her entire run as in RETRIBUTION.

Out of the four matches she had – Yim only won once. Her last outing was a loss to Nikki Cross on Main Event last December. Covid-19 kept her out of action in January – but that does not justify her lack of in-ring action since then.

The former Mae Young Classic participant must be relieved the faction is done – she can go back to doing what she does best, wrestling. In NXT, she had a superb feud with Candice LeRae, as well as great matches with Io Shirai and Dakota Kai. We have not seen anywhere near her potential on Raw – she is one of the best workers on the roster.

Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley, Asuka, Peyton Royce, and Shayna Bazsler are just some of the women Yim can face on the red brand – she needs to return to her “HBIC” gimmick as soon as possible. Yim will get another chance in WWE – no doubt it will be grabbed with both hands.