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RETRIBUTION made an exciting debut on WWE RAW in August last year. The stable quickly managed to gain a lot of attention with their destructive acts on the Red brand. The masked men kept the entire roster from getting too comfortable by damaging property and interfering in crucial matches.
However, their promising run on the show soon met one obstacle after another. An unfortunate series of bookings took away all the hype that surrounded the stable, and it is currently battling to gain more relevancy on WWE RAW.
Despite the underwhelming booking decisions involving RETRIBUTION, things can still take a turn for the better provided the creative makes the best of what is left from the stable.
In this article, we will take a look at five interesting booking decisions involving RETRIBUTION that can turn their fate on WWE RAW.
#1 Reassert the dominance of RETRIBUTION on WWE RAW
Before WWE RAW pursues any other direction involving RETRIBUTION, they desperately need to do some damage control. When this faction first arrived on the Red brand, we saw them go on an absolute rampage. They influenced the WWE Championship picture with their interferences and manhandled the babyfaces and heels alike.
Unfortunately, RETRIBUTION’s run on WWE RAW became increasingly uninteresting when they started feuding with The Hurt Business. Considering that the MVP-led stable needed a push at the time, the creative had no other option. However, things have changed now, and The Hurt Business members are doing well on their own.
This would be the right time for the creative to start booking RETRIBUTION as a relentless force on WWE RAW.
We have seen their members struggle in their matches despite the presence of other RETRIBUTION members at ringside. To make things worse, they get outplayed in both their in-ring battles as well as in the mind games. Both of those things need to be changed as soon as possible.
It would be difficult to take an anti-heroic stable seriously when they don’t have any dominant spell on WWE RAW. RETRIBUTION should be booked in more matches against the young names of the WWE RAW roster, which would give them an ample opportunity to reintroduce themselves as a big threat. Hopefully, we will see a few subtle changes in the overall booking of RETRIBUTION in the coming weeks.
#2 Book Kofi Kingston and Mustafa Ali in a heated feud on WWE RAW
A while ago, Mustafa Ali brought up his history with Kofi Kingston on WWE RAW. It was Ali’s injury that granted a last-minute appearance for Kofi Kingston in the Elimination Chamber match in 2019 and laid the ground for KofiMania. Ali blamed The New Day member for stealing his spot and expressed his eagerness to settle their dispute on the Red brand.
Though the creative hasn't paid much attention to this storyline, the feud between Ali and Kingston has a promising history attached to it. WWE RAW can turn it into a full-blown rivalry riddled with revenge. Their storyline will also allow room for Xavier Woods and other RETRIBUTION members to make their presence known.
Moreover, Ali's good feud will help establish him as a big threat in the locker room. He leads a faction, but he doesn't look convincing enough. He barely makes his way past one of his rivals on WWE RAW. In that context, a good feud against Kingston could be instrumental in pushing Ali into the upper mid-card scene on WWE RAW while simultaneously adding more arrogance to his gimmick. This could even sow the seeds of a potential betrayal amidst the group.
#3 Let RETRIBUTION members compete extensively in the WWE RAW tag team division
Over the last couple of months, WWE RAW has witnessed the RETRIBUTION members locking horns with many other Superstars. But while they all look intimidating inside the ring, Mace and Slapjack evidently struggled in their respective singles matches. The creative can give them more time inside the ring by allowing them to compete in the tag team division.
The WWE tag team division has been stagnant across the promotion. This can change on WWE RAW if new teams actively participate in more matches in order to advance their positions on the roster. This will also allow RETRIBUTION to explore all types of competitions on the Red brand and will reduce the risk of mundane booking every week.
While RETRIBUTION has a lot of potential, it undoubtedly needs some polishing. A good run in the tag team division will prepare its members for individual runs as well. Most importantly, with enough momentum on their side, RETRIBUTION members can at least challenge for the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships, currently held by Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin of The Hurt Business.
#4 Push Reckoning as a credible threat to the WWE RAW Women’s Championship picture
WWE RAW Superstar and RETRIBUTION member Reckoning reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week of January and has been out of the picture ever since. However, she is expected to return to the Red brand soon. Upon her return, the creative should book Reckoning strongly in the women’s division.
So far, she has only faced Dana Brooke, but she deserves to be a part of better feuds. Reckoning established herself as one of the toughest Superstars during her time on NXT. There is no reason why she can’t replicate the same aura on WWE RAW. A Superstar like her can make the women’s division more exciting.
Becky Lynch’s absence has had a massive impact on the WWE RAW Women’s division. We have seen the same storyline unfold time and again. The Red brand should use new names like Reckoning to book new feuds that will help identify fresh faces who can pose a threat to women’s title. A three-hour-long show needs new rivalries to keep things interesting even when the title is not involved.
#5 Build towards a leadership feud between Ali and T-Bar on WWE RAW
RETRIBUTION’s arrival on WWE RAW had piqued the curiosity of the fans. However, it was T-Bar’s social media presence that drove its popularity. It appears that he understands the entire idea behind this villainous stable that genuinely wants the deserving talents to get a chance over the top names. T-Bar is an excellent advocate for the stable, and his in-ring skills complement his words well.
Mustafa Ali has a hint of arrogance in his gimmick, and that can be developed further on WWE RAW. When he gets beaten inside the ring, he is seen insulting RETRIBUTION members for not doing their job well. These subtle actions can be used effectively to cause a rift between Ali and T-Bar.
The two Superstars can then be booked in a feud for the leadership of RETRIBUTION on WWE RAW. Ali could argue that he created the group to give everyone an equal chance. At the same time, T-Bar can say that he managed the progress of the stable well until Ali decided to take the reins into his own hands.
Ultimately, this could lead to a good match between the two Superstars that will help them elevate their positions on the WWE roster. T-Bar or Dominik Dijakovic was one of the breakout Superstars alongside Keith Lee in NXT last year. He is brilliant inside the ring, speaks well, and his agility can leave the viewers in shock. He should be involved in better storylines that do justice to his potential, even if it means that RETRIBUTION will lose one of its members.
