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Retribution (professional wrestling)

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Retribution
The logo of Retribution
Stable
LeaderMustafa Ali
Members
NameRetribution
Combined
billed weight		1,231 lb (558 kg)
DebutAugust 3, 2020
DisbandedMarch 21, 2021
Years active2020–2021

Retribution (stylized in all caps) was a professional wrestling stable in WWE that performed on the Raw brand from 2020 to 2021. Led by Mustafa Ali, the group also included T-Bar, Mace, Slapjack, Reckoning, and briefly Retaliation. Introduced on the August 3, 2020, episode of Raw, Retribution was portrayed as a faction of masked wrestlers seeking revenge against WWE for perceived injustices within its system. The identities of the core members were revealed on September 21, 2020, and Ali was later unveiled as the group's leader on October 5.

The stable feuded with The Hurt Business, Ricochet, and The New Day but struggled to achieve significant success, recording few victories. Growing internal tensions led to the group's dissolution at Fastlane in March 2021 after Mace and T-Bar attacked Ali. Following the breakup, several members were repackaged or released from WWE.

Retribution received widespread criticism from critics, fans, and industry figures throughout its run. While individual members were praised for their talent, the group's presentation, creative direction, and character development were heavily criticized. Retribution was voted the second-worst character of 2020 by readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and received the Gooker Award for the worst gimmick or storyline of the year.

History

[edit]
Photo of Mustafa Ali
Mustafa Ali was the leader of the group.

On the August 3, 2020, episode of Raw, a masked group disrupted the WWE Performance Center by causing electrical malfunctions and setting fire to a generator.[1] Following their debut, WWE confirmed the group’s name as Retribution.[2] They continued their attacks on the August 7 episode of SmackDown, targeting announcers and planted audience members (wrestlers), and cutting the ring ropes with a chainsaw.[3] Over the following weeks, the group explained their motives as retaliating against perceived injustices within WWE.[4][5]

On the September 21 episode of Raw, the core members were revealed as Dominik Dijakovic (T-Bar), Dio Maddin (Mace), Shane Thorne (Slapjack), Mercedes Martinez (Retaliation), and Mia Yim (Reckoning). That night, T-Bar, Mace, and Slapjack made their in-ring debut against The Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander), losing via disqualification.[6][7][8] On the October 5 episode of Raw, Mustafa Ali was revealed as the group's leader.[9] Shortly afterward, Martinez quietly departed the stable and returned to NXT.[10][11]

Retribution continued feuding with The Hurt Business, suffering multiple losses, including at Hell in a Cell, where Lashley defeated Slapjack to retain the United States Championship.[12][13][14] The group picked up their first victory on the November 16 episode of Raw, defeating members of Raw’s Survivor Series team.[15] Retribution also feuded with Ricochet, attempting unsuccessfully to recruit him.[16][17][18]

In early 2021, Retribution began a feud with The New Day, with Ali targeting Kofi Kingston. Growing tensions within the stable culminated at Fastlane, where Reckoning and Slapjack walked out on Ali, and T-Bar and Mace attacked him following a loss, leading to the group's disbandment.[19][20][21]

Post-disbandment

[edit]

Following Retribution's dissolution, Mustafa Ali formed a tag team with Mansoor, while Mace and T-Bar continued teaming together, maintaining elements of the Retribution aesthetic. Reckoning and Slapjack did not return to WWE television. During the 2021 WWE Draft, T-Bar remained on Raw while Mace was drafted to SmackDown. Around this time, Reckoning reverted to her previous ring name, Mia Yim, effectively ending her Retribution character.[22][23] Yim, Slapjack, and Martinez (Retaliation) were later released from WWE in 2021.[24]

Mia Yim returned to WWE in 2022, aligning with The O.C. to feud with The Judgment Day. Mace was repackaged as ma.çé and teamed with mån.sôör (formerly Mansoor) as part of the Maximum Male Models faction, debuting on the July 1, 2022 episode of SmackDown. On the October 25, 2022 episode of NXT, a vignette aired showing T-Bar’s Retribution mask burning, signaling a character shift; he later returned to his former ring name, Dijak.

On September 21, 2023, Ali, ma.çé, and mån.sôör were released from their WWE contracts.[25] Dijak was drafted to Raw in the 2024 WWE Draft but departed WWE on June 27, 2024, after his contract expired and was not renewed.[26][27]

Reception

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Retribution was met with widespread mockery and criticism upon their debut in August 2020.[28] Zack Heydorn of PW Torch criticized the group's presentation, stating that nothing about them conveyed danger or fear.[29] Adam Silverstein of CBSSports.com described their second appearance as chaotic and unfocused, noting that the group appeared rushed and poorly conceived.[30] Fans on social media similarly mocked the stable, drawing comparisons to the Antifa movement, though WWE denied any political intentions behind the group.[31]

Critical reception remained negative throughout Retribution’s run. Kevin Berge of Bleacher Report called the group's identity reveal "awful" and lamented that talented wrestlers were trapped in a doomed storyline.[32] PWTorch’s Frank Peteani described Retribution as a "hideous angle",[33] while Busted Open host Dave LaGreca criticized the illogical decision to award contracts to the group.[34] Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful likened the faction to a hasty response to WWE’s creative struggles and questioned the internal logic of their storyline.[35] PWInsider’s Dave Scherer repeatedly stated that the group had been booked too poorly to recover, calling them "a bunch of losers."[36][37]

Retribution was later voted the second "Worst Character" of 2020 by Wrestling Observer Newsletter readers, behind Bray Wyatt.[38]

Industry figures also expressed confusion and disdain. Mark Madden and Chris Jericho questioned WWE’s handling of the group,[39][34] while CM Punk joked about Slapjack’s mask.[40] Eric Bischoff criticized the execution of the invasion angle, suggesting it had been quickly mishandled.[41] Reports from Fightful indicated that WWE talents were highly critical of the group's ring names and presentation, with one wrestler comparing it to "a bad movie or video game."[28] After Mercedes Martinez’s quiet exit from the stable, Lance Storm praised her decision to leave.[42] Former WWE writers Vince Russo and Andrew Goldstein further criticized the faction’s lack of clear motivation and coherence.[43][44][45][46]

Members

[edit]
L Leader
Member Joined Left
Mustafa Ali (L) October 5, 2020 March 21, 2021
T-Bar September 21, 2020
Mace
Slapjack
Reckoning
Retaliation October 8, 2020


Awards and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ Powell, Jason (August 3, 2020). "8/3 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Shane McMahon returns, Apollo Crews vs. MVP for the U.S. Championship, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton meet face to face, the arrival of a new faction, the SummerSlam build continues". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  2. ^ Valdés, Apolo (August 4, 2020). "Retribution, el equipo que incendió equipo en RAW". Superluchas (in Spanish). Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  3. ^ Powell, Jason (August 7, 2020). "8/7 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus, Jeff Hardy vs. King Corbin, The Dirt Sheet with special correspondent Sonya Deville, the latest on Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman on the road to SummerSlam". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  4. ^ Powell, Jason (August 15, 2020). "8/14 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the latest Retribution attacks, a Triple Brand Battle Royal for a shot at the Smackdown Women's Championship at SummerSlam, Big E vs. John Morrison, Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  5. ^ Powell, Jason (August 24, 2020). "8/24 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Keith Lee's debut, Drew McIntyre's opening segment, Apollo Crews vs. Bobby Lashley in an arm wrestling contest officiated by Mark Henry, SummerSlam fallout and WWE Payback hype". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  6. ^ Powell, Jason (September 21, 2020). "9/21 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee in a non-title match, Seth Rollins and Murphy vs. Angel Garza and Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio and Humberto Carrillo for a shot at the Raw Tag Titles, Braun Strowman vs. Dabba Kato at Raw Underground, final hype for Clash of Champions". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  7. ^ "WWE Officially Signs RETRIBUTION, Members Get New Names". Fightful. September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  8. ^ Johnson, Mike (September 25, 2020). "SPOILER: NEW RETRIBUTION MEMBER NAMES REVEALED". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "Mustafa Ali Revealed As Leader Of RETRIBUTION On WWE Raw". Fightful. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  10. ^ "WWE STAR REMOVED FROM RAW ROSTER". PWInsider.com. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Thompson, Andrew (October 26, 2021). "Red Shoes Unno discusses Kota Ibushi's injury, stopping the G1 Final". POST Wrestling. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  12. ^ Powell, Jason (October 19, 2020). "10/19 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the season premiere featuring Keith Lee vs. Braun Strowman, Asuka vs. Lana for the Raw Women's Championship, AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle, Hurt Business vs. Retribution, Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus, the final push for WWE Hell in a Cell". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  13. ^ Powell, Jason (October 25, 2020). "WWE Hell in a Cell results: Powell's review of Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso in an I Quit Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Universal Championship, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks in a Hell in a Cell match for the Smackdown Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  14. ^ Mueller, Chris (October 26, 2020). "WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 26". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Powell, Jason (November 16, 2020). "11/16 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin for the Raw Tag Titles, Team Raw vs. Retribution, the final push for Survivor Series". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  16. ^ Cook, Ryan (November 30, 2020). "WWE Raw 11/30/20 Results: A #1 Contender Is Crowned, Reckoning's In-Ring Debut & More!". Fightful. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  17. ^ Cook, Ryan (December 14, 2020). "WWE RAW Results for 12/14/20 AJ Styles vs Sheamus, Lana vs Nia Jax". Fightful. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  18. ^ Cook, Ryan (December 28, 2020). "WWE RAW Results for 12/28/20 Keith Lee vs Sheamus, Charlotte vs Nia Jax". Fightful. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  19. ^ Cook, Ryan (February 8, 2021). "WWE RAW Results for 2/8/21 Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre, Riddle vs Keith Lee". Fightful. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  20. ^ Cook, Ryan (February 22, 2021). "WWE RAW Results for 2/22/21 A New Champion Begins His Reign". Fightful. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  21. ^ Moore, John (March 21, 2021). "WWE Fastlane Kickoff Show results: Moore's live review of the pre-show". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  22. ^ "See all the results from the 2021 Draft". WWE.
  23. ^ Powell, Jason (October 4, 2021). "10/4 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the WWE Draft night two, Goldberg returns, the build to WWE Crown Jewel continues". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  24. ^ "WWE Releases Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Ember Moon, Keith Lee, Nia Jax, Franky Monet, And More | Fightful News". fightful.com. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  25. ^ Yanofsky, Daniel (September 21, 2023). "WWE releases and roster cuts 2023: Dolph Ziggler, Mustafa Ali, Elias headline full list after TKO Group takeover". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  26. ^ @DijakWWE (April 30, 2024). "DIJAK on X: "Hey I just got drafted to Raw btw"" (Tweet). Retrieved April 30, 2024 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Chiari, Mike. "Photo: Dijak Reveals He's Leaving WWE; Shoots on Backstage Contract Talks and Rumors". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Sapp, Sean Ross; DeFelice, Robert (October 3, 2020). "Backstage Reaction to the Debut of Retribution and the New Names Given to the Five Members". Fightful. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  29. ^ Heydorn, Zack (August 12, 2020). "Get to the point with Retribution". PWTorch. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  30. ^ Silverstein, Adam (August 10, 2020). "WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Randy Orton punts Ric Flair, Retribution and Raw Underground disappoint". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  31. ^ Oestriecher, Blake (August 11, 2020). "WWE Plans For The Controversial RETRIBUTION Stable". Forbes. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  32. ^ Berge, Kevin (September 22, 2020). "WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Randy Orton punts Ric Flair, Retribution and Raw Underground disappoint". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  33. ^ Peteani, Frank (September 28, 2020). "WWE Monday Night Raw Primer 9/28". PWTorch. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  34. ^ a b Harris, Jeffrey (September 26, 2020). "T-Bar Reveals Why WWE Gave Retribution Contracts, Confuses Chris Jericho". 411Mania. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  35. ^ Sapp, Sean Ross (October 10, 2020). "WWE Has a Real Chance for Retribution... with Retribution". Fightful. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  36. ^ "The Drop In Wwe Ratings, Bad Branding, Is It Over For Retribution And More". PWInsider.com. November 2, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  37. ^ "Going Where The Money Is, The Talents Are Who Wwe Says They Are, Leaving The Bubble And More". PWInsider.com. December 8, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  38. ^ Meltzer, Dave. "March 1, 2021, Wrestling Observer Newsletter 2020 awards issue, Elimination Chamber". F4WOnline. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  39. ^ @MarkMaddenX (September 22, 2020). "Retribution was terrorizing WWE..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  40. ^ McCarthy, Alex (September 24, 2020). "CM Punk rips on WWE's Retribution stable – the new group's leader responds". Talksport. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  41. ^ Lovell, Blake (September 29, 2020). "Eric Bischoff On T-BAR's Twitter Comments About Him, How WWE Has Screwed Up Retribution Storyline". 411Mania. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  42. ^ "Lance Storm on Retribution: "I Wouldn't be the Most Excited if I Was in the Group"". WrestlingINC. October 24, 2020.
  43. ^ "Vince Russo Takes Shot At WWE's Retribution Faction". News Dome. August 11, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  44. ^ "Former WWE Writer Andrew Goldstein Breaks Down The RETRIBUTION and Hurt Business Factions, Explains What RETRIBUTION Is Lacking". October 10, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  45. ^ "Former WWE Writer On Why The Hurt Business Has Clicked (And Why Retribution Has Not)". Mandatory. October 10, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  46. ^ "Former WWE creative team member Andrew Goldstein on the possibility of The Rock vs. Roman Reigns, why Retribution has not clicked, why the Hurt Business is doing better". Prowrestling.net. October 7, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  47. ^ O'Donnell, Art. "RETRIBUTION | The Worst of WWE". WrestleCrap. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
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