This section of the article involves many names. The only member of Retribution to be an established main roster performer prior to 2020 was Mustafa Ali. However, how did Mace, Reckoning, Slapjack, T-BAR, and Retaliation make their main roster debuts?
Mace (debuting on the WWE main roster originally as a commentator as Dio Maddin) made his original WWE debut in NXT on September 30, 2016, where he lost in a battle royal. Reckoning (formerly known as Mia Yim) debuted in NXT in October 2018 where she defeated Aliyah in her first match. Slapjack (known better as Shane Thorne) debuted in NXT in May 2016 where he and former tag team partner Nick Miller lost to Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Retaliation (currently known as Mercedes Martinez) was the only smart member of the group, who shoot requested her release from the group and was placed back in NXT shortly after her debut. It was fun while it lasted for her. Finally, T-BAR (formerly known as Dominik Dijakovic) T-BAR made his NXT debut in a match against Ricochet on May 30, 2018.
On August 3, 2020, the lights in the WWE Performance Center began flickering on Monday Night RAW. On August 7, 2020, members of a mysterious group in black hoods and sweatsuits would attack the WWE Performance Center audience and announcers. As weeks moved on, Mustafa Ali would reveal himself as the leader of Retribution, and the group would set their sights on ending the “system” that is the WWE.
Each member of Retribution has not done too much since debuting on the main roster, yet have somehow have been showcased on WWE television consistently. There was a short feud between Xavier Woods and Retribution, moving to The New Day and Retribution before never being mentioned again on television. Mustafa Ali is currently amidst a feud with WWE United States Champion Riddle, but that has yet to come to a formal conclusion.
Despite nothing of true interest being showcased by this group, I can’t entirely blame it all on the performers themselves. Retribution is filled with entirely talented performers and professional wrestlers, and this team has not been allowed to tell their story. However, this list is how well 2020 call-ups have done since being drafted, and Retribution has not shown too much in the ways of high performance. This lack of a showcase, yet consistent placement on WWE programming lands the entirety of Retribution at number four on our list.
