WWE Fastlane 2021: 5 Biggest news stories - Major WrestleMania showdown teased, legend to turn heel soon? 

#4 Mustafa Ali was betrayed by his RETRIBUTION teammates at WWE Fastlane

HIGH JUSTICE for @AliWWE.Now THIS is what you call #RETRIBUTION!#WWEFastlane pic.twitter.com/Lex6q65khP

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2021

There were rumors that something major would go down with RETRIBUTION at WWE Fastlane. At the event, RETRIBUTION finally took action against their leader for having a nasty attitude towards other members of the group.

During the pre-show, Riddle defended his United States Championship against Mustafa Ali. Despite Ali's tendency to present himself as a superior competitor to his allies, the star had lost two of his previous matches against Riddle. This pattern would stay the same, as Ali failed to pick up a victory against his opponent at WWE Fastlane.

However, Ali berated his allies after the match and blamed them for his most recent loss. While Reckoning and Slapjack simply walked away from the scene, T-Bar and Mace stood in the ring to physically confront their leader. The two stars executed a double chokeslam on Ali, thus kicking him out of the faction.

I guess #Retribution is over?? #WWEFastlane #WrestlingCommunity pic.twitter.com/EBeM8SinJ2

— The Closed Fist (@TheClosedFist) March 22, 2021

Mustafa Ali was supposed to be RETRIBUTION's saving grace. While he did become a much-needed presence within the faction, their onscreen booking remained poor and it hasn't yet improved in terms of quality.

Will Ali's exclusion from the group lead to a major improvement? The fact that this particular plot development took place during the pre-show proves just how little faith WWE has left in this idea.