6 WWE Superstars who would be a good fit for RETRIBUTION and why

RETRIBUTION has been causing havoc on WWE RAW and SmackDown for the last month or so. At first, they targeted physical representations of WWE like transformers or walls of the WWE PC.

They later destroyed WWE equipment that was used to run the shows. The lights would flicker and other technical difficulties would sprout up here and there during shows, and on one episode of RAW, all of the graphics were turned upside down and reversed.

The biggest impact the group has made has been attacking various members of the WWE roster. SmackDown has been under siege most nights with Big E stepping up to lead the locker room against the invaders. RAW has also seen some carnage, with both Rey Mysterio and Dominik being left in disheveled heaps at the end of the most recent episode of RAW.

The main question to answer is why are they doing what they are doing? What's their mission statement and end game? That will eventually be revealed but letl's delve into which WWE stars could make up this new and destructive group? Is it a blend of stars from RAW/SmackDown and NXT or is it mainly a group of NXT stars?

There needs to be a reason for why each person is a part of the group, so some of the names that have been thrown around don't make a lot of sense. Just throwing a bunch of people together could work, but there needs to be reasons behind each member's involvement. Have they been misused? Are they under-booked? Have they been used as stepping stones? Simply being angry doesn't work for me as it needs a reason behind it.

Here are some possibilities that make sense, whether they have been hinted at after some appearances or in backstage rumors. Remember though that those under the hoods may not necessarily be the same once the members are unmasked.

Those that have been speculated as a part of RETRIBUTION

Will Yim end up being under one of the masks?

There was a photo floating around on the internet that named each member of the WWE group that destroyed Rey and Dominik Mysterio on the last episode of RAW. The six members thought to have been involved were Dominik Dijakovic, Mia Yim, Chelsea Green, Shane Thorne, Dio Maddin and Kayden Carter.

As mentioned earlier on this slide show, the members that carry out the actions may not necessarily end up being the members of the group when WWE unmasks them. A lot of what happens will come down to who is available to WWE producers during a given show. Dijakovic has seemingly had his farewell from NXT when he was choked out by Karrion Kross. He even had a cryptic tweet earlier that some have taken as him admitting his involvement. He would make sense as a member of the group but would be better served as the muscle and not the leader.

Thorne had a cup of tea on RAW following WrestleMania 36 but then disappeared. He's been a part of NXT for what seems like forever, so he could feasibly be a part of the group. Dio Maddin doesn't make as much sense since we never really saw much of him in a WWE ring and was a part of RAW commentary for a few weeks.

Yim and Green would make sense as members since Green up and left the Robert Stone Brand and hasn't been seen since. Yim lost to Shotzi Blackheart on the latest NXT and was already more than ready for the WWE main roster. Both women would make sense alongside Garrett. Kayden Carter, however, would not make sense. She's a face and in a tag team with Kacy Catanzaro. NXT needs their underdog aura for monster heels to tackle.

#6 & #5 Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake

Blake and Cutler could return sans Jaxson Ryker.

When The Forgotten Sons first debuted on SmackDown, it was under the same gimmick they used in NXT. The trio felt that the country they served had forgotten their military service and that the USA had abandoned them. In turn, Blake, Cutler and Jaxson Ryker would take their frustration out on their WWE opponents.

About a month after their debut, however, they were taken off of TV. Blake and Cutler were set to be repackaged before returning to the screens. It was a shame because SmackDown's Tag Team division was in desperate need of fresh feuds. The Usos and New Day were decimated due to injuries while Heavy Machinery hadn't competed as a team for months. That left the Champs (Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro), the Lucha House Party and the Miz and John Morrison.

The reason why Blake and Cutler would make sense as members is two-fold. It would fit into their previous mantra of being forgotten and ignored. They can't be ignored each week if they are wreaking havoc on the entire WWE roster. The second reason why it would work is that it would help re-brand them while also giving RETRIBUTION an established tag team in WWE.

#4 Santana Garrett

Santana Garrett has been in the pro wrestling business for more than a decade but you wouldn't know that by how she has been booked in NXT. In WWE and NXT, she has mainly been used as an enhancement talent to other stars but recently won a match against Aliyah.

Like Mia Yim, Garrett is too talented to still be a member of NXT and should have already been added to RAW or SmackDown. Instead, like Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro, she's been used to make others look good. Garrett's value is more than helping new stars get over in the ring during matches.

An easy explanation would be that she's tired of being used in that fashion by WWE and this group fights for the same thing through it's destruction. She could also say she should be in the spotlight instead of helping the undeserving stars learn the craft she loves.

Her inclusion would obviously add to the women's division, and since there are likely a few women in the group, it could add another team to the WWE Women's Tag Team scene. The likes of The IIconics and Bayley and Sasha Banks have had their runs with the belts and the latter may lose them at Payback. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross may be headed for a break up and the Kabuki Warriors are no more. If some women are a part RETRIBUTION, Garrett would be a smart choice.

#3 Mojo Rawley

Mojo Rawley has seen his shares of ups and downs and pushes and halts during his main-roster tenure in WWE. He's been a part of a tag team, a face singles star and a heel. He won the 24/7 title but that isn't the pinnacle of success in WWE. When we last saw him, he was horsing around with Rob Gronkowski and forming a short-lived alliance with Riddick Moss.

Gronk left almost as soon as he arrived, taking Rawley back to the drawing board. Having him be a part of RETRIBUTION would give him an actual direction and others to play off of. The other members are not likely to just disappear, so this would at least give Rawley some stability. When he's been a methodical and grounded heel, he's seemed like he has had more potential to succeed. As a part of the group, he could use his physicality and anger in the faction.

Since he's had some chances, which have been taken away due to others, it wouldn't be hard to understand why he'd want to sow chaos in WWE. Rawley isn't as huge a name that would be totally shocking, like say if Roman Reigns was the leader of the group. It would still be a good henchman role for the former NFL player.

#2 Vanessa Borne

Vanessa Borne has been absent from NXT TV since the start of the year. We haven't had much of an explanation as to why and she hasn't really appeared in WWE in any capacity since January. Prior to her absence, she was aligned with Aliyah in a tag team. Aliyah has moved on to the Robert Stone Brand alongside Mercedes Martinez. Hopefully she's finally found her spot in NXT after many years with the brand.

The Vision was a former dancer and cheerleader, so wrestling wasn't her first sport. She had been learning on the fly, as non-wrestlers who are signed to WWE often do. Perhaps that extended time off was meant for her to better adapt to the WWE professional wrestling style.

Since she already has an arrogant persona from her time in NXT, it would be easy to explain why she's running with RETRIBUTION. She wants to be noticed and venerated as the goddess she believes she is.

Borne could easily blame WWE for keeping her off of TV, claiming that WWE is afraid she'll become a bigger star than the golden girls that WWE pushes. She already had the basis of a decent character in NXT, so being revealed as a member of the group wouldn't be a stretch.

#1 Mustafa Ali

The group is going to need a strong worker on the mic to explain their actions. Not everyone is blessed with the gift of gab, but there are several possibilities within WWE that could fit that role.

One person who could fit that role is Mustafa Ali. Mustafa Ali recently returned to action on Monday Night RAW after a lengthy absence. We never got much of an explanation as to why he wasn't used in WWE and why he was moved to RAW. SmackDown could have still greatly used his services, but instead, he was switched Monday nights. His promos during vignettes were great but they didn't lead to more air time for him. He has mic skills, but like Sonya Deville, he just needs a big chance to show the world.

Instead of being a part of the Apollo Crews/Hurt Business feud - which is uneven in numbers, anyway - Ali should be put at the forefront of the new destructive group. It's true that the Hurt Business is just physically bigger than Crews' crew but the point is still valid.

Ali has had two huge opportunities taken from out of his hands. One was an injury that took him out of the Elimination Chamber match that made Kofi Kingston a WWE Champion. The other opportunity was a few months later at Money in the Bank. As he was set to retrieve the briefcase, Brock Lesnar made a shock appearance and went home with the title shot.

The Harbinger of Light could literally be seeking retribution for having those two huge chances taken from him. Lesnar received yet another title opportunity while Ali has not been able to sniff such a chance again. Creative could even have him be upset for losing the opportunity of a life time to Kingston. With Big E the only member of the New Day left standing, it would set up a feud easily.

Having Ali appear as the leader of RETRIBUTION would make him a major player in WWE. The reveal may not happen until after the upcoming WWE Draft, and that's not supposed to be until October. Ali could even also reveal that he was the hacker from SmackDown who started to pull the strings while he was out of action. The simple point is that Ali is too talented a worker, so a shift in character might be what he needs to ascend in WWE.

Edited by Nishant Jayaram