Say what you will about the quality of WWE programming in recent months. But after the introduction of RAW Underground and Retribution, WWE has fans talking again. Everyone wants to know who’s behind the group that’s been running wild on WWE RAW and WWE Friday Night SmackDown. Many fans have been speculating about the group’s motives. Others wonder whether the faction has a secret mastermind, like the Dark Order’s Exalted One. Before the mystery continues to unravel, let’s take a look at some of the best possibilities.
The Forgotten Sons have been, well, forgotten, so this trio should be hungry for revenge. The group instantly found success when they were called up to the main roster earlier this summer; it seemed like they were destined to feud with the New Day in a high-profile program on WWE Friday Night SmackDown. Instead, due to Jaxson Ryker’s controversial tweets, WWE pulled the plug on the newcomers. They haven’t had a match on TV since WWE Money In The Bank. If the Forgotten Sons are truly involved with Retribution, the chaos the group has already caused would make it much easier to remember Ryker, Steve Cutler, and Wesley Blake.
But with the legitimate heat on Ryker backstage, we can probably rule these three men out. It’s a shame because many stories in wrestling are often augmented by real-life emotions, and the Forgotten Sons (particularly Blake and Cutler) have every right to feel mistreated.
Lio Rush’s future in the wrestling industry is murky at best, which means he may not be the most realistic candidate. But imagine the promos he could cut if he turned out to be a member of Retribution. During his WWE career, Rush repeatedly rubbed people the wrong way, and his subsequent reputation may have accelerated his departure from the company. Plus, one particularly contentious incident made it clear that Rush didn’t exactly click with WWE. This pattern could be used to explain why Rush couldn’t be a member of WWE’s new, mysterious group. But it could also make him the perfect choice to be in, if not lead, the stable. The former NXT Cruiserweight Champion could cut some heated promos about how he clashed with WWE’s culture, which is why he decided to take a more proactive approach in changing it.
Sami Zayn, maybe more than any other superstar, could be the perfect mouthpiece for Retribution. Zayn’s WWE career, especially in recent years, has been disappointing to say the least. Sure, he won the WWE Intercontinental Championship, but the victory came in a handicap match. Zayn still hasn’t lived up to the hype, as many fans expected him to be a top star by now. Instead, he’s been a jobber to the stars. Plus, Zayn has had to watch his associates, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura, win gold without him. As if that motivation isn’t strong enough, Zayn was stripped of the WWE Intercontinental Championship because he chose not to compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On paper, the story writes itself. WWE wronged Zayn, and now he wants some payback.
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