Mustafa Ali explains what really happened with RETRIBUTION in WWE (Exclusive)
Mustafa Ali has given his take on why the RETRIBUTION faction did not live up to expectations in WWE.
After a series of attacks in the summer of 2020, Ali was revealed as the leader of the villainous group. The original stable also consisted of Mace (Dio Maddin), Reckoning (Mia Yim), Retaliation (Mercedes Martinez), Slapjack (Shane Thorne), and T-Bar (Dominik Dijakovic).
In an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Ali explained how much he knew about the initial RETRIBUTION concept:
"RETRIBUTION, the fatal thing about it, it never had a why. As much as I tried online with online promos, I gave everything a reason because here's the thing, I didn't come up with the concept of RETRIBUTION, I didn't come up with the names and the masks. I was just kinda given this thing. But, at the end of the day, it was an opportunity, so I was like rolling up my sleeves stepping up ready to swing." [5:02 – 5:27]
RETRIBUTION looked set for big things after appearing in segments with the likes of Alexa Bliss, Braun Strowman, and The Fiend. However, the group failed to build on its early momentum and ultimately separated in March 2021.
Mustafa Ali used his social media accounts to explain the logic behind RETRIBUTION joining forces, but the backstory was never addressed on television:
"I'm like, 'I'm gonna hit a home run on this.' And, in all honesty, I thought I did. I had reasons for the names, I had reasons for the masks, why we were all together, what brought us together. I had answered the whys, but the problem is the whys never made it to TV for you, the viewer, to understand the why. Although social media has a lot of reach, there's nothing that beats live TV because that's what gets the most views." [5:27 – 5:54]
In the video above, Mustafa Ali also revealed what happened when he attempted to use Hulk Hogan's "Real American" as his WWE entrance theme.
Mustafa Ali on the positives of RETRIBUTION
Although the group's short run together was widely viewed as a disappointment, Mustafa Ali learned a lot playing the role of a faction leader.
How much more can @KingRicochet take?
#WWERaw #RETRIBUTION @AliWWE @TBARRetribution @ReckoningRTRBTN @RETRIBUTIONMACE @SlapJackRTRBTN https://t.co/BS84sWgLep
The 37-year-old thought he showed his range as a character during the RETRIBUTION storyline, particularly his ability to cut promos:
"We were just kinda, I don't wanna say victim, but it was just the placement of the card," Ali said. "Things took priority and ultimately I think because the people that put it together, they didn't have the real why. Initially, that's why it kinda just fell through the cracks, but I went down swinging with it. I am forever thankful for the opportunity because I think it proved that I could cut one hell of a promo, that I could be a leader." [5:55 – 6:20]
While he enjoyed the presentation of the stable, Mustafa Ali reiterated that RETRIBUTION would have benefited from receiving better storylines:
"If you really go back, the big knock on RETRIBUTION is the silly names and masks. Take that away, what do you have? The performances were great, the promos were great, the presentation was great to a certain extent. It was just the story never really developed in a why." [6:21 – 6:39]
RETRIBUTION lost the majority of their matches together as a group, but Ali was not concerned about their win/loss record:
"People knock about RETRIBUTION always lost. Yeah, that didn't help, but at the same time it didn't hurt because as long as the losses meant something and we were going somewhere, we would have been fine. So, my big take on it is I don't think RETRIBUTION really s*cked. I think we just never got an opportunity to answer the question of why." [6:40 – 7:01]
Ali also explained why WWE's decision-makers changed his name in 2019.
What did you make of Mustafa Ali's RETRIBUTION run? Let us know in the comments section below.
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