WWE almost added fifth male superstar to RETRIBUTION before the group's demise
Jaxson Ryker has revealed that WWE’s creative team considered adding him to RETRIBUTION following his absence from television in 2020.
The former Forgotten Sons member was removed from WWE programming in June 2020 after his pro-Donald Trump tweet received widespread backlash. During his absence, the villainous RETRIBUTION faction (Mustafa Ali, MACE, RECKONING, SLAPJACK, and T-BAR) was unveiled on RAW.
In an interview on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, Ryker stated that he would have agreed to join the group:
“We didn’t even know what was going on," said Ryker. "I went maybe for a month or so [without a storyline] before we had ideas. They had some different ideas… There was ideas of RETRIBUTION for me, and I was like, ‘Man, I really don’t wanna wear a mask to wrestle in.’ I would have done it.” [1:01:40-1:02:03]
Following his controversial tweet, Ryker stayed at home for six months before returning to RAW as a singles competitor in December 2020. He went on to form an alliance with Elias, which eventually turned into a rivalry between the two men.
WWE’s higher-ups decided against adding Jaxson Ryker to RETRIBUTION
HIGH JUSTICE for @AliWWE.
Now THIS is what you call #RETRIBUTION!
#WWEFastlane https://t.co/Lex6q65khP
RETRIBUTION disbanded in March 2021, two months after Jaxson Ryker joined forces with Elias on RAW.
Ryker added that he wanted to become Elias’ roadie in the same way that Road Dogg worked alongside another musical superstar, Jeff Jarrett, in 1994-1995:
“We’d been chatting a little bit before then because I had this roadie idea, like Jeff Jarrett and Road Dogg," Ryker continued. "He goes, ‘Man, I kind of like that idea.’ He was trying to do some different stuff, so I pitched it and they stuck with it, and right there at the beginning of the year I get a call from one of the main writers [approving the storyline].” [1:02:09-1:02:32]
Elias and Ryker teamed up for four months before feuding with each other last summer. The rivalry ended when Ryker defeated his former tag team partner in a Symphony of Destruction match on the July 19, 2021 episode of RAW.
Please credit the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use quotes from this article.