RETRIBUTION: 5 directions WWE could go with their newest faction
Over the past week, we have been hearing about this new faction set to turn WWE inside out. A group of five anonymous wrestlers made an appearance on Monday Night RAW, throwing Molotovs on a generator outside the Performance Center. A day or so later, we learned that the faction called themselves RETRIBUTION.
But now, the stakes have been raised. RETRIBUTION appeared at the end of the latest edition of WWE SmackDown, attacking everybody in sight and tearing the place apart. And while the masked invaders might be stand-ins for the actual members of RETRIBUTION, what WWE does with the new faction is very intriguing, to say the least.
It may have been born as a quick fix for their dwindling ratings, but WWE has a chance to actually create a compelling story involving RETRIBUTION. There is potential for this group to be more than the company might make it to be. They need to handle it with care, especially after how the Nexus turned out a decade ago.
And hopefully, in a few months' time, RETRIBUTION is the hottest thing on WWE programming. There are several directions this storyline can move forward in, from the reveal of each member to their ultimate purpose as a group.
Here are five directions WWE could go with their newest faction, RETRIBUTION.
#5 One member of RETRIBUTION is revealed on every episode of RAW and SmackDown until SummerSlam
For maximum impact, WWE should find the right balance between intrigue and revelation. They will likely want to keep the members of RETRIBUTION anonymous for as long as possible, but this runs the risk of people completely losing interest in the group.
With two weeks left for SummerSlam, WWE could run a big angle with RETRIBUTION at the show. To keep viewers invested, they can reveal one member on every TV episode in the run-in for SummerSlam. So one of the biggest hooks for every RAW or SmackDown for the next two weeks is finding out who is a part of the new faction.
Starting from this coming week, a single member could make themselves known and state their purpose as a part of RETRIBUTION. Whether done in front of the fans or in a pre-recorded segment, this makes the storyline much clearer.
It would make for a compelling scenario and build to a much larger angle at SummerSlam, where the leader of RETRIBUTION is revealed. It could be anyone, from Tommaso Ciampa to Dominik Dijakovic, or possibly even Mustafa Ali. If WWE delivers a compelling multi-episode-long narrative, the ratings will instantly improve.