Opinion
Cook’s Top 5: Reasons People Joined RETRIBUTION
SPOILER ALERT: This column is going to contain discussion of people rumored to be part of RETRIBUTION, the group trying to disrupt Monday Night Raw on a weekly basis. If this is something you don’t wish to hear, go ahead and click that “Back” button now. If you’re interested, keep reading…
So the word’s out on some of these Retribution members. Some are pretty obvious based off their speaking patterns & look. We don’t know when or if they’ll actually be revealed, and many people wonder if WWE knows the answers to those questions either. They might never be revealed, or maybe they will next week. That’s part of the fun of the thing.
Something I keep seeing pop up online is folks questioning why these rumored names would have a beef with WWE. I think this is a by-product of people being conditioned to support the large corporations in 2020. See, back in my day, fans were likely to root for people raging against the machine. They loved seeing Stone Cold give Vinnie Mac a Stunner and make his boss’s life a living hell. Here in 2020, we root for the company against the oppressed workers, and deny any notion that the workers could possibly have reasons to complain about their employer. They’re employed, right? Isn’t that all that matters?
Nope.
All five of the rumored names have reason to take up arms against WWE. Let’s break them down one by one.
5. Shane Thorne
Thorne became known as a tag team wrestler in his pre-WWE days. Successful tag team stints in Japan & Australia. He had a knack for forming mighty tag teams, and could surely do the same in WWE. One problem: WWE kept getting rid of his tag team partners. Nick Miller wanted to go back to his family in Australia rather than deal with life in WWE. Then Thorne started teaming up with another of his old Aussie friends, Brendan Vink. They got some run on Raw, looking like they were going to be associates with MVP’s Hurt Business. Instead, they randomly got sent back to NXT, and haven’t done a darn thing since.
How can Thorne get any momentum going if WWE keeps shooting it in the foot? Is it any wonder why he would want to bring WWE to its knees?
4. Mercedes Martinez

17 years. Mercedes Martinez spent 17 years in the indies, scratching & clawing her way to WWE. She’s been on knowledgeable fans radars for a long time, but 17 years is how long it took WWE to use her in the Mae Young Classic. It took them a couple of years after that to actually sign her. If you’re Mercedes, you’re wondering why WWE didn’t sign her when she was young.
Then, you’re wondering why WWE sent you to NXT. As long as you’ve been in the ring, they’re sending you to training camp? Then their big spot for you is with that goofball Robert Stone? It’s no wonder why Martinez hooked up with this anti-WWE faction. Just complete and utter disrespect towards one of wrestling’s most accomplished women of this century.
3. Dio Maddin
Dio started out as a wrestler at the PC. Then WWE wanted him to announce. Gave him a big spot on Raw. Where did that get Dio? On the business end of a Brock Leaner beat down, then booted off TV and sent back to the PC.
I know if WWE set me up to get my ass kicked by Brock Lesnar, I’d be looking to tear down the company. Not to mention completely mess up my preparation for being a pro wrestler by shoehorning me into this announcing business. That’s rough on the mind. I’d be mad too if I was him.
2. Mia Yim

Mia could have been NXT Women’s Champion by now based off her skill level. The problem? Friends of her opponents kept getting in her way. When she fought Shayna Baszler, she also had to deal with Jessamyn Duke & Marina Shafir. When she took on Dakota Ki, she had Raquel Gonzalez sticking her nose in her business. Hell, when she fought Candice LeRae she had to worry about Johnny Gargano.
All these outside forces interfering in her matches, and did NXT management ever do anything about it? Of course not. William Regal turned a blind eye along with the rest of management. If WWE/NXT is going to condone that type of behavior, why wouldn’t Mia join up with a group that outnumbers every other one?
1. Dominik Dijakovic

One of Keith Lee’s first acts upon entering WWE was starting a feud with Dijakovic. They’d tussled before on the Indy circuit and had some pretty memorable matches, so one figured that doing the same on NXT would propel both men up the ranks.
It only worked for Keith Lee, who won the feud. After disposing of Dijakovic, Lee went on to win the NXT North American & NXT Championships before making his way to Raw. Dijakovic surely looks at Lee right now and thinks he should be getting a spot in Raw’s main event picture. If only he had won that series of matches with Keith Lee.
So why wouldn’t Dijakovic be part of a bitter group of people that interfered in Lee’s match with Drew McIntyre on Monday night?
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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