WWE Rumors: Reason Why Founding Retribution Member Was Dropped From Faction Reportedly Revealed
WWE’s Retribution stable originally featured two female members when they debuted on the main roster. One of them, Mercedes Martinez, was dropped from the group soon after. Fightful Select has now revealed the reason for the decision.
As documented by Ringside News, Martinez reportedly asked to be removed from the faction and the storyline before they signed their Monday Night Raw contracts.
Martinez was set to go by the name Retaliation and play a big role in the faction. She even changed her handle on social media to reflect that, only to return to her regular alias shortly after the group confirmed their full-time Raw status a few weeks ago
Fightful Select didn’t elaborate on Martinez’s reason for asking to be withdrawn from one of the most featured storylines on television at the moment. However, it’s not uncommon for NXT stars to want to stay on the black-and-gold brand instead of moving to Raw or Friday Night SmackDown.
The Undisputed Era, Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa reportedly asked to stay on NXT when the company recently wanted to promote them. It is believed that they feel like they’ll be handled better there.
Retribution, meanwhile, has polarized WWE fans. Their masks and new names have often been met with ridicule as well. The Inquisitr recently documented that there was laughter backstage during the segment in which the team first donned their new outfits and had their Retribution monikers revealed on television.
Some experts noted that the group’s members will face an uphill battle moving forward, and it could have a negative impact on their long-term WWE careers. First impressions are everything, but Retribution is already considered too goofy to save.
Perhaps Martinez wanted her main roster debut to be handled better. As of this writing, Retribution is currently experiencing a losing streak, with many fans and pundits speculating that the company has lost interest in the upstart stable.
As of this writing, Mia Kim is the only woman in the faction. However, as The Inquisitr previously documented, other female performers have been linked with the anarchists in the past.
Chelsea Green is reportedly waiting to make her debut on the main roster. She’s been rumored to be unveiled as a Retribution member eventually, though those plans may have changed since then.
Vanessa Borne and Jessi Kamea have also been mentioned after donning the mask at one point. However, several random superstars have been used in Retribution segments to make up numbers at the time.
