WWE News: Founding Retribution Member Appears To Have Been Booted From Faction
As documented by Ringside News, Mercedes Martinez appears to have parted ways with Retribution. The superstar was one of the founding members of the faction to be revealed on a recent episode of Monday Night Raw, but she hasn’t been seen with them since.
Of the five core members who were initially unveiled, only three appeared on the latest episode. However, that may have been due to the company’s recent wave of positive COVID-19 cases and the protocols surrounding them. Mia Yim was also absent, but she’s still associated with the group.
As the report highlighted, the company registered names for four of the members recently. Those superstars — including Yim — have since updated their social media profiles to reflect the new personas. Martinez is no longer using her supposed name.
As documented by SEScoops, PWInsider previously noted that she’d changed her alias to Retaliation. As of this writing, she’s back to using her original ring name for the time being.
Furthermore, the current inclusions don’t follow Martinez on social media. This suggests that she’s either no longer a member of the stable, or they’re teasing fans in order to spring a surprise on the WWE Universe at a later date.
However, Mustafa Ali — who was confirmed as the faction’s leader on this week’s Raw — uploaded a graphic to Twitter earlier today. The images on it reveal why each member of the rebellious stable is unhappy with WWE. Martinez was noticeably missing from the graphic.
They asked “Why?”
We asked “Why not?”
@TBARRetribution @RETRIBUTIONMACE @ReckoningRTRBTN @SlapJackRTRBTN pic.twitter.com/SRCGXij5bf— Mustafa Ali / Adeel Alam (@AliWWE) October 7, 2020
The company has used several performers to fill up spots in the group, and the final list of superstars could still be subject to change. Most of the participants are still hiding behind generic black ski masks, and it’s likely that some of them will become more prominent figures of Retribution down the line.
The stable is reportedly set to be made up of NXT stars who have been waiting to make their main roster debuts. Chelsea Green, Tomasso Ciampa and other performers from the black-and-gold brand have also been rumored to be involved.
WWE is hosting a draft this week, which will likely see more NXT stars introduced to the main roster. Perhaps officials made the decision to keep Martinez on the developmental roster for now, especially if some of the most popular talents are set to move elsewhere.
The coming weeks should provide a clearer indication of the wrestlers that officials plan on using in the alliance for the foreseeable future. It is has been speculated that their faces will be shown closer to Survivor Series.
