For weeks, the group known as Retribution has lurked in the shadows, striking at their convenience, disrupting Monday Night Raw.
This week, the faction pulled back their hoods – and had their first official WWE match, thanks to their brand new contracts.
Here are the 3 biggest takeaways from Raw on September 21, 2020.
1. Retribution is no longer a mystery
Retribution made its presence known from beginning to end on Monday. The show opened with the group storming the ring as we were informed of their contracts, proclaiming that those deals would do nothing to keep the WWE roster safe.
The Hurt Business then ran off what appeared the be the five core members of Retribution, only for the numbers game to get the best of MVP & Co, setting up a match for later in the night.
Backstage, the apparent leader of Retribution chided Superstars like Hurt Business for lining their pockets with WWE's money and falling in line. Both sides carried out assaults throughout the ThunderDome, leading to the main event.
During that 6-man tag match, we learned the names of three members of Retribution – and all three looked impressive.
But there's a limit to how many enemies you can make before it comes back to bite you, as the Raw locker room emptied to lay the smackdown on Retribution as the show closed.
2. Randy Orton interrupts some beef
A titanic tilt between Keith Lee and Drew McIntyre had us salivating, and it delivered in the ring – until The Viper struck.
Orton slithered out of nowhere to crush Lee with a chair shot, then brutalized McIntyre and his previously broken jaw.
With both big men laid out, Orton spit hot fire on the microphone, proclaiming that despite suffering three Claymore kicks at the hands of the WWE Champion, there was never any chance he would miss this Sunday's title match at Clash of Champions.
Oh, and Orton made sure to hit an RKO on McIntyre for good measure after the champ joined the cavalry in assailing Retribution. Because why not?
3. Mysterio family feud?
Yes. We have been here before.
Dominik Mysterio's paternity came into question 15 long years ago, and WWE fans obviously remember that.
So when Seth Rollins came to the ring with a DNA test in hand Monday night, Rey Mysterio wasn't particularly shaken – until the Monday Night Messiah realized he wasn't talking about Dominik, but instead Rey's 19-year-old daughter, Aalyah.
One of Rollins' pieces of "evidence" was the affection with which Aalyah checked on Murphy during last week's cage match. And on that interesting note, Rollins' disciple found Mystero's daughter backstage to apologize.
It was quite an interesting episode of Raw, to say the least. Now, Clash of Champions looms.
