RETRIBUTION Invades WWE SmackDown (Photos, Videos)

By Marc Middleton

RETRIBUTION has invaded WWE SmackDown.

Tonight's SmackDown on FOX episode ended with the group of masked men and women destroying the arena at the WWE Performance Center. Carrying baseball bats and other weapons, the group stormed the ring area while wearing all black, hoodies and masks. They tipped over the announce table, cut up the ring ropes with a chainsaw, and hit the Plexiglas barrier, ramp and ring with spray paint, covering the surfaces with various anti-WWE symbols and their name. They also attacked the developmental trainees in the crowd and left them laying. It also looked like they knocked a camera to the ground, or possibly knocked a camera man down.

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There was also a moment where one of the male members of the group spoke into the camera, warning everyone that this is RETRIBUTION's house now, and that everyone else might want to leave and go home.

The chaos came after there were several technical issues throughout the broadcast, including more glitches with the lights and the microphones. Corey Graves and Michael Cole joked during commentary several times about how RETRIBUTION wasn't booked tonight, and The Miz also joked about the group during one of his promos.

As we've noted, RETRIBUTION first appeared during Monday's RAW. They were shown on survillance camera in the WWE Performance Center parking lot, screaming and yelling as they threw Molotov cocktails at an electric transformer, running away as the equipment caught fire. It was rumored that RETRIBUTION may be on RAW only, but now it looks like they will be causing chaos on both brands.

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There's no word yet on what WWE has planned next for RETRIBUTION, or if we might see them on the WWE NXT brand. There continue to be fan comparisons to the Antifa group, but it's been reported that the storyline is related to WWE only, and is not political. It's also been reported that the members of the group are being kept a secret for some time and will not be immediately revealed. The idea behind the storyline is that the group will bring chaos to WWE by any means necessary, to get the attention of WWE officials, and that they are trying to "loosen control" over WWE Superstars and change the way the company operates.

Stay tuned for updates on RETRIBUTION. Below are several shots from tonight's show-closing angle on SmackDown:

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