Mike Bennett Explains Why WWE Is ‘Shooting Themselves In The Foot’ With Retribution
Photo Credit: WWE
Mike Bennett says the talent is there but the execution is all wrong.
Bennett spoke with Wrestling Inc. about the current Retribution storyline, explaining that WWE has a fantastic group assembled but they are going about things the wrong way. Bennett points out that WWE signing the group that wants to “destroy” the company doesn’t make sense, adding that it wouldn’t happen in other sports circles.
“First of all, everyone that’s in Retribution is fantastic. They’re unbelievable talents, and I know Dijak from the Northeast and Mia Yim I worked with over at IMPACT and I think the world of her. And Shane Thorne, I just think is the best, but it’s like, I just don’t know what else to say when I see the fact that they have this cool idea of these group of people that are sick of the way the company’s working. But then they are just shooting themselves in the foot. They don’t take little pieces and think them through. They don’t think the fact that these guys want to destroy WWE, but we’re going to give them a contract and sign them?”
Even if you erase the fact that I have a wrestling mind and just look at it from a simple perspective of just a normal person watching this, like if I was trying to destroy the NFL, Roger Goodell is not going to give me a contract, or Robert Kraft is not going to sign me to the Patriots because I’m trying to destroy the NFL.”
Bennett says the stable has an uphill battle to fight, not only because of the bad storyline but also because of their ridiculous names. Noting that he worked in WWE as “Mike Kanellis” so it’s a two-way street, he says he’s going to bust Shane Thorne’s chops about his new name but he still hopes they can work their way out of it.
“They backed themselves into a corner, and I hope they can find a way out of it, but they have an uphill battle with those names. Now names don’t mean crap. They don’t. I get it. If you’re talented enough, you can overcome the name, but it’s incredibly difficult. It’s already an uphill battle, and on top of that, they’re dealing with bad booking decisions on top of bad names.”
“So it’s tough, and this isn’t me crapping on WWE. This is just tough. It’s difficult, and I love the fact that Shane Thorne is Slapjack because I’m going to give him so much crap next time I see him and just keep calling him Slapjack, but I can do that because I took the name Mike Kanellis, so he can throw it right back in my face.”