Add as a preferred source on Google Jeff Cobb says he turned WWE down three separate times before finally signing following a conversation with Triple H.
Speaking with Denise Salcedo, Cobb said the first no came because he didn’t want to relocate to Florida. The second came right after he’d signed with NJPW, and the third came out of a call with former WWE executive Canyon Ceman.
Things changed when William Regal reached out to set up a call with Triple H. Cobb liked the pitch and figured that, at 42 at the time, it was probably his last shot at getting to WWE.
“Well, the first the first time I said no was cuz I didn’t want to move to Florida. Uh the second time I said no cuz I I just signed with New Japan. And then the third time I said no was because I had a a FaceTime call with a Canyon Seaman. And I it was an interesting call cuz he was in a hotel room and he was sitting on his bed in like just a t-shirt and shorts and I thought that was the funniest thing. I wanted to take a screenshot of it but I wasn’t sure if I did that he would notice like hey did you take a screenshot of what we’re doing?
So, I didn’t want to do that. But it was so funny that it was so funny that I had to say no to that. Um, but then finally, um, Regal messaged me and said, ‘Hey, uh, Triple H wants to have a phone call with you.’ I was, ‘All right, cool.’ It’s a FaceTime. I was like, he’s taking time out of his day to FaceTime call me. So, I was like, ‘All right, let’s do it.’ Um, and I liked what he what he pitched to me. And he did mention, he’s like, ‘Listen, you’re not getting any younger, so you might as well come in now.’ And I was like, ‘Well, you know what? He’s going to want me at this age. I don’t think he’s going to want me in two years from now.’ So, I was like, now’s the time. Let’s let’s do it. Let’s take a leap of faith.”
Cobb’s WWE deal kicked in on April 21, 2025, two days after his final NJPW match. He debuted at Backlash on May 10, helping Jacob Fatu retain the United States Title.
Repackaged as JC Mateo, he lined up with Solo Sikoa in MFT. The run didn’t last, though, as WWE released him on May 2, 2026, less than a year after his debut.
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