News On Rejected WWE Pitch For Jeff Cobb

A report has given an insight into rejected plans for new WWE signing Jeff Cobb.

After weeks of speculation, Jeff Cobb finally made his WWE debut at Backlash.

During the opening match of the night, Cobb appeared from the crowd as Jacob Fatu put his United States Championship on the line against Damian Priest, LA Knight, and Drew McIntyre. As the match reached its closing stages, Cobb smashed Knight with a thunderous clothesline to the bemusement of Fatu.

Despite the confusion, the champion followed up and quickly retained the gold.

On the following edition of SmackDown, Cobb was announced as “JC Mateo” before beating Knight in his in-ring debut.

It was subsequently reported that Jeff Cobb had been signed to WWE for several months and had been listed on internal roster lists during that period.

Jeff Cobb Nearly Had A Different WWE Name

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, JC Mateo wasn’t the only name pitched for Cobb. Another name in the frame was “JC Matanza,” which would have been a reference to his name in Lucha Underground.

Apparently the name JC Matanza was talked about regarding an insider reference since Cobb’s first major break was at Matanza Cueto in Lucha Underground.

Meltzer added that working out who owned the rights to the name would have been tricky, but Cobb was also known to dislike it.

The star had been on a handshake deal with NJPW for much of 2025 after his original contract expired. This enabled him to make a quick jump from the company to WWE after informing them of his intention to leave.

The star previously held talks with WWE back in 2020 before ultimately deciding to re-sign with NJPW.