Jeff Cobb has reflected honestly on his departure from WWE while speaking to Denise Salcedo, admitting his stint with the company did not live up to everything he had imagined despite achieving a lifelong goal. Performing under the name JC Mateo, Cobb said signing with WWE had been a dream since growing up watching Hulk Hogan and the classic WWF era. While he acknowledged the experience ultimately fell short of his expectations, he took pride in reaching the company on his own terms, revealing that he had previously declined WWE offers on four separate occasions before finally signing.
“I’m not gonna lie and say everything is all bright and rosy. I grew up as a WWF fan, Hulk Hogan brought me into wrestling. That’s my dream job, and it’s not everything that I thought it would be, but who am I to complain? It’s not my company. But being able to say I was sought after, saying no to them four times, and then saying yes on the fifth, it’s a cool little notch on my belt, coming in on my terms. It could’ve gone better, there are so many people I could blame, but I’m not gonna do that. I’ve just got to be happy about my time there.” – Jeff Cobb
Before arriving in WWE, Cobb had already built an impressive reputation as one of professional wrestling’s most accomplished heavyweight competitors. The Honolulu native represented Guam at the 2004 Olympic Games before transitioning to wrestling in 2009, where he enjoyed championship success across multiple promotions, including Lucha Underground, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a member of United Empire. Cobb then debuted in WWE as JC Mateo in 2025, aligning with the MFTs before his run ended with his 2026 release from the company.
