Original Plans for JC Mateo Revealed Before WWE Release

Jeff Cobb’s WWE run may already be over, but a new report is revealing that the company originally had far bigger plans for him before everything quietly changed behind the scenes.

According to Dave Meltzer in the May 8, 2026 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE initially viewed Cobb — who wrestled in the company as JC Mateo — as somebody destined for a significant singles push. As Meltzer explained, the early plans internally involved Cobb working major singles programs with important names on the roster before those ideas suddenly disappeared.

“Cobb was at first planned for a big push as he was to work with key people in singles in plans that never ended up happening.”

But according to Meltzer, something shifted once WWE started regularly using him on television. Instead of becoming a featured singles threat, Cobb gradually became background support inside MFT surrounding Solo Sikoa.

“For whatever reason, after seeing him, he became a face in the crowd of the MFTs.”

Meltzer then pointed toward the faction itself evolving in a way that pushed Cobb even further down the pecking order creatively. According to the report, Tama Tonga ended up receiving much more television focus while Talla Tonga filled the dominant “monster” role within the group.

“A group built around Sikoa, and with Tama Tonga getting the screen time and Talla Tonga as the monster.”

The update adds a completely different context to Cobb’s short-lived WWE run because it suggests the company never originally envisioned him simply fading into the background of a faction. Instead, WWE saw him as somebody capable of becoming a major singles player before plans changed internally.

Now that Cobb’s WWE run has ended, attention has quickly shifted toward what comes next. During a recent Q&A session, WrestleVotes pointed directly toward AEW as a possible landing spot because of Cobb’s prior relationships and history with the company. While discussing his future, WrestleVotes explained that AEW would almost certainly have interest if Cobb decided to go that route.

“AEW would have interest in Jeff Cobb. He’s worked there before and remains friendly with a lot of their talent.”

Before joining WWE, Cobb built a strong international reputation working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and also appeared in AEW between 2020 and 2022. During that run, he worked alongside Chris Jericho during Jericho’s feud with Jon Moxley before later appearing again through NJPW crossover events. Ironically, Cobb previously turned down an AEW contract offer and instead stayed with New Japan before eventually making the jump to WWE.

Bottom line — JC Mateo’s WWE run wasn’t originally supposed to end with him blending into the background of the MFT faction. WWE initially planned to push Jeff Cobb hard as a singles player before creative priorities shifted, other members of Solo Sikoa’s group started getting more attention, and the entire direction quietly changed.

Do you think WWE made a mistake not pushing Jeff Cobb harder, or was the fit never going to work on the main roster? Drop your thoughts below and let us know.