Jeff Cobb Explains Why He Turned Down WWE To Stay With NJPW

Jeff Cobb almost became a WWE superstar, but he ultimately decided to go in a different direction. Cobb is a member of Will Ospreay's United Empire faction in NJPW. Cobb joined the stable in November 2020, but there was a chance he wouldn't have lasted long within the group. During an interview with "The Ten Count", Cobb revealed he had conversations with former WWE executive Canyon Ceman about joining the company.

"I got really close, maybe in the summer of 2021," Cobb said. "I was Facetiming Canyon Ceman a couple times, I wanna say maybe June or July, somewhere around there, and it got pretty close." Ultimately, Cobb decided to stick with NJPW, and he explained why he felt it was the right decision.

"A big part of it was loyalty," Cobb said. "Like I mentioned, during the pandemic, they were paying us, and we didn't have to be paid. Realistically, like, 'Sorry, we're not running any shows.' They didn't have any shows for a couple of months. So, they didn't have to pay us really, but they did." Cobb also said something Ceman told him when trying to persuade him to join WWE left a bad taste in his mouth. Cobb claimed Ceman told him that unlike other companies, WWE actually pays their talent. Cobb said he felt that wasn't a cool thing to say when trying to recruit performers. Cobb also said he enjoys having flexibility when it comes to his schedule, and said he felt the WWE style wouldn't cater to him at the time.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Ten Count," with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.