NJPW Star Reveals Why They Turned Down Offer From WWE
Jeff Cobb says he had contract offers from a number of companies, including WWE, before he signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
"WWE offered me a contract [for] great money," Cobb said during an interview on A Real Wrestling Podcast. "Money is gonna make a lot of your problems go away but at the end of the day, money won't make you happy. So I wanted to work where I felt that I fit in more and I would be happy. If I went to WWE I wouldn't be able to do a random indie booking if I wanted to if I was off that weekend or something."
Cobb said he was fielding offers around the same time he wrestled his first and only match for AEW on an episode of Dynamite in February 2020. By August of last year, Cobb was teasing his signing with a major promotion. That promotion turned out to be New Japan.
"I love Japan," Cobb said. "The culture is amazing out there and the style of wrestling I definitely feel like I fit better in. And I felt at the time that New Japan was gonna be my home and it is my home. That's not to take away from other companies that offered me contracts but because I am with New Japan and with this 'forbidden door' I'm still able to pop in AEW or Ring Of Honor or MLW or Impact if the time's right. I felt like I made the right choice."
Jeff Cobb recently appeared in the titular match at Major League Wrestling's War Chamber show in Philadelphia earlier this month. He said he's not opposed to showing up anywhere. He also enjoys having the freedom to choose which bookings he takes.
"My main contract is with New Japan," Cobb said. "But New Japan is very good at letting us work with other companies as well. Totally up to us. But New Japan compensates us to where we don't have to work if we don't want to. But I feel like I definitely want to wrestle as much as I can, continue to keep my fan base in America as well. Whenever I'm here if I feel like it I'll wrestle. And if it's somebody I want to fight, definitely I will take a booking or two."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit A Real Wrestling Podcast with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.