Dave Meltzer has revealed that JC Mateo, the WWE name used by Jeff Cobb, was originally planned for a significant singles push when he joined WWE before those plans were abandoned and he was reduced to a background role within The MFTs.
In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer wrote: “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. For whatever reason, after seeing him, he became a face in the crowd of the MFTs, a group built around Sikoa, and with Tama Tonga getting the screen time and Talla Tonga as the monster.”
He arrived with star power, having been one of the most decorated performers on the independent circuit and in NJPW, where he was a former NEVER Openweight Champion and ROH World Champion. The expectation heading into his WWE signing was that his combination of size, athleticism, and ring work would earn him a notable role.
Instead, after initial plans for singles programs with key roster members fell through for undisclosed reasons, Cobb found himself as one of several supporting members in The MFTs faction alongside Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Talla Tonga.
With Tama Tonga receiving the bulk of the screen time and Talla positioned as the faction’s monster, Cobb was largely invisible on television and rarely featured in meaningful storylines before being among the talent released in WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts on April 24.
