Jeff Cobb considered leaving pro wrestling after being released from WWE.
Jeff Cobb signed with WWE in 2025 as JC Mateo, but was only with the company for a year before being released in May 2026. While he returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling in August, there was a period of time when he thought about finishing up his career.
In a new interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Cobb said that while part of him thought he would go back to NJPW, he also felt like he didn’t like wrestling anymore.
“A part of me, yes, but then a part of me was kind of like, ‘I don’t really like wrestling anymore.’”
“Yeah. So May was rough. I didn’t work out. I didn’t do anything. I was just like, I didn’t like wrestling. The first time I have ever been like that, where I was like, ‘Man, what the hell?’ I’m not blaming WWE.”
Cobb went on to say he was second-guessing himself and the choices he had made in his career, which led him to consider retirement.
“I was like, ‘Man, was that it? But then at the same time, I was like, I don’t want to really end on that note.”
“I didn’t even think about wrestling that much. Some people say they think of wrestling 24/7. I don’t. I got other stuff going on, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love wrestling. I love professional wrestling, and I enjoy everything about it. There’s things that I like about WWE, and there’s things I don’t like about WWE. Same with New Japan, same with AEW, whatever.”
Jeff Cobb Realised He Had Unfinished Business In NJPW
Continuing, Jeff Cobb said he was brought back around when he watched some New Japan Shows, and realised he wanted to be part of the G1 Climax Tournament again.
“Honestly, watching some New Japan stuff kind of got me. I was like ‘Oh, this is good. This is good.’ Then I was like, maybe I have some unfinished business here. So I start thinking about it more and more.
“Then honestly, G1 season always gets me hyped because New Japan always puts out before the shows, especially the G1 history, and that always gets you so hyped. Video packages that can tug at your heartstrings. Dude, this is dope. I was like, you know what? I got to be on this one day. I got to be on the G1 package. Then the only way to do it is to go back to New Japan.”
Cobb returned to NJPW on the final night of the G1 Climax 36 tournament. There, he aligned himself with Yota Tsuji‘s Unbound Company against his former faction, United Empire.
