If the rumors are true—and man, I hope they are—the best wrestler the WWE has never signed could make his promotional debut in St. Louis at WWE Backlash on Saturday night.
According to multiple reports, WWE has already signed Jeff Cobb, and his debut is imminent—meaning he could make a splash in St. Louis. Triple H has hit another home run.
UPDATE
Jeff Cobb Debuts on WWE Backlash
Cobb did make his debut on Saturday. He attacked LA Knight and helped Jacob Fatu retain his title, though the champion didn’t appear to want the help.
End of Update.
In case you’re wondering what all the fuss is about because you’ve never heard of Cobb, allow me to introduce the Hawaiian freak of nature with the video below that shows 40 of his best in-ring moves.
Before I show it, consider this in-ring and physical comp: Cobb is Rhyno meets Chad Gable, Samoa Joe, a more athletic Jacob Fatu, and Otis. No, I’m not exaggerating. I dare you to watch all 40 moves and disagree.
Take a look:
In addition to that in-ring brilliance, Cobb is a former Olympic freestyle wrestler who competed at the 2004 Athens Games.
Cobb is the kind of performer who could fit in anywhere, and he has tons of industry experience, having wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Lucha Underground, Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. He’s already been in the ring with several current and former WWE Superstars like Rey Mysterio, Matt Riddle, Ricochet, and Gunther.
Everyone in the industry knows him. That would explain why it is unlikely he’ll land in NXT. Cobb is ready for Raw or SmackDown.
The downside of this signing and imminent debut is that WWE is massively late to the party. Cobb is already 42, and Father Time concepts suggest his best in-ring days are behind him. That said, we’re talking about an elite athlete who, at 80%, is physically superior to the vast majority of any promotion’s locker room.
Look at guys like Brock Lesnar and one of Cobb’s Olympic contemporaries, Yoel Romero, for proof that elite athletes of this ilk age differently than most.
Cobb’s age is likely the reason why he would leapfrog a stint with NXT. Like AJ Styles before him and, more recently, Penta and Rey Fenix, Cobb is such an accomplished performer that it would likely be an insult to drop him in the promotion’s developmental league at this stage of his career.
Allow me to dream a bit. Everyone is expecting to see a third man added to the Paul Heyman faction that includes Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker. Perhaps many will see Cobb and Breakker as too similar to include in the same faction.
However, I believe that’s exactly why it would work. WWE could ignite their tag-team division by having the pair wreak havoc as tag-team champions for an extended period while also being Rollins’ backup.
Obviously, this alliance (like all in the WWE) would ultimately come to an end. And when it does, Cobb vs. Breakker in a feud makes my eyes water because of the potential brilliance. These are the stories and the conversations that make me love wrestling like the kid who fell in love with it when I was seven years old.
So, as you might expect, I’ll be watching Backlash on Saturday night with piqued interest. Be on the lookout for coverage from me from the event.
