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Jeff Cobb Debuts At WWE Backlash & Helps Jacob Fatu Retain U.S. Championship

The Samoan Werewolf is still the United States Champion, thanks in large part to a debuting Jeff Cobb.
Rick Ucchino|
Jeff Cobb at Forbidden Door 2024
Jeff Cobb at Forbidden Door 2024 | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Jeff Cobb has arrived in WWE.

The former NJPW star made his debut Saturday night at Backlash. Cobb interfered in the Fatal 4-Way Match for the United States Championship and attacked LA Knight at the order of Solo Sikoa.

Both Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest were already out of the picture at the time of Cobb's debut. The Scottish Warrior suffered a South of Heaven Choke Slam through two tables, which opened the door for Solo and Cobb to orchestrate their assault on Knight and give the match to Fatu on a silver platter.

Fatu was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but he was clearly not happy to see Cobb finally show his face in WWE after several reports indicated that he was on his way to the company.

Cobb's professional wrestling career dates back to 2009, when he began working for Action Zone Wrestling in Hawaii. He would go on to become a three-time AZW Heavyweight Champion while performing for numerous other independent promotions across Northern California.

He made the move to Lucha Underground in 2015 and then New Japan Pro Wrestling two years later. It was in Japan that Cobb made a name for himself as a member of the United Empire, capturing the IWGP Tag Team Championships on three different occasions. He also held the NEVER Openweight and World Television Championships.

His third run with the Tag Team Titles began last month when he and Callum Newman won the belts at NJPW Sakura Genesis 2025. It was a curious booking decision at the time, as Cobb had been rumored to be WWE bound for weeks heading into that event.

NJPW would announce Cobb's departure from the company just a few days later, vacating the IWGP Tag Team Championships in the process.

In addition to his time in New Japan, Cobb had an extended run for Ring of Honor and several appearances for All Elite Wrestling before making his debut with WWE Saturday night.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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