Free Agent Reportedly Has Multiple Options After WWE Release

A recently released WWE Superstar will seemingly have some options when his non-compete deal expires later this summer.

Last month following WrestleMania 42, WWE released almost 30 talents across Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. While multiple stars such as The New Day, Kairi Sane, and the Motor City Machine Guns are guaranteed to find a landing spot following their 90-day non-competes, other names seem to be up in the air.

However, a new report suggests that a recently released SmackDown star will likely have multiple choices for his next landing spot when the 90-day non-compete expires.

Jeff Cobb was recently seen backstage at NJPW Dontaku

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the former JC Mateo, otherwise known as Jeff Cobb, was recently seen backstage at New Japan's Dontaku event, noting that Cobb might still have a home in Japan and that the former WWE Superstar could return there or even sign with AEW once his non-compete wraps up.

"Jeff Cobb was backstage at Dontaku. I believe he still has a place in Japan," Dave Meltzer wrote. "Unless WWE gives his special dispensation, he would not be able to return in time for G-1 if he does end up here, as the non-compete ends on 7/24. We don't know if that is what he'll do.

"New Japan has its own financial issues. It wouldn't surprise me if AEW picked up Cobb, but the reality is his chances of going to AEW as a star were much higher one year ago. WWE often enhances someone's value, but Cobb would not be one of those people."

While Cobb only spent a year with WWE, he competed for AEW six times between 2020 and 2024 while working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Cobb competed against some of the top names in the company, including Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, and Bryan Danielson.

WWE hilariously mistakes JC Mateo for Talla Tonga for tonight's SmackDown

WWE has JC Mateo on a match graphic for tonight’s #SmackDown

JC was released two weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/FFYkJncSEs
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) May 15, 2026

The first match announced for tonight's episode of SmackDown will see WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and R-Truth talking on Talla and Tama Tonga of The MFTs. But in doing so, the company made a pretty hilarious error with the match graphic.

As you can see above, the original graphic released for tonight's match included the former JC Mateo instead of Talla Tonga. WWE has since changed the graphic to fix the error, but as the old saying goes, once it hits the internet, it's there forever.

Needless to say, Jeff Cobb will not be at tonight's episode of SmackDown.

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