Jeff Cobb has signed with WWE, and immediately establishes himself as a Bloodline member. 2025 has been a who's who of major gs for the company. AEW's Lucha Bros. Penta and Fenix both ed the main roster on the road to WrestleMania 41, while the week after Mania saw Rusev and Aleister Black return. All the while, rumors circulated of WWE's plans to sign one of New Japan's biggest stars.
At last night's WWE Backlash 2025 event, the rumors were proven right as Jeff Cobb made his debut by assisting Solo Sikoa's Bloodline. Solo Sikoa's underling, Jacob Fatu, was defending his United States Championship against Damian Priest, LA Knight, and Drew McIntyre. Just as it seemed Knight had the upperhand over the champ after McIntyre and Priest took each other out, Cobb made his first main roster appearance by attacking Knight, much to Sikoa's delight and Fatu's confusion.
Cobb not only immediately establishes himself as a big-time player in WWE by ing Sikoa's side, but potentially could be the key to saving the waning Bloodline storyline.
Who Is Jeff Cobb? From New Japan Pro Wrestling to the WWE
WWE's Hottest New Free Agent Explained
The moment that Jeff Cobb made his WWE debut, emerging from the crowd, Michael Cole on commentary would belt out that this man was "one of the biggest free agents on the planet." For audiences unaware of whom this hefty hoss was, the Honolulu, Hawaii native has had a long and storied wrestling career dating back to his amateur wrestling background. The Olympic competitor eventually transitioned into professional wrestling in 2009. He wouldn't achieve his first big break on television until playing the role of "The Monster" Matanza Cueto on Lucha Underground in 2015.
Lucha Underground was an over-the-top (but, for many, utterly fun) take on professional wrestling that introduced more fantastical elements instead of being grounded in reality. The El Rey Network original series delivered Western audiences their first taste of future WWE Superstars like Penta, Fenix, Ricochet (then Prince Puma), and familiar faces like Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero. As Matanza, Cobb was a masked brother of in-universe authority figure Dario Cueto who'd bulldoze through the roster on a regular basis, and was strongly hinted at being a cannibal. The newfound exposure allowed Cobb to gain new opportunities without the mask and under his real name.
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Such opportunities included a string of matches in Ring of Honor and WWE's primary competitor, All Elite Wrestling. However, Cobb was most prominently featured in New Japan Pro Wrestling. There, he was a multi-time champion, winning Tag Team gold, winning their Openweight Championship, and the World Television Championship. It was last month, in April, that NJPW formally announced that Cobb's Tag Team Championship would be vacated because Cobb would be leaving the company. He publicly thanked the company for dedicating eight years of his life to their relationship. From that moment onwards, fans started to speculate whether Jeff Cobb was WWE-bound.
Jeff Cobb ing the Bloodline Makes Perfect Sense
WWE's Best Move For Jeff Cobb Was Unexpected, But Sensible
Few readers would have expected Jeff Cobb to make his WWE debut by ing Solo Sikoa's Bloodline, but it's a creative decision that makes perfect sense in retrospect for a plethora of reasons. The move largely comes as a surprise for the fact that Cobb himself is not Samoan, nor does he have any relation to the Anoa'i family tree. Instead, he was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, living there before moving to Guam in sixth grade, and is actually of Filipino descent.
The sensible aspect of Jeff Cobb's inclusion comes storyline-wise. Jacob Fatu unapologetically loved Solo Sikoa and never questioned his motives or plans as his leader. Now, months after watching Solo lose the Ula Fala and the rights to become the Tribal Chief to Roman Reigns, Fatu has become more inclined to march to the beat of his own drum, even more so after winning his first singles title. SmackDown saw the rowdy Fatu outright tell Solo he didn't want to follow his plans, only his own.
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Jeff Cobb Could Be WWE's Key to Saving the Bloodline
Solo finding a more reserved enforcer in Cobb that he can control makes sense. On paper, Cobb is every bit of a monster that Fatu is, except he's more prone to listening to Solo. Solo finding such a similar monster to Fatu behind the US Champion's back causes a wrinkle in their dynamic and a much-needed twist in the long-running Bloodline storyline. The Bloodline storyline was once the hottest thing on WWE television months ago, but seemed to lose steam once Roman Reigns regained his Tribal Chief status.
It didn't help matters that Solo Sikoa was off television following his match with Reigns for an extended amount of time, nor that both Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa themselves have been offscreen due to reported injuries, dwindling the Bloodline's numbers down to two people who aren't even on the same page. Adding Jeff Cobb boosts the stable's numbers while also creating intrigue revolving around Fatu potentially being ousted by Cobb's arrival. In short, there is plenty to be excited about regarding Jeff Cobb's WWE arrival, but especially in how his presence pumps new life into a previously stagnant faction.
