Jeff Cobb’s road to WWE included several recruitment attempts, one of which nearly made him reconsider signing with the company.
During a recent appearance on the INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet podcast, Cobb reflected on WWE’s efforts to bring him into the company before eventually making his debut at Backlash in 2025.
According to Cobb, one of those attempts involved a Zoom meeting with former WWE Senior Director of Talent Development Canyon Ceman, whose behavior during the conversation immediately caught him off guard.
“Well, the first thing that turned me off was like Zoom call, and he was in bed, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. And I swear, I was trying to do a screenshot, but I don’t know how to. If I did a screenshot, would he have noticed I took a screenshot? I don’t know. Because when he called me, and he was in the bed in boxer shorts and a t-shirt, I was like, ‘What the hell?’”
The unusual setting was not Cobb’s only issue with the meeting. While discussing NXT’s compensation structure, Ceman reportedly made a comment about WWE continuing to pay its talent during the COVID-19 pandemic, which Cobb felt was an unnecessary shot at other promotions.
“I think he told me there’s three tiers in NXT at the time for pay structure, and then the one line that got me that made me say no was, he’s like, ‘Well, you know, unlike other companies, we pay our talent during the pandemic.’ And I said, ‘You know, you didn’t have to say that line.’ That turned me off. I was like, ‘Well, I don’t really want to work with somebody like that who’s going to make a statement like that,’” Cobb said.
Cobb ultimately declined the opportunity, although WWE’s interest in bringing him aboard continued.
His initial contact with the company came in 2020, shortly after his AEW Dynamite debut, where he attacked Jon Moxley. Cobb recalled speaking with William Regal at the time and explaining that he was under a one-year agreement with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Another opportunity arose later, but Cobb had already committed to a three-year contract with NJPW.
“So I said no, and then the final time was when I actually signed a three-year deal in New Japan. So they’re like, ‘Okay, we’ll come back in three years,’” Cobb said.
WWE eventually made another successful attempt to recruit Cobb, with Regal arranging a virtual meeting between the former NJPW standout and Triple H.
That conversation helped finalize Cobb’s decision to join WWE, leading to his official debut at Backlash in 2025.