It’s Jeff Cobb back to New Japan Pro Wrestling after less than a year as JC Mateo in WWEand Japanese fans are already overjoyed to see the former NEVER Openweight champion between the ropes. Now part of the Unbound Co. stable in NJPW, Cobb has been able to return to the Japanese schedule, but he took some key lessons from his time in WWE and during a recent interview. Official NJPW websiteCobb revealed some of the biggest culture shocks he’s had since working in WWE after spending so many years in Japan.
“The first time I went to Saudi Arabia, it was very interesting. Being on a charter plane to go straight from Miami to Riyadh was crazy 16, 17 hours on a charter plane, it was my first time. But it was interesting to see how pro-wrestling around the world, and not just WWE, but pro-wrestling influenced me. and said to me: “Oh, I loved your stuff in New Japan!” It was a shock because not to downplay the popularity or influence of NJPW, but to hear people in Saudi Arabia say they watched me in New Japan Pro-Wrestling was very surreal.”
Cobb admitted that he was overwhelmed by the number of people who told him how much they enjoyed his work in WWE, as it made him realize that while he understands that WWE is the biggest wrestling company in the world, NJPW also has a huge global reach. Cobb revealed this earlier he would like to do more While in WWE, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy his time with the company.
What did Jeff Cobb learn in WWE?
Despite only being in WWE for less than a year, there is so much to learn from being a part of such a huge company. Jeff Cobb realized this even after being in the wrestling business for many years, and when asked what he learned in WWE, he revealed that fans can be a little passionate at times.
“Fan interaction, definitely,” Cobb said. “It’s definitely big in Japan, and Japan has the most amazing fans I’ve ever dealt with in my career. In WWE, it’s a little weirder because fans will be waiting at airports. There are times with an early morning flight or a late flight, and I have no idea why fans know when those flights are, but fans will wait at baggage claim. are passionate about coming to the airport at 5am for the chance to hang out with one of us.”
Cobb would conclude by saying that he actually expected a much more muted response from the NJPW crowd when he returned to the company in August. However, he has been greeted with overwhelmingly positive messages from people who are happy to see him in NJPW, and his experiences with the fans in WWE have made him appreciate Japanese fans even more. Cobb will have a chance to shut down his former stable, the United Empire, when he faces current faction leader Calum Newman at NJPW Destruction on Sept. 27 in Kobe.
Please credit the source when using quotes from this article and give H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
