Another big star is set to leave Japan soon.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has officially confirmed the departure of Jeff Cobb, granting his request to leave the promotion. As a result, the IWGP Tag Team Championships have been vacated, ending Cobb and partner Callum Newman’s reign.
Cobb, a two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion with Great-O-Khan, will wrestle his final NJPW match on April 19 at Korakuen Hall, facing Hiroshi Tanahashi. In a statement, NJPW expressed regret over the abrupt announcement while extending well-wishes for Cobb’s future.
Jeff Cobb is a professional wrestler who rose to prominence after transitioning from amateur wrestling in 2009, becoming a dominant force across multiple promotions. The 42-year-old powerhouse first appeared in NJPW in 2017, capturing the NEVER Openweight Championship, he captured the IWGP Tag Team Titles twice with Great-O-Khan and once with Callum Newman, and won the NJPW World TV Title as a key member of the United Empire faction. Beyond NJPW, he excelled in PWG, ROH (where he was ROH World TV Champion), Lucha Underground as Matanza Cueto, and MLW, while also making AEW appearances against stars like Jon Moxley. Cobb has wrestled globally in CMLL, RevPro, and PWA, blending raw strength with surprising agility.
With his exit from NJPW, speculation about a potential WWE signing has resurfaced. According to Fightful, WWE has shown interest in Cobb with some sources even indicating he had been listed internally on the company’s roster.
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