Are AEW Making A Huge Mistake With Jeff Cobb?

Arguably the biggest moment in AEW: Dynamite’s short history was the debut of the Inner Circle’s hired gun, Jeff Cobb. The former Olympian from the island of Guam had been making a pretty penny on the independent circuit, competing for renowned promotions across the world and picking up a few titles in PWG, Lucha Underground and ROH respectively. Cobb also made the jump overseas to work in NJPW, competing in this year’s G1 Climax tournament and making a name for himself as one of the most versatile big men on the indies today.

So it was no surprise that when Cobb was revealed as the Inner Circle’s mercenary that fans tuned in to pay attention to his debut match against Jon Moxley. Ratings soared and AEW started picking up momentum as the Wednesday Night Wars picked up some steam. Even though Mox picked up the sneaky win over Cobb, he remained one of the biggest talking points from that week with many fans speculating when they might see the hired gun next.

As the rivalry between Jericho, Moxley and the rise of the Inner Circle continued on AEW TV, Cobb was mysteriously absent, failing to re-emerge each week despite his faction being on the receiving end of a few beatings. You’d think AEW would have doubled down on the big man since seeing the huge reception he received from the fans, as well as being the instigator of a surge in ratings for Dynamite. Could AEW officials be making a huge mistake by not capitalising on this rising star?

Obviously the current climate has kept most wrestlers from doing what they do best, but even before social distancing and isolation was considered the global norm, Jeff Cobb had undertaken a hiatus from performing across all promotions. Certain rumours had suggested that AEW had put together a special free agents contract for Cobb, allowing him to fulfil any confirmed dates in other companies, including New Japan Pro Wrestling, a promotion that seems to constantly be on the edge of developing a partnership with All Elite Wrestling.

Nevertheless, Cody Rhodes and Tony Khan have gone out of their way to ensure that Cobb will eventually be a full-time member of the AEW roster. Cobb has proven that he can be depended on as a main event talent, having been regularly featured on episodes of Lucha Underground as ‘The Monster’ Matanza Cueto and with his high-profile matches against the likes of Keith Lee, Matt Riddle and Bandido in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. When Cobb does eventually make his AEW comeback (which is a weird term to use when he’s only had the one match so far) he should definitely become a big time player on the roster, potentially getting himself in the AEW title picture having already taken the current champion to the limit in an exhibition bout on Dynamite.

Perhaps Cobb could return to align himself with Jericho’s Inner Circle once again, giving them a bit of momentum having been dismantled by the likes of Moxley, Darby Allin and members of The Elite. With the numbers starting to stack up against the stable, with ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy joining the ranks of their opposition, Inner Circle need someone like Jeff Cobb to help swing the pendulum back in their favour. Naturally, as with all factions, there will eventually be the inevitable break-up. Cobb, being the shining babyface of the group, could develop a feud with fellow hoss Jake Hager and then later on, the man himself, Chris Jericho.

Cobb could use this as a perfect chance to get the world behind him, using his extensive skills to put together exciting matches against storied ring generals to help develop his portfolio of mainstream performances. Eventually, Cobb can make a stance against either the TNT or AEW Championships, culminating his popularity and becoming the next big thing on the American scene.

My biggest concern is that AEW have left it a little too late to make the most of Jeff Cobb’s star. Cobb will of course come back to a lot of fanfare and will definitely be included in some big programmes, but the key issue is that AEW won’t be able to use his surprise signing and debut as their biggest weapon against NXT in the ongoing ratings battle.

With the recent debuts of Matt Hardy, Brodie Lee, Lance Archer and the legendary Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts all stealing headlines in recent weeks, becoming a key focus of AEW’s main storylines, it’s going to be tough for Jeff Cobb to reclaim the same momentum that he had going for him in February.

But if anyone could do it, could it be Guam’s favourite son? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.