Jeff Cobb, now known in WWE as JC Mateo, says he was aware of fan speculation that he would be paired with Bronson Reed before his promotion debut, but that plan never materialized. Instead, Cobb became part of the faction now known as the MFTs alongside Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on the Insight podcast, Cobb addressed the rumored pairing with Reed directly, confirming that fans had “fantasy booked” the two heavyweights together ahead of his arrival. Both men share a similar power-based, high-impact style, which fueled online speculation about a potential tag team or faction alignment before WWE revealed its actual plans for Cobb.
From Backlash Debut to The MFTs
Cobb signed with WWE in May 2025 and made his debut at WWE Backlash, immediately aligning himself with Solo Sikoa as part of what was initially billed as the new Bloodline. That grouping has since evolved into the stable now referred to as The MFTs, which includes Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Cobb, who competes under the ring name JC Mateo.
The formation gave WWE a four-man unit built around size, power, and Polynesian wrestling lineage, with Jacob Fatu previously connected to the broader Bloodline storyline that preceded the group’s rebrand. According to Cobb, even Fatu has struggled at times to fully explain the layered family connections within the Bloodline mythology to those unfamiliar with it, a detail Cobb shared during the same conversation with Van Vliet.
Cobb’s comments give fans insight into how WWE’s creative direction for him shifted from speculation to the final product. Rather than pairing him with another powerhouse like Reed in a standalone tag team, the company instead folded Cobb into an established faction with built-in storytelling tied to the larger Bloodline narrative. That decision placed him immediately into a prominent group dynamic rather than a freshly introduced two-man act, giving him instant alignment with Sikoa’s ongoing storylines upon arrival.
As JC Mateo continues to establish himself within The MFTs, the rumored Reed pairing remains an unrealized alternate path that fans had anticipated based on style comparisons rather than any confirmed WWE plan. Cobb’s remarks clarify that the pairing was speculative fan discussion rather than something WWE had seriously considered presenting at the time of his signing.
