UPDATED: Backstage Details on When NJPW Knew Jeff Cobb Was Leaving

UPDATE: Fightful Select has another update on Jeff Cobb departing from NJPW and being signed by WWE, vacating NJPW’s IWGP Tag Team Titles he held with Callum Newman. According to Fightful Select’s update, NJPW, and multiple wrestlers on the roster, reportedly knew that Cobb was leaving as early as one month ago. This conflicts with The Wrestling Observer’s earlier report that NJPW was “blindsided” that WWE pulled Cobb earlier than expected.

Cobb and Newman won the tag titles at NJPW Sakura Genesis on April 4. The Observer reports that New Japan originally planned to have Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title headline Wrestling Dontaku on May 4. However, WWE is rumored to have pulled Goto before NJPW began officially advertising the matchup.

ORIGINAL: As previously reported, Jeff Cobb has left New Japan Pro Wrestling and is expected to be headed to WWE. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE wants Cobb to start “soon”, but the exact date is unknown. His final NJPW event is Saturday, freeing him up, possibly for night two of Wrestlemania or RAW the next night.

The only thing that the WON confirms is that Cobb will not be the mystery opponent for Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 41 this weekend.

It was noted that Cobb “didn’t have a lot of interest” in AEW, even though he had appeared for them in the past. The Observer also reports that New Japan officials were aware Cobb was leaving, but the company was “blindsided” by WWE reportedly pulling Cobb early.