Jeff Cobb is a former Ring of Honor Television Champion, a former IWGP NEVER Openweight Champion, the current Pro Wrestling Guerilla Champion, he bears a physical similarity to former Lucha Underground Champion Matanza Cueto, but that’s not his name, so I don’t know why I even mentioned it. Ahead of Ring of Honor coming to the UK for a three-night tour, we had the opportunity to sit down with Cobb to discuss what we can look forward to:
ROH is about to embark on a UK tour, and recently, your match with Quatro and Chris Panzer from PWR in the Philippines has gone viral. How exciting is it for you to get to wrestle all over the globe?
I love being able to perform all over the globe, especially being able to see new countries/ states/ cities that I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own, especially the Philippines, as that is my heritage!
On that tour, you have a World Title match with Rush in Bolton. What excitement can the fans expect from this first-time singles encounter?
I’m excited to have this match to prove that I belong in the upper class of ROH and the world title picture. Rush is a worthy champion, but I doubt he’s ever faced someone like me.
Over the summer, did you learn anything about yourself or wrestling in general while working on the G1 Climax tour?
The G-1 is a different type of monster. It is the MOST gruelling and prestigious tournament to be a part of. The whole tour I learned so much from the veterans about everything about wrestling. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but it definitely was an eye-opener.
Do you have any matches from it you’re particularly proud of?
Every block match was special in its own way, but I was really fond of the Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi and Tomohiro Ishii matches.
If you win in Bolton, would you like to see a Ring of Honor Championship match make its return to the Wrestle Kingdom card?
If and when I win the ROH Heavyweight championship, you can fully expect to see it at the Tokyo Dome. I’ve brought the TV championship on a few New Japan Shows as well!
Are you looking forward to BOLA Winner Bandido getting another shot at your PWG Title as the first time was spectacular?
As the Champion, I’m fully open to any and all challengers. I will not duck, dodge, or hide from anyone!
Recently, the announcement that ROH has signed Tyler Bateman came out. Are there any talents from PWG or anywhere else you’ve worked that you’d love to see join ROH?
I’d love to see a close friend of mine that is the total package in ROH, JR Kratos. As well as Timothy Thatcher, they’re two of my closest buddies, and we’ve come up through the indies together all up and down California.
With your background in Olympic wrestling and your publicly expressed interest in Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport events, do you think RoH could benefit from a return to the Pure Rules Division?
Anytime you can bring something new to the table, I think it brings interest, and I’d love to see that division/style back in ROH.
With things now being firmly on the road to Final Battle, beyond walking in with the ROH World Championship, what hopes and expectations do you have for the last big show of the year?
My goal is like everyone else’s, to be featured on the PPV. Last year I had a match with Hangman Page, and we didn’t get as much publicity as some of the other matches, and we both had a chip on our shoulders to try and steal the show. And we beat the ever-loving piss out of each other and did just that.
With Alex Shelley recently returning, are there any other ROH legends you’d like to see make a similar return?
Well, I’d be open to anyone to return and help the company go forward. New/fresh blood is the name of the game, and whenever a shot of something new can be seen, it helps everyone.
Beyond winning the ROH World Championship, what are your aims in wrestling?
First and foremost, that Championship is my goal. Secondly, having a long and meaningful reign.
You can catch Jeff Cobb in action of all three nights of the Ring of Honor: Honor United tour. On Friday in London, he teams with ROH Champion Rush against Villain Enterprises’ Marty Scurll & Brody King, on Saturday in Newport, they team up to face King & PCO, on Sunday in Bolton, Cobb faces Rush for the ROH World Championship. You can find more information and links to buy tickets here
Images courtesy of RING OF HONOR/Corey Tatum