Jeff Cobb’s WWE run may have been relatively brief, but the former JC Mateo has revealed a memorable behind-the-scenes detail from the start of that chapter: the list of possible names presented to him included both JONAH and the particularly unexpected Jafar Smash.
Cobb entered WWE in May 2025 and debuted under the name JC Mateo, a change from the name he had established across New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground, and other stops in his career. A new ring name is a familiar part of joining WWE for many performers, but Cobb’s recollection of the selection process illustrates just how strange the exercise can become when a company attempts to create a new presentation around an established wrestler.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Cobb said he was given two pages of proposed names when he arrived around the time of the 2025 Backlash premium live event in St. Louis. He recalled meeting people backstage, including writers, before receiving the extensive list.
The first sheet, Cobb said, appeared to have a discernible direction. It contained roughly 60 possibilities and seemed to draw from his heritage and personal background, including connections to Guam and Hawaii. That approach initially made sense to him. The second page, however, left him wondering how the remaining suggestions had been put together.
For more background on this topic, read Myles Borne Says Randy Orton Has Given His WWE NXT Character His Approval.
“The day that I flew into St. Louis, well, actually the day of the PLE, Backlash, I went backstage and met everybody, met the writers, and then they gave me two pages of names,” Cobb said. “The first page, I’ll say it was maybe 60 names on there. I was like okay, this is pretty cool, pretty cool. They’re trying to go into my background with Guam, my background in Hawaii. I was like, okay. Second page, I don’t know what happened. It just started doing random names. I was like, ‘How are they choosing this?’”
Why JONAH Stood Out to Jeff Cobb
One name in particular immediately caught Cobb’s attention: JONAH, written in all capital letters. The issue was not simply that Cobb did not see it as an ideal fit. He recognized it as a name already closely associated with another WWE talent.
Bronson Reed competed as JONAH outside WWE following his first departure from the company. He later returned to WWE and resumed using the Bronson Reed name. For Cobb, seeing JONAH among the options was amusing because the identity was so clearly connected to somebody who was already part of the same company.
“One that stuck out made me giggle because it was all caps, JONAH,” Cobb said. “The guy that’s in your company. I was like, ‘Wait a minute, are you guys even trying now?’”
The moment underlines the unusual balance involved in ring-name development. WWE has long introduced performers with names different from the identities they used elsewhere, whether to distinguish a new character, establish company-controlled branding, or present an act in a new way for its audience. In Cobb’s case, the final choice was a simple one that retained an element of his established identity: JC Mateo.
The “JC” portion was also practical. Cobb already had gear featuring those initials, meaning the selection offered a degree of continuity as he prepared to appear in WWE. While it marked a departure from the Jeff Cobb name he had used for years, it did not require him to abandon every familiar visual aspect of his presentation immediately.
Drew McIntyre Turned Jafar Smash Into a Locker Room Joke
Cobb’s favorite anecdote from the name-list process involved Drew McIntyre. After narrowing down the choices and choosing his eventual WWE name, Cobb asked to keep a copy of the sheets. He explained that he enjoys collecting amusing and random mementos, and WWE allowed him to take the list back to the locker room.
McIntyre noticed the document and asked to see it. Looking through the second page, he found one of the more unusual suggested identities: Jafar Smash. Cobb made clear that it was not a name he intended to use. McIntyre nevertheless embraced it enough to sign next to the proposed name, creating a personalized souvenir that Cobb intends to keep rather than sell.
“He saw one. He’s like, ‘I like this one.’ I was like, ‘Well, we’re not using that.’ He signed it, so it’s a Drew McIntyre authentic signature, which I’m not gonna sell because it’s funny, but it was Jafar Smash,” Cobb said.
The joke did not end with the signature. Cobb said that whenever he encountered McIntyre, he would greet him as “Drew,” only for McIntyre to answer with “Jafar.” The running gag became one of the more lighthearted memories Cobb took from his time in the WWE locker room.
For Cobb, the name was especially difficult to explain because it did not seem to connect to the cultural and personal themes that had been present in the first page of ideas.
“I said, ‘What?’ So every time I saw Drew without hesitation I was like, ‘What’s up, Drew?’ He’s like, ‘What’s up, Jafar?’ I was like wait, Jafar is neither a Polynesian name, a Hawaiian name, nor a Guam name. I don’t know where that came from.”
JC Mateo Was the Name That Made It to WWE Television
Ultimately, Cobb settled on JC Mateo. The name was the one that accompanied him into WWE after his May 2025 signing, and it was supported by the gear he already owned with “JC” prominently displayed. Compared with possibilities such as JONAH or Jafar Smash, it offered a more direct bridge between his established persona and the WWE version of the performer.
Cobb arrived with a substantial reputation built before joining WWE. As Jeff Cobb, he had performed at a high level across multiple promotions and became known for a powerful in-ring style, amateur wrestling credentials, and the versatility to work in a variety of settings. Entering WWE meant joining a new environment while also adapting to the company’s approach to naming, branding, and character presentation.
His comments do not indicate that he objected to all of the ideas presented to him. In fact, he described the early portion of the first page positively, noting the apparent effort to incorporate elements related to Guam and Hawaii. What surprised him was the sudden shift in direction on the following sheet, where the logic behind some names became less clear.
That contrast is what makes the JONAH and Jafar Smash entries stand out. One was notable because of its association with Bronson Reed’s prior post-WWE identity. The other became memorable precisely because Cobb could not identify any meaningful connection between the name and his own background.
A Short WWE Chapter, and a Lasting Story From It
Cobb’s WWE tenure lasted from May 2025 until his release in May 2026. Although the run was limited to roughly a year, his account of the proposed names offers a candid glimpse into a process that is usually kept private. Wrestlers commonly arrive in WWE with name recognition developed elsewhere, only to receive new names as part of their move into the promotion. The list itself can be the beginning of a carefully planned identity, but it can also contain discarded concepts that become entertaining stories later.
For Cobb, that list became more than paperwork from his first days with the company. It became a keepsake, a source of laughs, and the basis for an ongoing joke with McIntyre. The signed Jafar Smash entry now carries the added value of being a personal piece of memorabilia from that period.
The story also shows why wrestlers often have strong feelings about the name-selection process. A ring name is not merely an administrative label. It can affect merchandise, gear, audience recognition, commentary, and the ability to carry an existing reputation into a new promotion. Cobb’s eventual choice of JC Mateo allowed him to preserve the “JC” already featured on his tights, giving the new identity a practical connection to what he had worn before.
As for the other choices, JONAH and Jafar Smash will remain alternate-history possibilities from Cobb’s WWE arrival. Neither made it to television, but both have now become part of the story of how Jeff Cobb became JC Mateo—and how an unusual two-page list gave Drew McIntyre a nickname he was apparently happy to keep using.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.