WWE: JC Mateo on Being Under Handshake Deal with NJPW While WWE Contract Was Being Finalized, Josh Alexander on He Turned Down Offer to Wrestle for a Title at NXT Stand & Deliver Event, Travis Scott WWE Return Plans Update

May 23, 2025

JC Mateo Comments on Being Under Handshake Deal with NJPW While WWE Contract Was Being Finalized

As noted before, former New Japan Pro Wrestling talent Jeff Cobb made his official debut for WWE at their Backlash 2025 event earlier this month. Cobb was recently revealed to have been given a new ring name of JC Mateo for his WWE career going forward.

KUAM News held a recent interview with Mateo. One of the topics discussed included Mateo’s thoughts about how he was under a handshake deal with NJPW for two months while his WWE contract was being finalized.

“I still stayed with them for two more months after. Not under contract, but just as a — like a handshake agreement kind of thing, while my WWE contract was being finalized, and then it went into effect April 21st. My last New Japan Pro-Wrestling match was April 19th and as you can see from a lot of the internet things, May 10th was my official debut with WWE.”

Mateo also gave his thoughts about how working for WWE was always the goal for his wrestling career.

“Like the majority of the professional wrestlers, their goal was WWE or WWF or whichever one you remember it as and so for me, I originally had a tryout in 2014. They said no at the time. So I just ventured off into other things, like independent wrestling and a couple of other companies that I signed with over time.”

Mateo also gave his thoughts about how he had an offer from WWE in 2020 but felt signing with them was not the right time and how his talks with the company resumed in November of 2024.

“I wanted everything to be right with what I wanted, for a contract (he said about the offer from WWE in 2020)… So I waited and then we started talking again back in November of 2024, had a couple Zoom meetings and there were things that — concerns that I had and whatnot and they pretty much just said, ‘Okay. Whatever you want, let’s do it…’ and lo and behold, here I am a few months later.”

Mateo also gave his thoughts about the reaction he received over his surprise debut appearance at Backlash.

“It’s pretty cool to hear a live reaction. Especially for somebody who that — for my case, I didn’t come up through the WWE system. I made a name for myself outside of WWE. So, it’s always scary when you’re gonna debut on WWE and you’re kind of like, ‘Oh man, I hope the people know who I am.’ Hearing that reaction firsthand was like, very — thank goodness their camera didn’t zoom in on my arms but the goosebumps, it was there for sure.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

Josh Alexander Comments on He Turned Down Offer to Wrestle for a Title at NXT Stand & Deliver Event

SHAK Wrestling held a recent interview with former TNA and current AEW talent Josh Alexander. One of the topics discussed included Alexander’s thoughts about the rumors of him potentially reuniting with Ethan Page in NXT and him turning down an offer to wrestle for a title at a NXT Stand & Deliver event.

“There were rumblings of two that I’d heard about after the fact that were denied by management for whatever political reason there was, them not wanting me to lose, or something like that. Then there was one offer on the table for me to do a big run, and then wrestle for the title on a pay-per-view or a Stand & Deliver, I think it was. I had actually turned that down because it just didn’t fit with what my goals were coming into contract time and stuff like that. With negotiations coming up.”

Alexander also gave his thoughts about TNA’s current working partnership with WWE.

“I think, from my perspective, I can’t speak for everybody in the locker room, at times, mutually beneficial, for sure. I mean, when you put somebody like Joe Hendry or anybody else on a Tuesday night NXT, and they come back to TNA, you obviously saw more interest come to the company because of that platform that they were on. But in terms of wins and losses and trading back and forth, it felt like it was pretty heavy towards the WWE end from time to time. But that’s just the business portion of it. They have a bigger platform.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

Travis Scott WWE Return Plans Update

As noted before, WWE is currently working on plans for a major match for current Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena at their Money in the Bank 2025 event. One of these potential plans involve Cena teaming up with Travis Scott for either a tag team match or Six-Man tag team match at the event.

WrestleVotes reported that their sources stated that Scott is currently scheduled to make an appearance at WWE’s Money in the Bank 2025 event next month.

It was reported that WWE’s plans for Scott’s appearance had been in the works since before this past April’s WrestleMania 41 event.