Jeff Cobb Was Classified As An “Indie Worker” At 2014 WWE Tryout; Says He Turned Down Tough Enough
Jeff Cobb discusses his WWE tryout.
Before Jeff Cobb had success in Lucha Underground, NJPW, and ROH; he tried to cash in on his WWE dream. Cobb took part in a 2014 tryout where he was put through the WWE rigors but walked away without a developmental contract. However, he was offered a spot on the upcoming Tough Enough reboot despite being an “Indie Worker” and not an “Athlete.”
Speaking to Chris Jericho on a recent episode of Talk Is Jericho, Cobb discussed his 2014 tryout with WWE.
“I was offered Tough Enough. If I was in my 20s, Tough Enough, sure. But there’s only three or four that came through that system. I just didn’t want to fall into that. Rich Swann, No Way Jose, and Montez Ford were all in my [tryout] class,” said Cobb. “When I was doing a check-in, I looked down and saw a clipboard and it had ‘Athletes’ and “Indie Workers.’ I was like, ‘Come on. I was in the Olympics.’ I was under Indie workers. The former football players and CrossFit guys were under athletes. You’d be surprised how many former NFL players can’t do a forward roll.”
Cobb’s nickname is “Mr. Athletic,” and he participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics, representing Guam in freestyle wrestling.
This Friday at ROH Best In The World, Cobb will challenge Matt Taven for the ROH World Championship.
