Two weekends ago at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Sakura Genesis event, United Empire’s Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman won the IWGP Tag Team championship from Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito.
As we noted at the time, the move was somewhat curious given that we’d heard Cobb was working without an NJPW contract. There were reports of WWE interest in the 42-year-old, with one source even telling Fightful that Cobb was already listed on WWE’s internal roster.
Well, nine days after capturing the tag belts, they’re being vacated and Cobb is leaving New Japan. The promotion announced as much today (April 14):
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has come to terms with the departure of Jeff Cobb at his request. With Cobb one half of the IWGP Tag team Champions, those titles have now been vacated. Cobb’s final match in NJPW will take place in Korakuen Hall on April 19 against Hiroshi Tanahashi. New Japan Pro-Wrestling profoundly apologises for the sudden nature of this news and joins fans in wishing Cobb the best in all his future endeavours.
Newman will partner with another member of United Empire, Great-O-Khan, to face IWGP World Heavyweight champion Hirooki Goto and his Bishamon partner YOSHI-HASHI for the vacant Tag titles at NJPW Wrestling Redzone on April 26 in Hiroshima. Newman will also face Goto for his singles belt on the first night of Wrestling Dontaku (May 4).
As for Cobb, beyond being a stop on Tanhashi’s retirement tour April 19? We shall see.