Jeff Cobb wants to help the Southeast Asian pro wrestling scene prosper.
Cobb competed at Filipino Pro Wrestling’s Astig event on October 20. There, he defeated FPW Champion Mike Madrigal for the championship, ending a reign that surpassed 500 days. Cobb, who is of Filipino descent, came into the match fresh off of a 178-day reign as NJPW World Television Champion. He took part in a media scrum after his title win and highlighted how much had changed in the Filipino wrestling scene, and what kind of champion he wants to be.
“Well, first and foremost, I think the skill level has definitely gone up since the last time I was here. And like you said, like the pandemic definitely derailed a lot of things. But, I give props to the guys that are still here that have grinded throughout the pandemic to keep training to hopefully, eventually come back with live shows in front of fans. So I definitely give props to all you guys here at FPW. And I guess, just like the level has gone up since the last time I was here and it’s definitely made me very happy. Because a lot of times if we were off for a while and then we come back and get lazy or complacent. But I didn’t see that watching the show today.
“I definitely saw a lot of hungry people. A lot of very talented hungry wrestlers that want to learn, want to get better, and want to bring the best action to the Philippines as possible. And that’s one of the… I’m very fortunate to where I don’t have to wrestle outside of Japan. But I want to and I’m very selective on where I go. And when Red asked me if I wanted to come tonight for a title shot… And I remember the drive and the fire that these guys had in 2019. So, when he said, ‘You want to come?’ He didn’t finish the sentence and I was like, ‘Okay.’ So, going off of what you asked Red, I don’t want to be just a champion to be a champion. I want to elevate FPW and I want to elevate Filipino pro wrestling.”
Cobb wants to be a defending champion for FPW and pointed out that he’s in Japan, so he’s always in close proximity. He’ll defend his title (almost) anywhere.
“I’m more than happy to go and defend this anywhere and against anyone and everyone. Anywhere except Antarctica because it is too cold. But yeah. I’m here to defend this and try to bring more eyes to this company,” Jeff Cobb said.
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