rewrite this title 3 Reasons Tony Khan must avoid signing JC Mateo and Tonga Loa to AEW

Every time WWE mass-releases talent due to roster cuts, fans begin speculating whether AEW will be interested in acquiring any of those names. This was the case once again, after news broke that WWE had let go of a number of its talent, from NXT and the main roster alike. This included Andre Chase, Luca Crusifino, Kairi Sane, Alba Fyre, Apollo Crews, Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, and all five members of The Wyatt Sicks.

More surprisingly, it was reported that two of the Stamford-based company’s longest-tenured veterans, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, had also agreed to part ways with WWE, having supposedly turned down the restructured contracts that TKO had offered. Not long after, it was revealed that the promotion had released two more names: JC Mateo, formerly known as Jeff Cobb, and Tonga Loa of The MFTs.

Fans have been debating which of the recent WWE releases All Elite Wrestling should consider picking up. Considering their history with AEW’s partner promotion, NJPW, and the fact that Cobb made some appearances for the company, some believe Tony Khan should consider signing JC Mateo and Tonga Loa. However, there are also arguments to the contrary.

Here, let us explore three reasons why Khan should opt against the aforementioned acquisitions.

#1 WWE did not utilize JC Mateo and Tonga Loa properly

Tonga Loa made his return to WWE as the newest member of The New Bloodline at Backlash 2024, where he aided his brother Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa in picking up a tag team victory over Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. The reunited Guerrillas of Destiny were afterward slotted into the Friday Night SmackDown tag team division, and even held the WWE Tag Team Championships on one occasion before eventually losing them to the Motor City Machine Guns.

For most of his run in the company, Tonga Loa was featured primarily in tag team and multi-person bouts. The MFTs (as Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline would be rechristened) later saw the additions of Jacob Fatu in June 2024 and Jeff Cobb (under the new ring name JC Mateo) in May 2025. The Hawaiian Juggernaut made his in-ring debut in the promotion with a win over LA Knight. However, like Tonga, he also got mainly booked in tag and trios matches.

In fact, following his victory over The Megastar, Mateo wrestled only three more singles matches. The first of these saw him secure a win over R-Truth towards the end of May last year. In June, he suffered a loss to Jimmy Uso, but avenged it with a victory later that month. Furthermore, most of JC’s matches took place on house shows or on television, with no pay-per-view/PLE appearances.

A wrestler’s booking is not always a reflection of their skills or their value as a performer. However, it is clear that WWE did not view JC Mateo and Tonga Loa as major stars worthy of being featured prominently on the upper card. Furthermore, while Jeff Cobb is at least acknowledged as a very competent in-ring worker, many would not make the same argument for Tonga, who has cultivated a reputation for botches and timing errors.

AEW, as a company, is regularly viewed as the most common landing spot for underutilized ex-WWE names. However, given that Loa may not bring much value to the company beyond being a reliable tag worker, and that Mateo chose WWE over AEW last year, it can reasonably be suggested that All Elite Wrestling should reserve its locker-room space for more suitable or compelling signings.

#2 AEW’s locker room is more than full right now

AEW markets itself as the home of the best wrestlers in the world. Even a cursory glance at the promotion’s roster would demonstrate exactly how star-studded it is. The main event in the men’s division alone regularly features top names like Jon Moxley, Will Ospreay, MJF, Darby Allin, Brody King, Kenny Omega, Samoa Joe, Kazuchika Okada, Swerve Strickland, and Hangman Adam Page, to name a few.

This, of course, is not to mention the company’s thriving mid-card picture, which is populated by stars like Jack Perry, Ricochet, Kevin Knight, Tommaso Ciampa, Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita and Orange Cassidy, among others. AEW also has no shortage of tag teams and factions, with units like FTR, The Young Bucks, The Rascalz, Cage and Cope, The Hurt Syndicate, The Death Riders, The Conglomeration and the Don Callis Family serving as consistent staples on weekly TV.

AEW is constantly adding to its roster, which many claim has become increasingly bloated over the past several years. The promotion has arguably reached a stage where it needs to be judicious in its hiring and pursue only talent who are truly unique performers or command formidable star power. The company might be better served by opting not to bring in JC Mateo and Tonga Loa.

#3 NJPW should sign JC Mateo and Tonga Loa instead of AEW

Since 2022, AEW and its partner promotion, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, have been co-organizing an annual inter-promotional pay-per-view, dubbed Forbidden Door. The event usually features the finest wrestlers from both brands squaring off in various high-stakes bouts. Over the past couple of years, stars from NJPW’s sister company World Wonder Ring Stardom and reputed Mexican promotion CMLL have also been performing under the Forbidden Door banner.

The 2026 iteration of the aforementioned PPV will air from the SAP Center in San Jose, California, on June 28. The show will include talent from AEW, NJPW, Stardom and CMLL. All Elite names like Andrade and Will Ospreay were in action at the Tokyo-based promotion’s latest event to further lay the groundwork for Forbidden Door.

While All Elite Wrestling could generate more hype for the upcoming PPV by hiring former New Japan names JC Mateo and Tonga Loa, it can be argued that the Tokyo-based promotion should actually bring the duo back instead.

The MFT members’ history in NJPW would arguably make it much easier for the company to leverage them. Jeff Cobb, for example, can be slotted back into The United Empire and be included in the faction’s current storyline with Will Ospreay. Former Bullet Club member Tanga Loa, on his part, could find a place for himself in Unbound Co., a stable that was created through a merger between the Bullet Club War Dogs and LIJ.

Edited by Arvind Sriram