AJ Styles is puzzled by a recent WWE release.
A number of talent have departed from WWE in recent weeks as the company underwent another round of cuts. Among them, the exit of former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane was particularly shocking to fans and pundits, given her heavy involvement in a storyline with IYO SKY and Asuka. Others were met with pure confusion.
Speaking on The Phenomenally Retro Podcast, former WWE Champion AJ Styles expressed his bewilderment toward the release of JC Mateo, also known as Jeff Cobb.
“Jeff is awesome,” Styles said. “Again, I don’t understand it, but I’m sure there’s their reasons. I’m sure that WWE has their reasons. Not sure what they are. Seem to be doing pretty well right now, but there’s always reasons for everything. So we’ll see what the next step is. We’ll see where we see these guys. If they’re ready to go and do be on another show somewhere else then great. If they don’t, great. I hope they’re going to be good to go.
“I hope it’s not one of those things that, we’ve seen it so many times, where releases like this can ruin somebody’s lives. So all these guys seem to have their head on straight, so hopefully it doesn’t affect them in that way. They’re very smart. You don’t get to the WWE by being a dummy. So I’m expecting good things from these guys regardless what happens to them.”
News of Mateo’s departure came a week after WWE had already let go of about two dozen other names, including Sane, Alba Fyre, and the entire Wyatt Sicks stable. Mateo joined WWE in the spring of 2025, quickly aligning himself with the MFT faction, led by Solo Sikoa. He remained a part of the faction up until his exit.
RELATED: AJ Styles Has Important Advice For Recently Released WWE Superstars
