When wrestling drama leaks into the public, it's not just petty arguments anymore — it's about optics.
And this United Empire situation with Jeff Cobb, TJP, and NJPW management?
It’s one of the worst examples of how bad optics can wreck a faction’s credibility and hurt a company's brand.
This didn’t have to happen.
But it did — and now New Japan is left picking up the pieces.
Let’s go deep into it.
Reddit: The Worst Place to Air Dirty Laundry
First mistake?
Sensitive locker room drama ended up on Reddit by TJP himself. He has a reddit account.
And if you know anything about Reddit — especially the NJPW subreddit — you know it’s the last place you want private matters to land. It’s an echo chamber of toxicity where narratives are twisted, exaggerated, and weaponized against the very people trying to defend themselves.
TJP, instead of keeping the issues private, decided to spill his frustrations — detailed backstage info included — onto Reddit.
And now United Empire, NJPW, and his own reputation are all taking hits.
Bad optics all around.
Jeff Cobb: Exit with Class and a Clear Message
Let’s be real — Jeff Cobb was working hard, taking his opportunities, doing what he was booked to do — but he was also clearly frustrated. Frustrated at his stagnant booking. Frustrated with the lack of creative direction despite winning championships and somehow having to relinquish or lose the titles. And frustrated that he was seemingly the only one trying to inject some life into United Empire after Will Ospreay’s exit.
Cobb was trying to tell stories, trying to make the group feel important. Even if the story was about “who is the leader of the United Empire.”
Meanwhile, TJP one minute was calling himself the "captain," the next minute saying "there are no leaders" — talking out of both sides of his mouth during the backstage comments and confusing the fans even more.
Ospreay was gone. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) was gone. Henare is injured. The writing was on the wall.
And Cobb, sensing the unit had no foundation left to stand on, exited with pure class.
He made a respectful farewell post, lifting up Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, and others.
He didn’t mention TJP — and he didn’t have to.
And yet somehow, that simple omission triggered a full nuclear meltdown from TJP and his circle.
TJP’s Overreaction: How to Ruin Your Own Reputation
Instead of letting it go — instead of recognizing that not everyone has to be your friend on the way out — TJP acted like Cobb committed a personal betrayal. Despite saying in the screenshots that they are friends.
Worse, TJP’s wife (Aria Perkins) took it to an absolutely unacceptable level on social media, throwing personal insults, attacking Jeff’s character, bringing up private family matters, and even — disgustingly — telling him to unalive himself.
(And let's be clear — you never, ever cross that line, no matter how angry you are.)
You want to talk about optics? This wasn't just a bad look.
It was career-damaging behavior.
And while Aria eventually deleted her tweets, screenshots live forever. Damage done. No apology since. Women — in general — need to learn and accept accountability for actions and mature by saying “I’m sorry” in situations like this.
TJP Was a Freelancer Anyway — So Why the Meltdown?
Here’s the critical context no one else is really talking about:
TJP became a freelancer in NJPW.
In his Reddit post, he admitted that most of the United Empire members were working on a per-date basis — meaning no guaranteed salaries — and he chose not to renew his contract, deciding to freelance in hopes of making more money for his family.
But here’s the part that doesn’t sit right with me: TJP blamed Jeff Cobb’s so-called “antics” for the downturn in bookings — and used that as his excuse to walk away.
Instead of owning his own frustrations, or just being honest about wanting out, TJP pointed the finger at Cobb.
Because it's easier to make someone else the scapegoat than to face your own decisions.
In my opinion, it feels like TJP didn’t really want to be there anymore, as well.
Choosing to go freelance already showed he had one foot out the door from United Empire and NJPW.
Blaming Cobb for that choice, in my view, isn’t just wrong — it’s cowardly.
And if you already know you're leaving...
If you know your time is temporary...
If you know you’re not in it for the long haul...
Why the hell would you get so bent out of shape over Jeff Cobb’s goodbye tweet?
It’s stupid, it’s petty, and it shows a complete lack of professional self-awareness.
TJP had no real reason to act like United Empire’s future was his personal crusade to fight for.
Instead, he blew everything up — for what?
Ego? Hurt feelings? A need for clout?
Completely unnecessary.
Why United Empire Was Always Going to Collapse
United Empire had a great thing going when it first started. With Ospreay leading, and a stacked roster that made sense, it felt important. It had identity.
But the second they tried to push "no leaders" as a long-term gimmick, they sealed their fate.
Factions need structure.
Factions need foundations.
Factions need clear direction.
Bullet Club survives constant leadership changes because they plan for it. They pass the torch cleanly. They preserve the brand.
United Empire?
They lost Ospreay — and instead of regrouping, they floated aimlessly.
TJP declaring himself “captain” while simultaneously insisting “there are no leaders” confused everybody.
Jeff Cobb tried to create momentum — and nobody backed him up.
You can’t survive faction politics when nobody knows who’s actually steering the ship.
The Bigger Failure: NJPW Management Sleeping at the Wheel
Let’s not just blame the wrestlers.
Where the hell was NJPW management during all of this?
No true intervention when faction cracks became obvious.
No protection of sensitive backstage issues.
No serious effort to contain or manage the optics once it started spilling online.
You don’t just hope it goes away.
You don’t just hope talent stops bickering on Twitter.
You don’t just hope Reddit forgets.
You don’t just hope Dirtsheets don’t twist words.
You act. You contain. You protect the brand.
Instead, New Japan let this thing spiral to a point where now United Empire looks like a joke, NJPW’s locker room looks disorganized, and fans who genuinely loved the faction (like me) are left frustrated and disappointed.
Final Thoughts: Learn from This — or It Will Happen Again
The United Empire drama isn’t just a random locker room spat.
It’s a case study in:
What happens when management doesn’t control narratives.
What happens when wrestlers confuse freelancing for loyalty.
What happens when ego overrides professionalism.
Jeff Cobb left with class and grace.
TJP overreacted and torched his own credibility. TJP’s wife didn’t help.
NJPW now has to clean up a mess they could have prevented. Or just go on as business as usual currently.
If New Japan Pro Wrestling wants to continue growing internationally, they better learn fast:
Optics matter. Leadership matters. Private business should stay private.
Otherwise, this won’t be the last empire that collapses.
Extra listening:
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