Wade Barrett defended a WWE superstar on the recent SmackDown show after the crowd went after him.
The WWE Universe in Dublin, Ireland, got loud during Friday Night SmackDown when JC Mateo stepped into the ring. The crowd started chanting “you can’t wrestle” at the MFT member during his tag team match with Tonga Loa against The Street Profits.
Wade Barrett had had enough of the crowd’s disrespect. The former WWE star fired back on commentary, calling out the fans for their chants. Barrett reminded everyone that Mateo once participated in the Olympics as a wrestler.
Listen to these idiots, they’re chanting ‘you can’t wrestle.’ This guy wrestled in the Olympics, you dummies. Geez!” Barrett said during the match. (0:05 – 0:12)
Wade Barrett was on point here about the chants towards JC Mateo #SmackDown
— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) August 22, 2025
The match saw Mateo and Tonga Loa take control early. Mateo showed his power with a deadlift suplex on Montez Ford. Solo Sikoa and Talla Tonga helped from ringside, but Jimmy Uso evened things out by attacking Talla with a chair.
Sami Zayn then took out Sikoa with a Helluva Kick. The Street Profits won when Montez Ford hit his frog splash finisher on Mateo. This victory earned The Street Profits a number one contender match for the WWE Tag Team Championships.
JC Mateo’s WWE Career Since Debut
Mateo made his WWE debut at Backlash on May 10, 2025. He helped Jacob Fatu keep his United States Championship by attacking LA Knight during the match. This marked his entry into the Bloodline under Solo Sikoa’s leadership.
Six days after Backlash, Mateo had his first WWE match on SmackDown against LA Knight, and he impressively won the match. WWE gave him the new ring name “JC Mateo” instead of using his real name, Jeff Cobb.
Since joining the promotion, Mateo has had several wins on television. He defeated LA Knight in his debut match. He also beat R-Truth on a May episode of SmackDown. Currently, Mateo is part of the MFT group, which stands for “My Family Tree.” The faction includes Solo Sikoa as the leader, along with Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Talla Tonga. They represent the new version of The Bloodline after Roman Reigns lost his leadership role.