3 Reasons firing TJ Perkins was a mistake, and 3 reasons it was best for business.
Theodore James Perkins, like many adolescents, decided he wanted to be a pro wrestler in junior high. Unlike many adolescents, he actually did it!
TJ Perkins had his first match at the tender age of thirteen years old. He looked so young that promoters insisted he wear a mask to hide his true age, and his first gimmick, Pinoy Boy, was born.
After wrestling in the California and Mexican promotions, he expanded to the New Japan Pro Wrestling company, where he rubbed shoulders with such cruiserweight legends as Rocky Romero and WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan.
He got noticed by TNA wrestling, now known as Impact, but never earned major accolades under the name TJ Perkins. He was the second man to portray the Suicide character for TNA before switching to calling himself Manik. Neither name helped him get over.
Perkins had better luck on the independent circuit, winning over a dozen titles, but it seemed like his career had finally taken off when he signed with WWE.
Perkins went on to win the first cruiserweight classic and became WWE's inaugural cruiserweight champion of the modern era.
Recently, Perkins was released by the company. Here are three reasons that may have been a mistake, and three that it was best for business.
Was a Mistake #1: TJ Perkins is one of the most experienced cruiserweights working today
When it comes to cruiserweight wrestling, the WWE has many talented performers in its ranks, such as Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy.
However, neither of those men has as many years of experience in the wrestling ring as TJ Perkins. TJ's career has seen the rise and fall of WCW, ECW, and the ultimate corporatizing of the sports entertainment field. He's seen styles change, and has, by and large, kept himself relevant to the ever mutating wrestling world.
TJ Perkins's presence will be sorely missed in the WWE locker room, where his experience could have helped a lot of up and coming talent.