SUMMARY
- TJ Perkins is a 39-year-old professional wrestler currently working for NJPW.
- TJP joined WWE in 2016, and was a part of the company for three years.
TJ Perkins, whose full name is Theodore James Perkins, is a well-reputed name in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The 39-year-old star currently reigns as one-half of NJPW’s Tag Team Champion alongside Francesco Akira. Moreover, he’s also a part of the promotion’s United Empire stable.
Perkins has spent most of his pro wrestling career on the independent circuit, but he’s also been a part of WWE. The 5-foot-10 in-ring star had a decent run with the Stamford-based promotion, after which he was released. So, let’s check out what the reason was behind TJP’s departure from the promotion.
The American pro wrestler joined the Triple H-led promotion in 2016, but even before that, he had few appearances in the company back in 2009. After officially signing with the organization, he entered the Cruiserweight Classic tournament and won it, thus becoming the inaugural Cruiserweight Champion.
After a few successful defences, he was dethroned from his title by Brian Kendrick. James tried to regain his championship but wasn’t successful. Following this, he turned heel and formed an alliance with Neville, but ended up getting betrayed. After this, he never got to settle, and he was eventually released by WWE on February 22, 2019.
It was claimed that TJ was released due to disciplinary measures, but he talked about it on the All Real Wrestling Podcast. He said, “I was wanting to leave WWE. I had told them a year before that it was my primary note.” Thus, it was probably the reason why Perkins left the Triple H-led promotion.
TJ Perkins’ background and early life
Perkins began his training at the young age of 13, in his hometown of Los Angeles, California. He made his debut in August 1998, wearing a mask under the ring name T.J. Perkins. Moreover, he also wrestled on independent cards during his first two years. After some time, he joined NJPW in 2001 and performed for the company for a long time.
Additionally, he continued making appearances on the independent circuit. In his over a decade-long journey on the circuit, he performed under different ring names like John Johnson, Manik, Puma, and Suicide. It was only after his work on the independent circuit that he went on to work in the WWE.
TJ Perkins has enjoyed a lot of success after his WWE release
Following his exit from the Triple H-led promotion, TJP returned to action on May 3, 2019, as he competed for the Empire Wrestling Federation in Covina. Then, he performed for a number of promotions before making his return to Impact Wrestling in June 2019.
After his return to Impact, TJP won the X Division Championship at Final Resolution before losing it to Ace Austin after a 92-day reign with the title. After this, he was released by the organization in November 2021. Following this, he returned to NJPW and teamed up with LA Dojo, which didn’t last long.
On September 26, 2021, Perkins joined Will Ospreay to become a part of the United Empire. After some time, TJP and his stablemate Francesco Akira won the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championships on June 20, 2022. They duo dominated the division before losing their titles after a 311-day reign in April 2023.
They regained the titles in June, but their second run with the titles lasted for only 30 days. After a lot of hard work to win the tag championships, TJP and Akira (Catch 2/2) won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on January 4, 2024, at Wrestle Kingdom.
Thus, it can be said that Perkins’ WWE departure did wonders for his career, as he has earned a lot of success since his exit from the organization. As the former Cruiserweight Champion has made a name for himself in NJPW, it remains to be seen if the Stamford-based promotion ever calls him back. If yes, it’ll be a great signing for the Triple H-led promotion.