TJ Perkins and his time with the WWE came to an end this year, and while the superstar mainly spent his time on the 205 Live roster, he did make his way to the WWE ring from time to time. Speaking to Wrestling Inc. on the WINCLY podcast, Perkins explained why it’s sometimes beneficial to be on an NXT contract but participate in WWE activities.
“We all had NXT deals. Mine was pretty big. They offered me two raises before I actually had a deal because they thought I might go somewhere else. I remember getting more than what was normal, but it was still an NXT deal,” said Perkins. “If you’re on NXT and you’re wrestling on the main roster, that’s the best-case scenario because you’re making a lot extra and getting to keep a lot of it because you don’t have to handle rental cars and stuff like that.”
Perkins went on to discuss his early success, but revealed that he thought the WWE could have possibly done more to help the reputation of fellow cruiserweights do better, in terms of branding and merchandising.
“I did really well at the gate. I think even to this day none of the cruiserweights lucked out as much as what I got initially. I got like six shirts and two action figures and some of the guys are just getting their first shirts and figures now, which sucks. That’s something that could have really helped the perception of the cruiserweights in terms of the fans if there was more stuff like that put out.” The entire interview is well worth listening to, so make sure you check it out when you get the chance.
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