TJ Perkins has plenty of friends in AEW and has even had people inside the company pitch ideas for him, but none of that has turned into a regular spot. According to Perkins, there may be a pretty simple reason for that — he doesn’t think he’s Tony Khan’s kind of wrestler.
Speaking on the I Love Wrestling podcast, Perkins was asked why fans have rarely seen him in AEW despite his long relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He recalled working around Forbidden Door, but said AEW was never somewhere he constantly tried to get into whenever he became available.
“Yeah, like, let’s see. I did the Forbidden Door one, and I did a TV that week. So maybe it was like a Ring of Honor match or something. I don’t remember what it was, but it was just—it was all for Forbidden Door. Like, it was a lead-in for Forbidden Door. And it’s not come up a lot over the years. It’s not been a place—and this isn’t because I dislike it or anything—like, it just was not a super high priority to check in over there, I guess, like when I’m available.”
That changed somewhat as wrestling companies started forming much tighter relationships with each other. Perkins explained that wrestlers now have to think about which promotions are connected because choosing one path can determine which other companies are realistically available to them.
“I think it only became more relevant when companies started forming umbrellas, right? So, like, everybody—this is a lesson for young performers to not take it for granted or think too surface-level. Like, as much as it seems like there’s a lot of wrestling, you could really only work for two places. Everything is starting to sort of group up. And that’s not a good or bad thing necessarily. It’s just a strategic thing. So, just keep that in mind for young wrestlers as you build your career. Understand where certain paths will lead you and what that entails.”
Perkins certainly isn’t short on connections inside AEW either. He revealed that friends have brought up potential opportunities for him before, including Katsuyori Shibata apparently wanting Perkins to become part of his team. That interest just hasn’t gotten very far. Perkins believes the bigger issue is that he simply isn’t on Tony Khan’s radar and might not fit what the AEW President personally enjoys in a wrestler.
“And it’s come up a few times. I mean, I have so many friends there. They’ll ask for certain things. Sometimes they’ll ask beyond me. Like, Shibata wanted me to join his team, stuff like that. But honestly, I don’t think that I’m on Tony’s radar. Like, I don’t think that he—I’m not really the type of guy that he—I’m not the type of wrestler that he enjoys, I guess.”
And apparently those pitches haven’t exactly received an enthusiastic response. Perkins claimed that whenever the possibility of bringing him in has come up, AEW has ultimately passed.
“Every time it comes up, it’s always a pass. But that’s fine. It doesn’t come up a lot, and all the other places that I work are really places I feel more suited for anyway.”
Perkins doesn’t sound particularly bitter about AEW repeatedly passing on him, especially since he believes his style is better suited to the places where he already works. Still, the fact that Shibata apparently wanted him on his team makes it interesting that the idea never got any further — especially when Perkins believes the roadblock may simply be that he isn’t Tony Khan’s cup of tea.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
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