T . J . Perkins Teddy James " T . J . " Perkins ( September 3 , 1984 ) is an American professional wrestler of Filipino descent currently signed to WWE , performing under the " Raw " brand . He is a one - time WWE Cruiserweight Champion . He is best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) , where he is a former TNA X Division Champion . He also is the inaugural champion of WWE ' s Cruiserweight Classic tournament . Perkins used the ring name Manik , which is based on the Suicide gimmick . He also works on the independent circuit , sometimes under his initials TJP or under a mask as Puma ( also stylized as PUMA ) . Wrestling career . Training and early career ( 1998 – 2003 ) . Perkins first began his training at the age of 13 in Los Angeles , training at a local Lucha Libre school in his hometown of Los Angeles , California . Perkins debuted in January 1999 at the age of 14 , under a mask as promoters felt he looked too young to be wrestling . Initially , he wrestled under the ring name T . J . Perkins , utilizing " Pinoy Boy " as a nickname . In order to attend shows , he had to not attend school most Fridays . He wrestled on independent cards in California , Nevada , Arizona , and Mexico during his first two years . Japan and Mexico ( 2001 – 2011 ) . He began training at the New Japan Dojo in Los Angeles along with friends Ricky Reyes , Rocky Romero , and Bryan Danielson . They all made their debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling ( NJPW ) on the same Korakuen Hall card in October 2002 , with Perkins debuting as the maskless " Pinoy Boy " T . J . Perkins . In NJPW , he holds the record of the youngest non - Japanese wrestler to compete for the promotion , at 18 years and 3 weeks old . At the age of 18 in 2003 , following his third tour with NJPW , he was given the gimmick ( character ) of Puma , a masked character with similarities to Tiger Mask , and he began teaming with Tiger Mask IV . Perkins stated the character was created due to perceived similarities between himself and the original Tiger Mask , Satoru Sayama , and the idea was that he would be the American version of Tiger Mask . In late May and early June 2011 , Perkins , under the ring name TJP , took part in NJPW ' s Best of the Super Juniors tournament . After winning three of his eight matches in the round robin stage of the tournament , TJP finished seventh out of the nine wrestlers in his block and did not advance to the semifinals . In 2003 , Perkins spent time in Mexico with Rocky Romero and Bobby Quance , where the trio trained with and wrestled for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre . Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ( 2003 – present ) . Perkins first began competing in the Southern California promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ( PWG ) in 2003 as " Pinoy Boy " T . J . Perkins , appearing at Are You Adequately Prepared To Rock ? ! where he pinned Vito Thomaselli and An Inch Longer Than Average where he was on the losing end of a six - man tag team match . After changing his ring name to Puma in December 2003 , he entered the Tango and Cash Invitational Tournament to determine the inaugural PWG World Tag Team Champions with Samoa Joe as his partner . The pair made it to the second round before being eliminated . Throughout the remainder of 2004 , Puma competed regularly in singles matches , defeating competitors including Ricky Reyes , Tony Kozina , Brad Bradley , and The UK Kid . In the first half of the following year , he competed sporadically in PWG , mainly in elimination matches . In July 2005 , he changed his ring name to TJ Perkins , and defeated Davey Richards and Hardkore Kidd in successive singles matches , but Perkins and Alex Shelley subsequently lost a tag team match to the duo . Perkins went on to lose a singles match to Shelley at After School Special . Perkins finished out the year in tag team matches with various partners , and began 2006 the same way . He transitioned back into singles competition at Beyond The Thunderdome in March 2006 , defeating Mr . Excitement , before embarking on a losing streak that lasted until June , when he defeated Excalibur . His losing streak included a loss to Rocky Romero in singles competition and alongside him in a tag team match . The duo faced off again at Self - Titled in October , which Perkins won , but he lost a rematch that same month . He later developed a feud with Bino Gambino , facing him in several six - man tag team matches in early 2007 . In May , Perkins defeated Gambino in a singles match , before they returned to being on opposite sides in tag team matches in mid - 2007 . In January 2008 Perkins formed a regular tag team with Hook Bomberry , and the pairing competed in the Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament round robin qualifier series . At Pearl Habra the team defeated The Young Bucks ( Nick and Matt Jackson ) , but lost their next match to Los Luchas ( Phoenix Star and Zokre ) at ¡ Dia de los Dangerous ! . At Scared Straight they defeated Scorpio Sky and Ronin by disqualification , and later in the night Perkins and Bomberry interrupted the match between the Young Bucks and Los Luchas , causing a no contest . This led to a four - way elimination tag team match taking place at 1 . 21 Gigawatts , which was won by Los Luchas . After the qualifier series Perkins and Bomberry got one last chance to enter the DDT4 , facing Scorpio Sky and Ronin once again at It ' s a Gift . . . and a Curse , in a losing effort . Perkins went on to defeat Charles Mercury and Mikey Nicholls and Mark Davis and Ash Riot in tag team matches , before Perkins returned to singles competition . In November , Perkins participated in PWG ' s Battle of Los Angeles for the first time . He defeated Chuck Taylor in the first round , but was eliminated from the tournament after losing to Bryan Danielson in the second . In January and February 2009 , Perkins lost singles matches to both Austin Aries and B - Boy . After moving to Florida in early 2009 , Perkins stopped appearing for PWG . Following a hiatus lasting longer than eighteen months , Perkins returned to PWG at The Perils of Rock N ' Roll Decadence in September 2011 , losing to Eddie Edwards . He competed regularly for the promotion in 2012 with mixed results . In September , he entered the 2012 Battle of Los Angeles , defeating Joey Ryan in the first round before losing to Sami Callihan in the quarter - finals . Ring of Honor ( 2003 – 2012 ) . Perkins debuted in Ring of Honor ( ROH ) in December 2003 , using the name Puma , and lost to Josh Daniels . Puma returned to ROH in February 2005 , losing to Homicide and James Gibson in successive singles matches . His next appearances were in August 2005 , where he was on the losing end of a tag team match alongside Jimmy Rave and a singles match against Ricky Reyes . In his next appearance at ROH ' s Fifth Year Festival : Philly show in February 2007 , saw Perkins compete under his real name and lose to Nigel McGuinness . Further losses followed in October 2007 , before he gained his first victory in ROH by defeating Kyle O ' Reilly at Tag Title Classic II in December 2010 . Perkins faced off against Colt Cabana at the Final Battle 2010 internet pay - per - view on December 18 , 2010 in which he lost . In January 2011 , Perkins appeared for ROH at their WrestleReunion show Showdown in the Sun II , where he lost to Davey Richards . In March , he lost to Chris Hero and El Generico , before ROH announced that Perkins had signed a contract with the promotion on October 6 . He accrued further losses to Jay Briscoe , Jay Lethal , and Mike Bennett in November and December . At the Final Battle 2011 pay - per - view , Perkins lost to Michael Elgin . In March 2012 he appeared at the ROH pay - per - views 10th Anniversary Show , suffering a tag team loss , and Showdown in the Sun , where as part of the Chikara vs . ROH rivalry he defeated Fire Ant . At Unity , Fire Ant and his allies from The Colony defeated Perkins , Jay Lethal , and Adam Cole in a six - man tag team match . In April , Perkins began a feud with Mike Mondo , defeating him in a singles match before teaming with the All Night Express of Kenny King and Rhett Titus to defeat Mondo and The Young Bucks ( Matt and Nick Jackson ) at Border Wars . On September 9 , 2012 , Perkins was released from his ROH contract . He asked for his release , as his felt his ROH contract was restricting other opportunities for him . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Sporadic appearances ( 2004 – 2013 ) . Perkins has also made appearances as Puma with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , debuting in 2004 , when he worked as a jobber in several TNA Xplosion tapings . He was also the first man eliminated in the 2004 Super X - Cup . He participated in a 20 - man X - Division gauntlet battle royal at Victory Road , but he was the first man eliminated . [ 66 ] Two years later , he returned to TNA as a representative of Japan in an International X - Division Showcase match at Destination X , facing Petey Williams , Chris Sabin , and Sonjay Dutt . The match was ultimately won by Sabin . He also competed in an Xscape match at the following month ' s Lockdown . Puma was later a member of Team Mexico in the 2006 World X - Cup , alongside Incognito , Magno and Shocker . In that tournament , he lost a second round match to Team USA captain Chris Sabin . Puma was the last man eliminated in the third round gauntlet match , by Team Canada captain Petey Williams . Team Mexico finished third , with four points . In July 2007 , Perkins returned to TNA as Puma , wrestling in a 10 - man Ultimate X Gauntlet at Victory Road , but was the first man eliminated . He returned at the 2008 Victory Road pay - per - view , representing Team Japan in an elimination match , where he was the second one eliminated . On September 22 , 2009 , Perkins , under his Puma gimmick , returned to TNA to wrestle in a dark match , in which he was defeated by Colt Cabana . Perkins worked two more dark matches under the ring name T . J . Perkins during the January 10 – 12 , 2011 , tapings of TNA Impact ! losing to Shannon Moore and El Generico . In September 2012 , Perkins competed as Puma against Zema Ion in a dark match main event of a September taping of Impact ! . On January 12 , 2013 , Perkins , as Puma , took part in the tapings of TNA ' s One Night Only : X - Travaganza special , wrestling in a seven - man Xscape match , which was won by Christian York . Return as Suicide ( 2013 – present ) . On May 23 , 2013 , Perkins wrestled on an episode of " Impact Wrestling " as Suicide , defeating Petey Williams and Joey Ryan . The win earned him an X - Division Title shot against Kenny King and Chris Sabin at Slammiversary in an Ultimate X match , losing to Chris Sabin . On June 27 , on " Impact " , Perkins ( as Suicide ) was scheduled to face the X - Division Champion Sabin and fellow challenger Kenny King . However , an imposter wrestled as Suicide and went on to defeat Kenny King for the championship . Then Perkins appeared with Hulk Hogan who demanded to know the identity of the masked imposter . The newly crowned champion fled the ring and left Perkins , Hogan and the audience with the puzzling question of who was wrestling as Suicide . Perkins later that night was questioned by Bully Ray who believed Perkins was angling for a possible shot at Bully ' s Heavyweight Championship . It was revealed later that same night that the imposter behind the Suicide costume was in fact Austin Aries . The following week during the July 4 episode of " Impact " , it was announced during the Hulk Hogan / Austin Aries opening segment , that Perkins would wrestle under the name of Manik set to face Aries and Chris Sabin for the X - Division Championship . On July 25 , during the opening hour of " Impact " , Manik faced Sonjay Dutt and Greg Marasciulo in a three - way match for the vacant X - Division title . After being taken out early in the match by Marasciulo , Manik returned just in time to remove the title hanging above the ring , becoming the newest champion . Following a hiatus lasting several months , Manik returned to the promotion at Lockdown losing to Tigre Uno in a steel cage match . On the September 17 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Manik turned heel and joined forces with James Storm and Sanada , and the trio attacked Samoa Joe and Homicide . Other promotions ( 2004 – present ) . In January 2004 , the masked Puma wrestled on two Major League Wrestling television tapings , teaming with Bobby Quance in a loss to The Stampede Bulldogs ( Harry Smith and TJ Wilson ) . The following night , Puma lost a four - way match featuring Jack Evans , Chasyn Rance and MLW Junior Heavyweight Champion Sonjay Dutt . In December 2004 , Puma won the All Pro Wrestling ( APW ) Worldwide Internet Championship by defeating J . J . Perez . He held the championship until July 2005 , when he lost it back to Perez . In January 2005 , Perkins as Puma debuted in Full Impact ( FIP ) by defeating Azrieal . At Unfinished Business , Puma was attacked by Azrieal and his ally CM Punk , and at the following show Puma lost a singles match to Punk . On February 12 , Puma won a four - way match against Azrieal , Jerrelle Clark , and Eddie Vegas . Four years later , he returned to FIP as T . J . Perkins , in a loss to Davey Richards on March 28 , 2009 . He developed a winning streak , defeating Jay Bradley , Nigel McGuinness , and Sal Rinauro . In November 2009 , Perkins entered the 2009 Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup , defeating Arik Cannon and Shane Hollister en route to the semi - finals , where he lost to Richards . In April 2010 at Southern Stampede , he returned to FIP using the ring name TJP , where he participated in a battle royal before he defeated Chasyn Rance . Puma wrestled in the 2005 edition of the East Coast Wrestling Association ' a Super 8 tournament and made it to the final by defeating Eric Matlock and J . J . Perez , before losing to Petey Williams . He also competed in Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling ' s Pacific Cup in 2005 , where he faced Aaron Idol and Bryan Danielson in a three - way match in the final , which was won by Idol . In August 2005 , Perkins debuted in UWA Hardcore Wrestling as Puma , in a loss to Ricky Reyes . In May 2006 , Puma defeated M - Dogg 20 to win the UWA Canadian Championship . He successfully defended the championship against Petey Williams the following month , before losing the championship back to M - Dogg 20 in July . In October , Puma participated in UWA ' s Grand Prix Tournament , where he defeated Kazuchika Okada and Dan Paysan en route to the final , where he lost to Sonjay Dutt . He continued wrestling for UWA throughout 2007 , competing against wrestlers including Último Dragón and Daisuke Hanaoka . Perkins debuted in the Empire Wrestling Federation ( EWF ) on September 22 , 2005 at Chaos , teaming with Dan Kobrick to defeat Big Ugly and Vinnie Massaro . On December 23 , at EWF ' s Holiday Fear Perkins challenged EWF Cruiserweight Champion Joey Harder in a Triple Threat Championship match , which also involved Rocky Romero and was won by the defending champion Harder . Perkins continued to challenge Harder for the Cruiserweight Championship . In a match on February 12 , 2006 , Harder defeated Perkins by submission . On September 8 , Perkins faced EWF World Champion Bino Gambino , defeating him by countout . When the match was restarted , they wrestled to a draw . On November 21 , Perkins again failed to win the EWF Cruiserweight Championship , when he was defeated by new champion Ryan Taylor . In November 2006 , Perkins entered the EWF ' s Inland Title Series Tournament . His first match against Harder ended in a draw , before he defeated Hook Bomberry in the second round and Jason King in the third round . He faced Harder in the final on January 5 , 2007 , but lost via submission . On June 27 , 2008 at Knockdown Dragout 2 , the team of Perkins and Liger Rivera ( collectively known as Famous For Fearless ) challenged La Ola Del Mal for the EWF Tag Team Championship , and were successful . In 2006 , Puma wrestled as part of MTV ' s inaugural television taping for the Wrestling Society X ( WSX ) promotion , participating in a battle royal but being eliminated by Vampiro and competing in dark matches against Altar Boy Luke and Human Tornado . In a 2009 interview , Perkins stated he asked to be released from his contract with WSX , calling the promotion " terrible " . Over the next two years , perkins compteed for several different National Wrestling Alliance promotions , and on June 1 , 2008 , he won a battle royal to become the NWA Heritage Champion . On the October 19 , 2009 , episode of WWE Raw , Perkins appeared and was scheduled to face The Miz , but ended up being replaced by Marty Jannetty before the match got under way . The following day Perkins , under the name J . T . Quinn , appeared on ECW on Syfy in a match against Sheamus . The match resulted in a disqualification after Shelton Benjamin attacked Sheamus . Matt Striker mentioned Perkins ' Puma name during commentary for the match , relating to his speed and agility . He also appeared at Florida Championship Wrestling , WWE ' s developmental territory , in 2009 . He began working for Dragon Gate USA and Evolve in 2010 as TJP . On Evolve ' s first show he faced Munenori Sawa in a losing effort , before defeating Kyle O ' Reilly at Evolve 3 . In Dragon Gate USA , he defeated Gran Akuma at the DGUSA Fearless pay - per - view . In March 2010 , Perkins made his debut for Westside Xtreme Wrestling at their debut show in the United States , losing to Zack Sabre , Jr . . He also travelled to Germany to wrestle for the promotion in July 2010 . World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) ( 2016 ) . Perkins joined the WWE in 2016 and competed in a series of matches in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic to determine a new Cruiserweight Championship after the title was reinstated . On September 14 in the match final of the Cruiserweight Classic , Perkins defeated luchador Gran Metalik to win the vacant Cruiserweight Championship . Personal life . Perkins was born in Los Angeles to two airline workers . At the age of 18 , he began training in boxing , mixed martial arts and catch wrestling . By the age of 21 , Perkins had earned enough money to buy his own house .