TJ Perkins wins the CWC to become WWE Cruiserweight Champion
Though he’s been wrestling for over 15 years, Wednesday night was almost assuredly the biggest moment in TJ Perkins’ career.
Perkins capped off an eventful night by defeating Gran Metalik in the Cruiserweight Classic finals to win both the tournament and the new WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Perkins worked over Metalik’s leg for most of the match, and finally made him tap out to a kneebar after countering an attempted Metalik Driver off the top rope.
Before the match began, Triple H joined both competitors in the ring and made the announcement that the winner of the match would also become the first champion of Raw’s cruiserweight division.
"We are looking for the ONE that will go to #RAW…as the NEW @WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION!" – @TripleH #CWC pic.twitter.com/AjchP3hKUY
— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2016
Perkins defeated tournament favorite Kota Ibushi in the semifinals by making him tap out as well. And Metalik won his way to the finals by picking up a win over Zack Sabre Jr. in the night’s opening match.
After losing in the semifinals, it seems likely that Ibushi won’t be signing with WWE imminently.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.