Top 15 T. J. Perkins Quotes

When I was maybe 22, 23 years old or so, I was sort of floating in between New Japan, Ring of Honor, TNA – not really committed to one place.

I try to take each moment at a time.

Lucha libre culture was part of my wrestling upbringing. I’m Filipino, so it wasn’t a part of my normal upbringing, but it’s what gave me my start. I get a lot of my technical and high-flying wrestling from that.

I didn’t want wrestling anymore; I wanted to not want it. But I couldn’t get a job anywhere, which was part of the reason I was homeless. I couldn’t get a job pumping gas. I couldn’t get a job working at a warehouse, I couldn’t get a job at Baskin Robbins, I couldn’t get a job anywhere.

Rich Swann is probably the only guy who‘s more charismatic among this whole bunch than me, and I think it showed in our match.

It’s really exciting to be able to represent the cruiserweights and go to Monday Night Raw. I grew up watching Monday Night Raw, and it’s really a big dream of mine to perform on that stage.

I was an all-sport athlete growing up. My dad, I think, hoped I would go to college on a scholarship.

Gran Metalik was a student in CMLL when I was there as a teenager, and I was in main events and big time matches, so I used to see him in the gym all the time.

Part of the reason why Kobe Bryant is such a big inspiration to me is because he was shipped off to the Lakers right out of high school. He went from English class to the Great Western Forum.

A lot of the ups and downs for me, especially the downs, I feel like it came in a lot of indirect ways because I didn’t appreciate what I had.

I’ve done stuff in the past and followed in the footsteps of my heroes, and each time, it felt a little bit surreal.

I’d really like to go back to New Japan because it feels like home, and I love that place so much.

I grew up on WWE. Eddie Guerrero is my everything. He’s my hero, as are Shawn Michaels and Tiger Mask. I tried to model myself after them.

I got to do a lot of good things at a young age. I really kind of knocked out my bucket list when I was really young.

I sort of approach wrestling the way Johnny Depp approaches movies. I don’t really care necessarily what I’m portraying.