10 Wrestlers WWE Gave Up On In 2016
6. TJ Perkins
The Cruiserweight Classic was a tremendous success, and one of the WWE Network’s most watched shows throughout most of its run. It produced some of the best in-ring action that the company has seen all year, and while guys like Kota Ibushi and Gran Metalik caught the eye, TJ Perkins emerged as its biggest star.
The finals presented TJP as a megastar in the making, and as the first Cruiserweight Champion, he looked like a perfect candidate to lead the division’s revival on Raw. Exciting, charismatic, and an excellent technical wrestler, Perkins’ career hit a downswing as soon as the Cruiserweights returned to Raw. He wasn’t even featured on the first show, and as his feud with Brian Kendrick gradually descended to farce, Perkins’ push died a horrible death.
Perkins was saddled with one of the year’s worst gimmicks, and his popularity vaporised. Now, Perkins’ arrival barely garners a sigh from WWE’s audiences, and while he’s still in the title hunt, there’s little chance he wins it back at Roadblock this weekend. Whatever the reason, WWE lost all interest in Perkins as the Cruiserweight Division’s centerpiece, and Rich Swann has now overtaken him as 205 Live’s top babyface. A disappointing slide for someone who looked like a star in the making a few short months ago.