5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE Raw (Sept 26)

3. Winner: TJ Perkins

WWE aren’t doing much to separate the likes of Rich Swann and Lince Dorado from their peers. Such wrestlers are in real danger of getting lost in the Cruiserweight division if they’re not given a chance to show their characters, and this lack of development will be a major concern throughout the division’s future.

Two wrestlers that aren’t suffering from this problem, however, are Brian Kendrick and TJ Perkins. With Kendrick as his challenger, TJP has been given the opportunity to split from the pack and establish his own recognisable traits, and it continued on this week’s Raw.

The “gee, shucks, I’m so happy to be here” promo is cringeworthy, but Perkins has been introduced as a bright, enthusiastic, and likeable performer. It helps that he’s a great wrestler, and the dab taunt will be over before long, but little touches like his eye-catching ring attire and Mega Man-style entrance music give him an identity separate to his peers.

He worked the debuting Tony Nese on Raw, and it was a fantastic little match. Though relatively short, the duo provided a fun back-and-forth affair that didn’t always have the crowd’s attention, but put TJP and his kneebar finisher on the TV audience’s map. All in all, the Cruiserweight Champion had a very strong night.