T. J. Perkins

Theodore James Perkins (born September 3, 1984), better known by the ring name T. J. Perkins (or simply TJP), is an American professional wrestler. He is primarily working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a freelancer, where he is a former three time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. He is a member of the United Empire stable, he served as the stable's second leader from 2024-2025. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

Perkins began his professional wrestling career in 1998. In 2001, he went to the NJPW Dojo, where he became the youngest wrestler to perform in a NJPW ring. Since then, Perkins worked in various U.S. promotions, such as Ring of Honor (ROH), Major League Wrestling (MLW), TNA Wrestling, and WWE, as well as Japanese promotions, like NJPW and Dragon Gate. In 2013, Perkins signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and worked as Manik, a masked character originally based on the Suicide gimmick. During his time in TNA, he would win the TNA X Division Championship. He also joined The Revolution stable. In 2016, he left TNA and participated in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament produced by WWE, which he won and was crowned the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Perkins would work for WWE until his release in February 2019. He then returned to Impact Wrestling, as well as working in other companies on the side. In 2020, he won the Impact X Division Championship for a second time. He also returned to NJPW again and began making regular appearances, later becoming the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion (with Francesco Akira).