T. J. Perkins Quotes

I really appreciate ROH for letting me wrestle in the United States. American fans get to see me and get to see New Japan. Ring of Honor lets us do that.

I've been talking to certain wrestlers on the phone lately, and certain female wrestlers that were huge stars ten years ago, and the first thing I ask them is 'do you still want to work?' Do they want to talk, or do they want to wrestle or do something else in the business?

If you had asked me, did I have everything nailed down and wired about what I wanted to do, and was I following some real plan? No. In fact, by the time I was in my mid-20s or even late-20s, and I was still in the law firm, I really was starting to get a little nervous that I didn't know what I was going to do.

I had the greatest deal in the history of professional wrestling. I could work for WWE, anybody else that I wanted to, and collect income from every one of those companies, including merchandise. It was a really good deal.

I always knew that in the U.S., if you wanted to be a wrestler, Ring of Honor was the place to be.

Seth Rollins was just leaving Ring Of Honor when I was coming in, so I've heard him say very nice things about me in interviews and stuff. I always say nice things about him because of that respect I have for him. I watched him when I was working the independents while he was wrestling at Ring Of Honor, and I used to be blown away by his work then.

When I met Penn, he was an actor, but he wasn't working, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to go back to work, and I was kind of into that!

Of course I wanted to main-event wrestling matches in TNA, but in their eyes, no, that would not happen. So I went back to New Japan.

For me, I've been very lucky because of my relationship with Ring of Honor. I'm very close with everyone there, and that includes the guys that negotiate the contracts.

Contrary to popular belief, I do occasionally get to watch TNA, mostly on fast forward, but Bobby Roode is one of the guys... solid, solid guy.

I loved WWE, but in the end, I was unhappy. It was just like planning an escape from a maximum security prison. I'd released a list of potential opponents online, so when the 90-day no-compete clause was up, I had matches booked on good faith. I thought about the follow-up.

WWE is like a big family, and you don't realise that until you step away from it and come back.

After the military, I floundered around between jobs for a while, and there was an opportunity for me to go live in Japan. I was living on the Okinawa Airport Base, off the grid, no real address.

I don't think I'd be in WWE, and I wouldn't be in NXT, if it wasn't for my time in EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA and things like that.

Marty Scurll is fantastic, and I am a big fan of his work.

I got a bad conduct discharge, was at home for a few months in late '99, and basically said, 'Dad, I want to give wrestling a shot. I sure as hell don't wanna go to college, and the Marine Corps wasn't for me. And I need to make some money, so let's see if I can do it.'

I went through ups and downs in this business and in life, and when I was released by WWE in 2014, I knew I had a wealth of knowledge and an opportunity.

Jon Moxley - great performer. I'm sure he's a nice guy. But at the end of the day, I think people are sick and tired of him, you know, being the captain of the ship.

I am invading homes everywhere, all over the Internet and on TV - all you have to do is search the name, and you can find me anywhere, from New Japan World to Ring of Honor.

I worked hard when I was a consultant. I worked hard when I was in graduate school looking at neuroscience. I worked hard as a teacher. But those are completely different career paths. And the lack of direction is why I didn't get far enough in any of those things.

WCW and WWE were two totally different environments. A lot of guys in WCW were making a lot of money, and the work schedule wasn't that hard. You had to earn it in WWE.

I have never decided on how to plan my career moves.

I'm the only person in wrestling that realizes I'm too old to do this anymore, and that's why I'm not a performer and I'm not going to be on 'ROH.'

The WWE and World Heavyweight Titles are the ones everyone is aiming for, and if you're not aiming for them, you are in the wrong business - and I like to think that when the time is right, I will get my shot.

I had a great run with WWE. WWE gave me great visibility. I met my wife there, and I got paid a lot of money; it was just my time to go. I sensed it. I was smart enough to leave. That's the bottom line.