Exclusive: TJ Perkins on his departure from WWE, Vince McMahon, frustrations, and representing the Philippines

And you now have a new venture, aptly named Detonation Kick - which I believe is a new clothing range and a bit of a new alias! How did that start up? What do you see for it going forward?

I have always been a little bit fashion-minded. I had never been big on merchandise before. WWE really did great for me on that, they made me six shirts, two action figures, and tons of other stuff like Topps cards and things - which I am grateful for because no other Cruiserweight had, so I was very lucky.

But previously, I had never done merch, so I had wanted to start my own line for a while -something more than just wrestling based, something that had meaning to me and recognizable to wrestling fans who follow me, but also something that can appeal to non-wrestling fans.

Rooted in Pamilya 💙❤️💛https://t.co/HL499gS3lG pic.twitter.com/26p9gIHpyd
— 🧨Detonation Kick👟 (@detonationkick) May 3, 2019

Expand Tweet

So I started Detonation Kick for that reason and much of the style is patterned after street wear brands I grew up with. I also have many collaborations with other street wear brands and wrestling wear brands coming up, as well as a high end fashion line that will be separate from Detonation Kick, that is being curated by some great designers and will be aimed at a different type of audience.

Of course, you're appearing at Starrcast. Might we see you at Double or Nothing?

Haha! Well, let’s just start with Starrcast and see how the night goes. But I encourage everyone to enjoy that event either way because it’s a special time in wrestling culture and it’s gonna be a unique part of history.

A huge thanks to TJ Perkins for taking the time to speak with us. You can follow TJP here, and check out Detonation Kick here.