Fil-Am wrestler crowned new WWE cruiserweight champ

MANILA, Philippines – More than a decade after Batista won the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Wrestlemania and crossed over to Hollywood, another Filipino-American is set to make a name in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

TJ Perkins, proudly representing the Philippines, outlasted 32 of the best cruiserweights around the world defeated Gran Metalik of Mexico via submission to win the Cruiserweight Championship. WWE Executive Vice President Triple H (Paul Levesque in real life) awarded the belt to the champion.

En route to the finals, Perkins defeated ?Rich Swann in the quarterfinals and Kota Ibushi of Japan in the semifinals. All his wins in the tournament came via submission.

Prior to joining the WWE, Perkins performed in the Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wresting promotion where he was once a TNA Division X Champion. He was also known as Manik and Puma in the wrestling independent circuit.

The Filipino-American is set to become a part of the cruiserweight division of WWE’s flagship program RAW.