TJ Perkins Explains How Controversial Star Enzo Amore Benefited The WWE Cruiserweight Division

In the mid to late 2010s, WWE made an attempt to revive its cruiserweight division with a tournament, a new series called "205 Live," and a roster of agile wrestlers meant to be exclusive to the brand. Though the project was later abandoned, there was a time when the division revolved around Enzo Amore, to the chagrin of some WWE fans. However, appearing on "That's Wrestling!," former WWE Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins spoke out in defense of Amore.

"I think he's so talented," TJP said. "I wish that he had more time there to do his thing, and he's another guy that I thought added to the depth of what we had. It's just he's so different that I think a lot of people didn't want to give him a chance for certain traditional reasons."

Amore was released by WWE in January 2018 after sexual assault allegations emerged, though the police investigation did not lead to any charges against the wrestler. In the years since, Amore has continued working the independent wrestling scene under the name nZo. TJP stated that he always enjoys seeing his former WWE coworker when they're on the same shows, and Perkins defended Amore's talent level.

"He's a better wrestler than people think he is," Perkins added. "It's just [that] he knows the value of his strengths, so he sticks to that. It would be like insisting Brock Lesnar keep doing the Shooting Star [Press]. Brother, he's got so much better other strengths than that — he doesn't need it."

Perkins received his WWE release in 2019, roughly one year after Amore. That same year, WWE began transitioning the cruiserweight roster onto "WWE NXT," and the slow process of shuttering the division began. The final episode of "205 Live" aired in February 2022, already having undergone numerous changes from the original vision.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "That's Wrestling!" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.