TJ Perkins/Suicide Speaks Out on Company Pay/Contracts

[It's Damn Real!]

This from TNAInsider:

Q: Thoughts on Styles leaving TNA? (It's inevitable, the pay there is terribly low, lol)

A: Oh yeah? You work there lol?I guess you haven't seen my paychecks or Samoa joe's house....or the second house he bought for his parents...I wonder what that says about what a guy like AJ makes..

The guy who told you The Bucks and Nigel said they were underpaid is lieing. Both said in interviews they didn't like the pay per appearance because they weren't being booked regularly, they never said anything about the amount.

Well there we go then.

Also many guys that get out and insist that they can make more money on the Indys leave out the fact that the only reason they can make great money is because of the exposure TNA/WWE gave them. 99% of people don't command the same salary on the way in as they do when they are on the way out, they have TNA/WWE to thank for that.

When I started taking more Indys coming off of CMLL and New Japan I instantly commanded a higher price tag.The other thing that people leave out and fans don't think about is not only are these guys newfound asking prices a gift from the company they are aggravated with but in order to make better money elsewhere they have to do a SHITLOAD of work to network their own appearances and setup accommodations and it never ends. The business end of wrestling is far more tiresome than the physical part. Those guys leave out the fact that they no longer have peace of mind, while bragging about how much better they'll do.

Also I don't understand the logic of being paid per appearance on worldwide television being such a burden....but being paid per appearance on the Indys with NO EXPOSURE AT ALL and twice the stress is somehow better.

One thing I learned about being homeless is that you can't possibly place a high enough value on peace of mind.

None of the gripes people use against major league wrestling make sense if you think about it.But then again, there's a small percentage of people/fans that simply just want something to hate. It romanticizes dreaming in conjunction with laziness."

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This is an extremely juvenile and amateur hour interview (who the fuck puts "lol" into any serious question?), but it does help to shed a bit of light on a hot topic IMO — and straight from the horses mouth. Or a horse, at least.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Thanks for posting this IDR. No matter how many times you try to make the argument that TJ is making to a TNA hater they never want to listen.

They talk about The Bucks leaving and saying they weren't making good money. They leave out the fact that they have said that if their contracts were constructed like the current TNA contract structure and gave them a downside guarantee regardless of bookings that they would have stuck around. Or the fact that Joey Ryan, who likely commanded pretty solid Indy money, has been full of praise for the exposure and paychecks he got while with the company.

Hearing it directly from the mouth of the newly signed X-Division champ will hopefully reinforce the error in the argument that TNA's workers cannot make a good living.

Moving on...

It makes me very happy to hear how well this new contract is treating Perkins. The kid has been busting his ass since he was in his mid-teens, and has given everything to try and make it in the business he loves. He is extremely talented, and while very seasoned, is also still quite young. His future is nothing but bright and investing in him is a great move be TNA. TJ deserves a position like this. He has earned it and as a fan I couldn't be more glad to see him get it.

 

[wcwchris]

He seems to forget that if you aren't making appearances, then you really aren't making good money. Just because you have a good price per appearance, doesn't mean you are making jack shit when if they don't use you. Plus, they decide on any outside booking you take to recover pay missed by not being used and they get a huge cut of that. I understand he's being a company man, but the company line is b.s. You aren't going to get a huge pay upgrade on indy shows for being listed as "TNA Star" on their card. Most promoters know that unless you are a WWE guy, you aren't putting that many more asses in seats than normal. Having a Zema Ion or Robbie E on your show isn't going to put more than around 10 more asses in the crowd in most places than if he wasn't. That's at best $100 extra bucks on the gate. So if you are paying that "TNA Star" more than $100 bucks, you are losing money. The best thing these guys can hope for are mark promoters that will pay them more than they are worth.

Also, in response to him saying ask Joe about the terrible pay, I say, ask any of the knockouts that have had to work day jobs just to get by, or the guys that have to get government assistance to put food on the table.

 

[Chauncy Talon]

Reading that interview was confusing due to the lack of punctutation. My grammar sucks, but was he bashing TNA for allowing the Young Bucks to leave due to contract structure, or was he giving the Young Bucks praises for getting out of their contract?

All I receive is that the wrestler that have Main Event status need the money to pay off bills and TNA don't have the money to do so.

 

[Trill Co$by]

He's leaving an important notion. If their popularity was so terrible to begin with, then why has TNA been interested in them for so long? Nigel McGuinness was the face of ROH and could've easily made enough money without even having to leave. The Young Bucks, if they'd have kept quiet, would've been on their way to WWE by now. Not because of their stint in TNA, but because of their work on the independents. I'm not saying an indy wrestler can get rich, but they can definitely make a strong living.

Plus, if you ask a rapper like 2 Chains what all the toys mean in terms of money, he'll let you know it means jack shit. He once bought a lambo just to make him feel like he WASN'T going broke.