TJ Perkin's "Mega Man" Style Entrance at Clash of Champions

The "Urban" definition of swag has come to mean one who's full of style, conversely the traditional definition can also mean stolen goods, or "loot" to a thief. At WWE's Pay Per View Clash of Champions, Cruiser-weight Champion TJ Perkins unveiled a new entrance that had many references to various sub-cultures including Retro Gaming, "Sneaker heads" and Hip Hop. (I break it down after the jump)

1.Chiptune Music / Entrance Package
Many video game fans would have taken note of T.J. Perkin's entrance package, including the intro music and graphics, which had various video game references. The Select a Character screen made an appearance on the entrance way, an ode to many fighting games such as Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, as well as the words "Max Health" and "HP" (which usually means Hit Points in video games. It could also mean Horsepower or Harry Potter?) There was also a pixel art representation of TJ Perkins on the Ramp as well. However, most notable was the intro music TJ walked out to, a high energy Chiptune track reminiscent of Wily's Stage from Mega Man 2. It was so impactful in fact, Mega Man's official twitter account took note and sent the following tweet:

Congrats to @MegaTJP for the win at #WWEClash and we love the new entrance! Fight on champ, for everlasting peace!

— Mega Man (@MegaMan) September 26, 2016

This isn't the first time retro video game themes have been used in Professional Wrestling, independent wrestler Kenny Omega has walked out to the previously mentioned Wily's Theme  (Stage1) as well as drawing inspiration for his persona from games such as Final Fantasy 7. However, this is the first time video game inspiration has been used to such significance for a wrestler's entrance in the WWE. (Sorry Xavier Woods)

UPDATE- WWE has since released the song on YouTube, calling it "Playing with Power" *ahem NINTENDO!



2. Jordan 6's Infareds
Many "Sneaker-heads" like to take note of specific shoes during significant public events that the majority of audience may not be aware of. So unless you're a fan of basketball shoes, you may not have noticed, TJ Perkins wore a pair of Nike Air Jordan 6 (white/infrared) during his entrance and match - which have an average resell price of over $440 USD!

@Megatjp on Instagram prior to the ppv

3. "Dab on 'em!"
The dab is a dance move originating from Atlanta's Hip Hop scene (allegedly). It has been compared to looking like someone "sneezing." This dance move has also been performed by many sports stars such as the NFL's Cam Newton who performs the "Dab" every time he scores a touchdown. During TJ Perkin's entrance he made sure to highlight this move at the top the ramp as well as various times throughout the actual match.

Cam Newton performing the "Dab"

4. Filipino-ish
A big part of TJ's persona is Filipino culture, as his Harem fit pants were clearly designed in the style of the Filipino flag. Despite the ring announcer stating his hometown as L.A. (and him actually being born in there) TJ's has stated previously in interviews he's proud his Filipino roots and takes pride representing it - and he has through his various wresting personas throughout his career leading up to Clash of Champions.


Regardless of what your opinion the TJ's entrance, be it full of swag or just stolen references,  TJ's unique entrance at Clash of Champions stood out enough that various outlets took note, and as the rule in professional wrestling goes - It doesn't matter what they say, as long as they're saying something!