T.J. Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick: Winner, Reaction from WWE Cruiserweight Match

T.J. Perkins and Brian Kendrick met Monday on WWE Raw in a rematch of their classic encounter at Clash of Champions on Sept. 25, but this time, Kendrick came out on top.

WrestlingINC.com broke down how the match finished:

Bleacher Report's WWE Twitter account had some fun at Perkins' expense:

Kendrick has matched up well with Perkins, as Scott Fishman of the Miami Herald noted:

Ryan Dilbert of Bleacher Report wasn't a fan of the booking decision:

Kendrick defeated Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann and Gran Metalik in a Fatal 4-Way the week prior to Clash of Champions to become the first No. 1 contender for the resurrected Cruiserweight Championship since Triple H brought it back into the fold as the prize for the winner of the Cruiserweight Classic.

That win marked Kendrick's first appearance on Raw since 2009, and it set the stage for a fantastic cruiserweight showcase at the pay-per-view.

Perkins and Kendrick put on one of the best matches of the night, and while The Wizard of Odd came close to prying the prize away on several occasions, Perkins managed to make him tap out with his patented kneebar.

Kendrick seemed ready to embrace his opponent after the match, but he dropped The Filipino Flash with a vicious headbutt instead, as WWE's official Twitter account shared:

Perkins' CWC win came as a big surprise to many, and it made for an inspiring situation considering his background and everything he has been through. The 32-year-old talked about overcoming adversity, including homelessness, to get to the top of the mountain, but Kendrick made it clear he didn't take kindly to Perkins' Cinderella story.

On the episode of Raw following Clash of Champions, Kendrick questioned whether Perkins deserved his spot, per WWE Universe:

He also vowed to make good on what happened at the pay-per-view and to avoid a similar fate in their next encounter, as WWE Universe shared:

That led to a rematch, with the 37-year-old Kendrick thinking he'd have one more crack at the title he felt he had earned. The match was originally announced as a title match, but WWE later decided against it.

Due largely to Kendrick's veteran savvy and penchant for doing anything necessary to win, he flipped the script on Perkins and managed to emerge victorious Monday.

The cruiserweight division is brimming with talent, and there is no shortage of potential challengers moving forward. The likes of Alexander, Swann, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado stand out as possibilities, but it appears as though the entertaining rivalry between Kendrick and Perkins is far from over.

Early returns on the cruiserweight division have been positive, and the fact that Perkins and Kendrick put on a good show again Monday bodes well for the division receiving backstage support in the coming months.

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