TJ Wilson has offered an emotional reflection on the impact Pac had on his WWE career, saying their 2014 match at the first NXT TakeOver may have been the performance that saved him from being released.
Wilson, known to WWE fans as Tyson Kidd during his in-ring career, discussed Pac in a tribute that aired on WWE’s YouTube channel. The two wrestlers shared the ring repeatedly during the formative years of WWE NXT, when Pac was competing under the name Adrian Neville and establishing himself as one of the brand’s defining champions.
For Wilson, however, their work together represented far more than a standout chapter in the developing NXT brand. He believes the singles match at the inaugural TakeOver arrived at a particularly important point in his own professional life.
“Ben was truly the best of us. What people saw in the ring was only a fraction of who he really was, and he was the best of us in the ring, too,” Wilson said.
For more background on this topic, read Logan Paul Gives EK Prosper Credit While Comparing NXT Moonsault To His Own Table Dive.
Wilson then explained why he has continued to place that contest on such a high pedestal. He pointed to the possibility that his standing in WWE could have been very different had the match not connected the way it did.
“I believe the TakeOver match I had with Ben, and of course, the four-way following, but that singles match at that first TakeOver, I believe that match really saved my job at that time. If it hadn't been as good as it was, thanks to Ben, I think a couple of weeks later, there were some cuts, and I believe I would've been in those round of cuts. So I've always held that match on a really high pedestal, and that was because of Ben.”
A pivotal match in the early TakeOver era
The comments underline the personal stakes Wilson attached to the 2014 bout. NXT TakeOver was still in its early stage as a WWE event platform, but it quickly became a setting where performers could make a major impression through longer, more ambitious matches. Wilson’s recollection presents his meeting with Pac as an opportunity that did not simply produce a memorable championship contest; it helped demonstrate his value at a moment when he felt uncertain about his future.
Pac won the match and retained the NXT Championship. That result was part of a wider series between the two men in 2014, a run that also included the four-way match Wilson referenced. Pac again retained his title in that TakeOver four-way.
Wilson’s account does not frame the match as an individual rescue effort. Instead, he repeatedly credited Pac for being the essential element in making it work. In doing so, Wilson described a quality that many wrestlers seek in a ring partner: the capacity not only to execute one’s own performance at a high level, but also to elevate the performance of the person standing across the ring.
That distinction sits at the center of Wilson’s tribute. A wrestler can be impressive through athleticism, timing, personality, or spectacular offense. Wilson’s praise for Pac went further. He said Pac’s presence made opponents feel safer in the knowledge that their contributions would be presented in the strongest possible light.
Wilson recalls Pac’s ability to elevate opponents
Wilson also shared a message he received from Kevin Owens concerning why Pac’s matches were consistently so highly regarded. The point, Wilson said, was straightforward: Pac was the common factor.
“The reason why everybody had such great matches with Ben was because Ben was in them. And you didn't have to worry about your own stuff because you knew he was gonna make all of your stuff look awesome. He's gonna make all of his stuff look awesome, and he's gonna make all of your stuff look awesome.”
It is a revealing assessment of Pac’s in-ring reputation from someone who worked closely with him. Wilson said Pac was skilled enough to cover for mistakes made by an opponent, an ability that can be difficult for viewers to recognize in real time but can be decisive to the flow and success of a match.
In wrestling, the strongest performances are often built on that kind of mutual trust. Timing can be adjusted in an instant, a missed moment can be redirected, and an opponent’s strengths can be highlighted through the structure of the match. Wilson’s remarks suggest Pac had an exceptional command of those details. Rather than merely delivering his own offense, he was able to make a match feel cohesive and make the other wrestler’s work register more effectively.
That is why Wilson’s recollection carries weight beyond a discussion of one TakeOver card or one title defense. He is describing a performer whose value was felt directly by colleagues, particularly in situations where careers and reputations could turn on a single opportunity.
From Tyson Kidd to WWE producer
Wilson’s WWE career has since moved into a different role. After competing as Tyson Kidd, he became a producer, bringing the perspective of an experienced in-ring performer to his work behind the scenes. His reflection on Pac therefore comes from someone who understands both the immediate pressures facing wrestlers and the fine details that separate a good match from one that changes how a performer is viewed.
His statement is also notably humble. Wilson did not claim that he alone created the match that helped him avoid the cuts he feared. He credited Pac directly, saying the contest was as good as it was because of his opponent. The tribute repeatedly returns to that point: Pac’s excellence was not limited to what he did for himself, but was evident in what he could bring out of others.
Wilson had already been an established name within WWE before that phase of NXT, but the 2014 series gave him a fresh showcase opposite the reigning NXT Champion. For performers moving through the changing landscape of WWE’s developmental system at the time, TakeOver offered an opportunity to stand out before an audience paying close attention to ring quality and long-form storytelling. Wilson now believes his chance arrived at precisely the right time.
There is no way to quantify exactly how a single match affects a roster decision. Wilson did not present his belief as an officially confirmed explanation for why he remained with WWE. He spoke instead from his own perspective, saying he believes he would have been included in a round of cuts had the match not been as strong as it became. What is clear from his recollection is the significance he attaches to that night and to the man across the ring from him.
A lasting tribute to Pac’s influence
Pac and Wilson’s 2014 matches remain a meaningful part of the early NXT TakeOver story, with Pac retaining the NXT Championship in both the singles match and the later four-way. Yet Wilson’s remarks add another layer to their history. They were title matches on the surface, but for Wilson they were also moments of professional survival and validation.
His tribute paints Pac as a complete performer: someone Wilson considered the best in the ring, someone capable of concealing mistakes, and someone who could make every participant in a match look better. The message from Kevin Owens reinforced the same conclusion in concise terms: great matches with Pac happened because Pac was involved in them.
For Wilson, the memory of their first TakeOver meeting will remain inseparable from what came afterward. He believes it preserved his WWE job at a vulnerable time, and he made clear that he attributes that outcome in large part to Pac. It is both a testament to the quality of their work together and a deeply personal acknowledgment of the difference one exceptional opponent can make in another wrestler’s career.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.