Exclusive Interview – Leon Slater: 'Because Anything is Possible, I Want Everything That Could Possibly Happen'

Courtesy of TNA Wrestling

Processing Everything that Happened at TNA Slammiversary

“It’s getting easier and easier as the days and the weeks and obviously the months go by, but I still don’t think it feels real. Like, it’s such a surreal thing. We spoke about it kind of 10 months ago, like it’s been a goal of mine since I’ve been like a little kid. So, now it’s finally here. It still not feels real.

“Since Slammiversary, it’s not like I’ve just been at home. I’ve been busy with TNA. I’ve been traveling. I’ve just had my first defence on PLE against Cedric Alexander. I’ve had a defence on TV in a triple threat match with Cedric and Jason Hoch. I’ve been teaming with the Hardys.

“So, it’s been a really, really busy time, but like you said, I really am trying to keep my feet on the ground. As much as my head goes in the clouds, I’m trying to keep my feet down there on the floor and kind of remember what got me here. So, although it feels unreal sometimes, I’m definitely getting a little bit more used to it now. For sure.”

The Pressure of Being a Good X-Division Champion

“Especially with a title like the X-Division title. It’s had such a legendary history and a legendary lineage. People like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, or Amazing Red. Some of the greatest wrestlers of all time have held this belt. Not only am I in a position now where it’s okay, let’s send this kid out and see if he can have a good match, but now we’re turning this kid into our champion, and we need him to have a good match. It’s not just seeing if I can deliver. I’m being expected to deliver now, which I’ve noticed has
been the difference.”

Breaking Amazing Red’s record

“When I saw Red, it definitely made a bunch of sense, but before I saw him, I had no clue. I was kind of hoping that he would be there. I was hoping that I’d have a chance to meet Red, speak to Red, and have a match with Red. I was just hoping for some type of interaction, but I feel like the way it happened was the most perfect way that it could have happened.

“I said to him, ‘I can hope I can do this record justice and make you proud.’ After the match, I actually got a chance to talk with him again. He was saying that I did a good job, which meant the world to me. As a legend, he is taking the time out not only to speak to me but to have that time in a day for me.

“It would be super easy for him to be sour about it. You know what I mean? He’s had this record for nearly 25 years. And then, this kid from the UK is coming in and breaking it without ever meeting him or speaking to him or whatever. So, it would have been super easy for him to be a little bit side-eye, a little bit pushing me off to the side. And I don’t think anyone would have blamed him, but he was super gracious. He was super cool, super kind to me.”

Defeating a “Freak” like Moose

“Moose is an absolute freak. He can do everything that I can do, but he’s 6’5, 250, which is ridiculous. Humans like Moose should not exist. It should be illegal. But having said that, I got excited by the concept of Moose, because not only can he kind of match me in speed like a typical X-Division guy could, he can outdo me in power, which opens up a whole other book of tricks. He’s got that size
advantage, which again is a whole other book of tricks.

“He’s one of the longest reigning X-Division Champions ever. He is a guy who’s been in this company for nearly a decade. He’s a legend, so it was a super exciting concept for me to not only walk into Slammiversary against anyone, but to walk into Slammiversary against a guy like Moose. I’m super thankful for the champion that Moose was because if Moose wasn’t the Champion that he was, my win over him wouldn’t have meant what it did.

“I think with Moose’s title reign, a lot of people kind of passed it off as like, ‘he’s not like a real X-Division wrestler. He’s not what the X Division is about. The X-Division, the entire time it’s existed, has not been about weight limits. It’s about no limits. Um, and if there’s anyone that kind of encapsulates what no limits mean to me, I think that Moose was an extraordinary X-Division Champion, and he’s definitely left me a big job to fill those shoes.”

Teaming Up with Cedric Alexander

“Cedric is someone that I’ve watched for nearly 10 years. Not only like I get to face off with Cedric a couple of times now, but the possibility of tagging with him is also super interesting because I think it’s safe to say that we definitely earned each other’s respect after Emergence. Obviously, I’ve got my head screwed on. I know I have to focus on the X-Division title, and that is most definitely my priority, as of right now. But who’s to say that Cedric and I don’t go on a little tag run? I think it would be fun for us, and I think it’d be fun to watch as well.”

The Future

“Everything is possible. Absolutely. And I think that’s probably the best way to put it. Like in 2025, anything is possible. And because anything is possible, I want everything that could possibly happen. I want the world. So, whether it’s striving for the longest X-Division title reign and breaking the Austin Aries record, or whether it’s having the most defenses in a single reign, like everybody talks about being a fighting champion.

“I’m definitely up for kind of putting it to the test. Whether it’s those records or breaking the 10-time Chris Sabin record, which is super difficult because that’s a real longevity game. Chris Sabin is obviously a legend for breaking that. So I’m still a long way off from that. But maybe we do go for that.

“Or maybe, like the X-Division has a huge history of option C, it is always an option for me. If nobody else can bring home the TNA World Title from Trick (Williams) and the folks at NXT, maybe it’s me who has to step up and try Option C. 2025 is endless possibilities, and I’m just as excited as you to find out what those possibilities are going to lead to.”

Watch the full interview with Leon Slater below: