Latest news with #XDivisionChampionship
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TNA Champion Challenges Current WWE NXT Stars To ‘Step Up'
Leon Slater isn't sure what's next, but he has an idea of who might be. Slater won the X Division Championship at Slammiversary. The win also set a new record for the youngest TNA champion ever, as Slater is just 20 years old. The new champion spoke with WrestleZone about his title win, getting surprised by AJ Styles and what's next for him. Slater offered praise for Moose, the man he beat for the title at Slammiversary, for pushing him to reach new heights. Slater then named a few 'in-house' opponents he'd like to square off with. At the top of that list is KC Navarro, someone Slater says is on a similar path to him. 'I think the world is next. We have a bunch of people in-house with TNA that I'd love to square up against. And I guess before I get onto that, let's give a little shoutout to Moose,' Slater said. 'That moment wouldn't have been what it was without him. He's been pushing me to get to the level that I'm at right now and to get the level that I'm striving for. I couldn't have rose to the levels that I did without him being that huge mountain for me to climb over. So, shoutout to Moose. 'But in his absence, we got to keep rocking, right? So, a couple of people that I want to square up against — I want KC Navarro as number one,' Slater proclaimed. 'I feel like people have kind of put on these parallel paths. We both are kind of the new, young hot upstarts in TNA. So, that's definitely a match-up that I'd like to see. And I think the fans would too.' Leon Slater sees potential challengers on the TNA and NXT roster Slater said Jason Hotch, Rascalz members Myron Reed, Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel were other top choices. However, he pointed out that he wasn't restricted to only picking TNA talent. 'So, if anyone from NXT wants to come up, whether that's a Young OG [Je'Von Evans] or whether that's a Saint [Ricky Saints], or whether that's a very proud Canadian [Ethan Page]. Any of them boys want to step up, I'm more than happy to take challenges from there. Or even if you think you are Phenomenal and you want to step to the boy, I'm here for it too,' Slater said, alluding to his segment with AJ Styles. Slater also commented on potentially wrestling The Hardy Boyz, two of his mentors in TNA. Slater can see it happening in the future as a student-versus-teacher battle, but TNA needs to get their respective men's and women's world titles back from Trick Williams and Jacy Jayne before they think about that. It doesn't seem like the Hardy-Slater battle will take place any time soon, as the trio aligned with Steve Maclin to declare war on NXT invaders on Thursday night. Read More: The post TNA Champion Challenges Current WWE NXT Stars To 'Step Up' appeared first on Wrestlezone.
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Leon Slater Wants Match With AJ Styles, ‘Had No Clue' About TNA Slammiversary Surprise
Leon Slater is on cloud nine after accomplishing a lifelong goal at Slammiversary. Slater won the X Division Championship at TNA Slammiversary. With the win, he also became the youngest title holder in TNA history. Slater spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about what the win meant to him, calling it a childhood dream. 'I've been training since I was nine. And I've always wanted to be X-Division Champion. And it's almost like one of them things, people tell you, 'Oh, when you get kids, you are going to love it. When you get married, it's going to be the best day of your life.' And you know it's going to be amazing. But it feels so far off sometimes that you can't picture it being real,' Slater said. 'But now it's finally here, it doesn't feel real,' he continued. 'Because I've been on the chase and now, I've got it, it's like, 'Oh! Well, where do we go from here?' So, it was… To keep it short and sweet, Slammiversary was the best day of my life. Couple days later, I'm still trying to recoup. I'm still trying to come down off that high. But, it feels great to finally accomplish what I've been striving after.' Leon Slater reacts to AJ Styles' return to TNA at Slammiversary Leon Slater was also shocked when AJ Styles made his way to the ring after his title win. Styles was advertised for Slammiversary in advance, but no one knew what he was doing on the show. This includes Slater, who had no clue the Phenomenal One was coming to the ring. '1000% [AJ Styles appearing after my watch was a surprise to me] bruh. I think if I had known it ahead of time, I would have played it a lot cooler instead of jumping around like a little six-year-old,' Slater joked. 'But yeah, man, I had no clue.' Slater grew up a TNA kid and AJ Styles was his favorite wrestler. He won the title, had Moose put him over after the match, and didn't think it could get any better. However, Styles' surprise appearance only added to his night. '[I thought] 'Man, I don't know if it could get any better.' Then, I remember, I was on my knees looking at the belt, I was like, 'We did it, we did it, we did it.' And then, Get Ready to Fly hits, and I hopped onto my feet, and I was jumping around, I am running around, I'm losing my mind, just like everyone else in the building. Looking back on it, I'm really glad I had no clue. Because I think that genuine reaction, topped with what everyone else in the building was feeling. And yeah, AJ coming out was a huge surprise and it's something that I am never going to forget.' Leon Slater on how much he knew heading into his match at Slammiversary Slater confirmed that he didn't know anything about AJ Styles' appearance. He knew his family would be involved in the celebration, but he didn't know anything else, including Moose paying him respect and putting the belt around his waist. 'No. So, literally everything like all the… I suppose the drama and antics after the match was completely out there. The only thing that I knew that I was going to do was run to my family. Because obviously, they made the trip over from the UK and I feel like, with the story that we have told, family was a big part of it. So, I knew that the production team would want a shot with me and the fam,' Slater explained. 'So, I definitely knew I was going to run over to them and get that shot. But once we got past that point, I was walking through it blind, man. And it worked out for the best. So, I am super super grateful.' As for what's next, Slater has a few opponents in mind. That also includes AJ Styles. '…Any of them boys want to step up, I'm more than happy to take challenges from there,' Slater said. 'Or even if you think you are 'Phenomenal' and you want to step to the boy, I'm here for it too, man.' During his speech at Slammiversary, Styles mentioned he would 'get back to' talking about another match in TNA once he addressed Slater. Pritchard pointed out that Styles didn't address it again that night, but Slater seemed keen to make it happen. 'Maybe so. Maybe so. I mean, the first X-Division Champion versus the youngest ever, definitely sounds pretty cool to me at least.' Leon Slater's first official appearance as X Division Champion will take place on TNA's live broadcast of Impact! on Thursday night. TNA will be live from the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island on Thursday, along with a TV taping on Friday night. Read More: The post Leon Slater Wants Match With AJ Styles, 'Had No Clue' About TNA Slammiversary Surprise appeared first on Wrestlezone.
