Leon Slater Is The Future Of Wrestling, And The Future Is Now (Exclusive)

With the first year of the WWE/TNA partnership complete, no one has benefitted more from this agreement than Leon Slater. One of the most vibrant and impressive performers of his generation, he had the opportunity to take part in a first-of-its-kind match at October's NXT premium live event, Halloween Havoc.

The match, where he teamed with Je'Von Evans, saw them compete against La Parka and Mr. Iguana in a winning effort, and was historic as being the first time WWE, TNA, and AAA talent competed together in the same ring at the same time.

"It was chaos for sure," he says. "I don't think we stopped moving that whole time."

Slater said seeing the match laid out felt as chaotic as it looked to fans, but he embraced it because he loves it. He says he loved being a part of such a historic moment, and fans got the best show possible.

"The fact that I was a part of [it] in terms of the AAA, the TNA, the WWE partnership; it almost felt like a little test run, you know what I mean? I think we smashed it out of the park. But like you said, it was a very chaotic one. It was a tricky one to navigate, but we got there and I think we made some good moments that people are going to remember."

The Legends Know Leon Slater Is The Future Of Pro Wrestling

As the TNA X Division Champion, Leon Slater carries with him a legacy that's as storied as it is dynamic. Molded from the days of the WCW Cruiserweights and the legends of New Japan Pro Wrestling, the X Division allowed an entirely new set of talent to take flight - sometmes literally - and showcase their potential to the world.

No one was a more notable name in the history of the division than AJ Styles, the multi-time TNA and WWE Champion who officially retired from in-ring competition last month. Slater had the opportunity to work with Styles in a tag team match at Saturday Night's Main Event in December.

Slater had some time to sit and gain some wisdom from Styles over the past few months, but he says the best piece of advice he got came from a moment after he won the X Division Championship. The moment was captured in a notable photograph that Slater posted on his Instagram.

"One of the biggest things he was preaching to me, outside of the in-ring feedback and stuff about the match, was how important it is to stay true to yourself. I think before AJ came in to do that angle with me, he had heard what I was like from the TNA, from the locker room, you know what I mean? From people he's close with, whether that's Frankie Kazarian and Eric Young. I hope it was all good things, you know what I mean? When he was talking to me, he just reminded me how important it is to keep those things that people say about me, all good things as much as I can. You know what I mean? No matter how high I get or no matter how low I get, stay true to who I am, which sounds very cliché, but when it's coming from AJ Styles, it means a whole lot more."

Another major co-sign he recently received was from another TNA and WWE Legend, Jeff Hardy. In a recent interview, Hardy called Slater not just the future of TNA, but also the future of professional wrestling. Slater says he almost couldn't believe the news and reflected back to his youth, when he'd painted his face like Hardy and collected all the action figures he could of his favorite wrestler.

"I go, 'Jeff Hardy is saying that about me?!'," he says with a laugh. "Which is absolutely insane!"

"It really spurs me on because it's a thing now for me of not only proving maybe some people that didn't think I could make it to where I am and don't think I can make it past where I am, it's not only proving them wrong, but it's proving myself and the people that do believe in me right. So it's proving a Jeff Hardy right, an AJ Styles right, a Matt Hardy right, a Tommy Dreamer right. You know what I mean? So it's real good motivation for me. And it's obviously super cool that Jeff thinks of me that highly."

Leon Slater Is Excited About TNA, And You Should Be, Too

With a brand new era kicked off for TNA, and his visa woes fixed, Leon Slater is thrilled to finally bring his skills and abilities to AMC and new cities. With a string of new stops for the company, including this week's stops in Nashville, TN, Atlanta, Georgia at GICC Arena on March 5th and 6th, and New Orleans, Louisiana at Alario Center on March 27th and 28th, Slater's got the opportunity to showcase himself and prove to brand new crowds why he deserves the X Division Championship.

Eric Young continues to wait in the wings for Slater, clawing for his chance to face him after winning his opportunity at a X Division Championship match during Feast or Fired last month. Slater says he respects Young as a 20 year veteran, but the element of surprise no longer benefits Young, as he'll be able to see him coming.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to step in the ring with Eric Young, but that excitement definitely comes with a concern at the skill level that he's at right now."

Slater remains thrilled to bring the flavor of the X Division to new crowds everwhere, and that it's his responsibility to carry its storied lineage into this new era. He's determined to make sure his matches, and the division as a whole, stand head and shoulders above everything else you'll see at a TNA show, and he's confident TNA will appeal to everyone who loves wrestling.

"I think we offer a very, very unique product at the minute where it's not completely sports entertainment, if you want to call it that. But it's also not completely the modern style of wrestling that we see in other places in America. You know what I'm saying? I feel like we mesh the two at a real nice balance at the minute where you have people like the Elegance brand, where you have that sports entertainment feel to it, and then you have the X division, which has that more modern style to It's a bit, you know what I'm saying? So I think more than anything, what TNA is going to show people when we come to these new towns and territories is that we're different than anything else that is on the market right now. That's for sure."

TNA Thursday Night iMPACT airs every Thursday on AMC at 9p ET/6p PT. Check your local listings for start times in your area.