Matt Hardy has offered high praise for rising TNA star Leon Slater, stating that the 21-year-old standout would have been a major success during WWE’s Attitude Era.
Speaking with GOW Media, Hardy discussed Slater’s rapid development and admitted he is amazed by how much the young wrestler has already accomplished at such an early stage of his career. “One person I think would have been great in the Attitude Era, and I’m so jealous of how far he is at such a young age, is Leon Slater,” Hardy said.
Hardy explained that he and his brother Jeff have developed a close relationship with Slater since arriving in TNA. “He’s one of those guys, like myself and Jeff. He’s like our kid, we kind of took him under our wing,” Hardy said.
According to Hardy, Slater grew up as a fan of The Hardy Boyz and drew inspiration from Jeff Hardy’s iconic Swanton Bomb when developing his own Swanton 450 finisher. “Obviously he was a huge Hardy Boyz fan. His motivation for the Swanton 450 was Jeff’s Swanton, obviously. But dude, he is 21 and he gets it.”
Hardy believes Slater’s willingness to learn and mature approach to the business separates him from many wrestlers his age. “If there was some advice I’d give a younger me, he is the younger me, because he gets that advice and he has had it all. He understands it,” Hardy said.
Hardy also praised Slater’s efforts to become a more complete performer by focusing on character development in addition to his in-ring abilities. “He’s working really hard on his character aspects and trying to make people emotionally invested in him.”
While Slater’s athleticism has already made him one of TNA’s most exciting young stars, Hardy believes his overall potential extends far beyond his high-flying offense. “He is so talented, he is incredibly athletic, he is incredibly acrobatic, and if he was around in the Attitude Era he would have killed it,” Hardy said.
Slater will have another opportunity to showcase those talents this Sunday when he competes in the Ultimate X match for the TNA X Division Championship at Slammiversary.
