In PWMania.com’s latest exclusive interview, current TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater sits down with Scott Mitchell to discuss his acclaimed dream match with Je’Von Evans, the ongoing WWE NXT–TNA partnership, TNA’s rise on AMC, learning from Moose, his upcoming showdown with Cedric Alexander, potentially making X-Division history, his future goals, and much more.
Watch the full interview below.
At Bound for Glory last year, we saw the dream match with Je’Von Evans come to life. What was it like to work with him in singles action?
“It was an overall great experience. I think all of the fanfare and all of the hype I’ve seen online, like people clamoring for me and Je’Von to wrestle, of course, me watching his stuff and seeing how amazing he is, I knew that we would click instantly. One of my wishes has always been my dream opponent of all time; I wish I could wrestle myself. I think that’s probably the closest I’m going to get, wrestling Je’Von at Bound For Glory. I’m glad that we lived up to the expectations. People were clamoring to see it and still clamoring to see another one today, and people are still watching that one back. The fact that we got to steal the show on TNA’s biggest night of the year is something I hold very near and dear to my heart. I’m only striving towards more moments and matches like that.”
You also took part in the big Team TNA vs. Team NXT match on NXT back in October of last year. What has it been like for you to not only work with some of the best TNA has to offer but also be a part of this unprecedented partnership?
“It’s the best man, and I’m super, super happy and proud to be a part of TNA in 2026. Just because, as you said, this is the stuff that all of those fantasy bookings we made when we were younger, like, ‘oh my God, what if WWE invaded TNA?’ or vice versa, that stuff is coming true right now. To be one of the figureheads and one of the people who represent TNA during this time is something I hold great pride in. I grew up a massive TNA kid. TNA is huge in the UK, especially for people of a certain echelon. Growing up a TNA kid and getting to be in the position I am now, holding the X-Division Championship, getting to be one of the faces of the company, and going over to defend the company’s honor in a way on someone else’s program, is something I hold very massively near and dear to me.”
We saw Lei Ying Lee defeat Arianna Grace to win back the TNA Knockouts Championship last night on TNA Wrestling. What was it like for you to see TNA get its gold back?
“Pride is the thing that washed over me initially. I think we worked so hard. I don’t even want to say we. That’s all of them. The Knockout’s division has worked so hard. It had this rap maybe a year, 18 months, or just in the past; ‘The Knockouts division is not what it used to be, the Knockouts division is not what it was back in 2006-2007.’ All of those girls take that personally, in a good way. They have been working tirelessly to have the match of the night, put on these great performances, and keep this belt away from the folks over at NXT. I couldn’t think of anyone better right now than Lei Ying to represent what’s going on in that division.”
TNA also made its debut on the AMC Network. What has it been like for you to see TNA expand and get back into millions more homes on the AMC Network?
“It’s phenomenal. It really is. I feel like the crew, the roster, management, and everyone we have working with us at TNA really deserve it. For the past two and a half years that I’ve been with the company, it’s shifted monumentally, even goes back before I was here, back in the IMPACT days in Skyway, everyone was working so hard to get an opportunity to be on a network like AMC. Now that we are, I feel like we got what we deserve, and we’re smashing it out of the park every week, putting on the best quality professional wrestling show. Never mind good, never mind great, we’re striving to be the best. I feel like that’s what we’re delivering right now.”
Right now, The System is running things over in TNA, despite your various run-ins with them. What has it been like to face off with them lately and stand side-by-side with an old, bitter rival of yours, Moose?
“It’s been a really cool opportunity for me to work with Moose, who’s been running things at TNA, over the past year or so. People don’t give him enough credit, but he’s a TNA legend. He’s one of the longest-tenured people we have on the roster right now. It’s him, Eddie Edwards, and Rosemary, who have been with us for nearly 10 years. Back when I was like 11 or 12 years old, when those guys first started at TNA, which is crazy to say. To get the chance to learn from Moose, not only as an opponent, but now as a tag team partner, and someone I consider a friend and a little bit of a mentor, has been an extremely cool opportunity. Just seeing how he handles himself and the way he deals with certain situations has been very interesting for me to learn. Seeing it from the shoes of someone who’s been here so long. That feud we had last year will forever be special to me because it got me to the point I’m at now, being the X-Division Champion. He was a great mountain for me to climb. Now, I’ve come over the other side of that mountain, and I feel like I’ve earned his respect, and that brings us to where we are now, which draws us closer together in our mutual hatred of Cedric, Eddie, and the whole System. I’m glad to be on the same page as Moose right now… Similar to what I was saying with Moose, it’s been great for me to be in the ring with guys who have been wrestling as long as I’ve been alive. That dates back to last year when I started teaming with Matt and Jeff (Hardy). I can’t count how many times I’ve wrestled different combinations of the System. Whether it’s Eddie and Brian, or Eddie and Moose, or Dango and Eddie and Bryan, or Bear and Cedric, you know what I mean? Obviously, Lish has been in and out. To get to see how they operate and how they control things has been very interesting to me. They have the strength in numbers, and we’ve seen people try to beat those numbers like Order 4 or Dark State back at Slammiversary. They say you can’t beat The System; they’ve proven us right so far. They’re not unbeatable, but they’re pretty hard to beat. Getting to learn from everyone who has a lifetime in this game has been very helpful for me in getting to the point where I’m at now.”
TNA is returning to Sacramento, CA on May 14th & 15th for back-to-back nights of Total Non-Stop Action on the Road to Slammiversary, where you will be defending your TNA X-Division Championship against Cedric Alexander in a two-out-of-three falls match. What is your mindset heading into this one and coming to Sacramento?
“I’m very excited, not only to be in Sacramento and be with the fans over in California, who I believe are some of the best fans in all of the world, never mind just America, but I’m excited at the chance to bounce Cedric’s head off the canvas two times instead of just one. I’m excited to give him two Swanton 450’s, instead of just one. He stands in my way right now. I’m about to become the longest X-Division Champion of all-time, the longest reigning, beating Austin Aries record. This is the last hurdle. I’ve always envisioned myself, I’ve always visualized myself, in a position like this, holding what could arguably be called the marquee title of TNA, the X-Division, the signature division of TNA. Being the figurehead of that for the past year or so has been something I’m immensely proud of and care deeply about. To get the chance to not only make history winning the belt, being the youngest to ever do it, but to become the longest to ever do it, when I make it past Cedric, I feel bad for Cedric on May 14th because I’m coming in on a whole different level… Cedric is one of the best, but I am the best. I’ve proven that over the past year or so. Cedric has a history that runs very deeply. I remember seeing him and Kota Ibushi in the Cruiserweight Classic 10 years ago now, in 2016, and that changed my entire outlook on wrestling. I’ve never seen wrestling of that style, that pace, that hard-hitting style, and Cedric was the one who kind of introduced me to that. To get the chance to wrestle him twice before and beat him both times, I’m very excited to beat him for a third and hopefully final time.”
How important is it to you to break the record of Austin Aries and become the longest-reigning X-Division Champion?
“It’s paramount to me. It really is. It’s of the utmost importance. My goal in wrestling has always been that when I’m done with wrestling, I want to say I completed it. I’ve been everywhere, I’ve done everything, and I’m in as many record books as I possibly can be. My name is already etched in history one time with the youngest record, and this is just another accolade on the list for Leon Slater, here as I knock off the longest X-Division reign of all time. Who knows what’s after that? I could hold this until I’m ready to give it up and use Option C, or I can hold it until someone’s good enough to come and beat me for it. But, I don’t see that happening for a very long time. I’m very excited for Sacramento. I’m very excited to bounce Cedric’s head off the mat two times instead of three, and I’m very excited to become the longest-reigning X-Division Champion of all time.”
It feels like Slammiversary is a great show for you, as you knocked off Moose to win the X-Division Championship last year, followed by a post-match celebration with AJ Styles. What’s your mindset heading into this year’s event?
“This is the question on everyone’s mind. How do I top last year? At this juncture, I’m honestly not sure. I think once I get past Cedric, the path to Slammiversary becomes clearer. There will be new challengers and new opponents and new mountains to climb. Heading into Slammiversary, you always want to make it special. For me, I always want to make some sort of history and break some type of record, especially considering what happened last year. I don’t know what it’s going to be, but I feel it in my gut and in my heart that Slammiversary 2026 will be another very special night for Leon Slater.”
What are your future goals?
“I want the world. I really want the world. The world is mine, and I truly believe that. Once I’m done with the X-Division, whether that be Option C, and moving up to that World Title picture, or someone gets their stuff together and manages to get the belt off of me, I’d love to have a run as TNA World Champion. I feel like I’ve done everything I possibly can to make this X-Division Championship reign as special and as monumental as I possibly can. The only step up I can think of is the World Title. But that International Championship is looking better and better by the day. It’s something that’s always capturing my eye. Especially the opportunity to make some history and be the first actual international person to win that belt. It went from Steve Maclin, to Stacks, to Trey Miguel, and now to Ali, who have all done a great job adding to the prestige of that title since it was made last year. But there’s yet to be someone truly international to hold that international title. I’ve got Option A, Option B, or Option C. Whether it’s the International Championship or the World Championship, I think you’re going to see Leon Slater with gold around his neck for the remainder of 2026.”
Any future opponents you’d like to share the ring with?
“All that talk of the International Championship has really gotten me wanting a match with Mustafa Ali. I think he’s one of the best performers that we have in TNA. I think he has the same mindset as me in terms of trying to steal the show every time he walks out of that curtain, whether it’s a promo, backstage, or a match. I think Mustafa Ali. Again, he has a claim to be one of the better X-Division Champions in recent memory. His run in 2024, when he first came into the company, he won the X-Division Championship on his first night there. He went on to do great things with it. Just like I have, and I’ve done great things with the X-Division Title. I feel like it would be a great measurement to see where I’m at. The funny thing about Ali, my first four months in TNA, I believe it was May 2024, we had a one-on-one match, it lasted no longer than eight minutes. I think it was eight to 10 minutes. That’s all I managed to last with him. But I’m a completely different wrestler, I’m a completely different human being than I was two years ago. I’d love to see how I’d measure up to someone of the caliber of Mustafa Ali, or more accurately, how he would measure up to someone of the caliber of Leon Slater.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this interview, please credit PWMania.com with a h/t to PWMania.com for the transcription.
