TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater spoke with The Sun in the UK about various topics, including receiving an endorsement from WWE legend “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles at Slammiversary.
Slater said, “So the first major interaction I had with him was at Slammiversary where he returned to TNA and came out and sung my praises in the middle of the ring, which I will never forget. That’s the moment I’ll always remember. He also pulled me aside for a chat after we came back from the ring, and he spoke to me on everything like match feedback, how to handle yourself in wrestling, how to handle yourself as a man, be a family man, how to operate and how it’s made him successful. He just gave me pure wisdom. So, getting to share that moment with him in my home at TNA was incredible.”
On facing Styles at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event:
“And then getting to share another moment with him in his home for the last 10 years, in WWE, and especially on the night that it was – it’s still hard for me to believe I was there. I’ll see clips from that night of like John being stood in the ring and putting his armbands and his and his and his sneakers and I was like, ‘Bro, I was stood right there!’ It almost feels like a fever dream, but it was real. That whole day was just magical. For the match, I couldn’t have asked to be around better people. AJ, who’s one of my absolute idols. And then Dragon, another super hungry, young guy that’s been smashing it and I used to watch his work when he used to wrestle all over the world. And then obviously, having Je’Von, one of my best friends as my partner was another dream come true. I remember very distinctly as we walked back from that match, it was a good feeling. I remember trying to take it all in. And then I come in Gorilla, and it was like a who’s who of of legends was stood there and I was like what is going on, like I can’t believe my life right now. Triple H was in the chair there, Bruce Pritchard was sat next to him, Michael Hayes is there. The Undertaker stood at the back of the room, Shawn Michaels is there. I walk out of Gorilla and Kurt Angle‘s there, RVD’s there; like everyone that I’ve ever watched growing up just seemed to be there, and it truly was a magical day, man. It was wicked.”
On Triple H’s advice to him at Saturday Night’s Main Event:
“After the Saturday Night’s Main Event match, I had a really cool little chat with Triple H where he pulled me to a side for a couple of seconds, and spoke to me and Gorilla, and especially on a night like that where there’s so much going on and I am far from the priority, you know what I mean, I thought it was very cool of him to do that when he doesn’t need to. And I’ve had a bunch of experiences like that, man, like I can’t sing enough praises for how I got treated during my couple of months with WWE at the tail end of last year.”
On facing Carmelo Hayes on Smackdown during the UK tour:
“I’ll be honest, that’s probably the most comfortable I ever felt in a WWE ring because I felt like I was with my people, you know what I’m saying, like I remember. There was one point where Carmelo was punching me in the face or something, like, I was getting battered, but I remember hearing ‘he’s one of our own, he’s one of our own.’ And then I was like, ‘OK, right, we’re really at home. We’ve got the chants going and everything!’ Me and Melo hit it off, man, I feel like our chemistry and ring was on a different level and I’m glad we got to deliver that night in Wembley.”
On working with the likes of the Hardys and Nic Nemeth in TNA:
“It’s been a dream come true, man. When I walk into the TNA locker room, I’ve been here for a couple of years now, like you said, I’ve been rubbing shoulders, I’ve been working with these guys, they’re my peers now. So when I walk in the locker room, I see Matt [Hardy], I see Jeff [Hardy], I see Nick [Nemeth], I don’t see Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy and Nick Nemeth. Even though I should and there’s these points in time where I do have to pinch myself and I go like, oh my God, like the calibre of people that I’m sharing a locker room with and the calibre of people that I’ve been lucky to work with.”
