Leon Slater is not shy about his ambition. The reigning TNA World Champion has admitted he wants to overtake AJ Styles as the face of TNA Wrestling — the company Styles carried on his back for nearly 12 years.
Leon Slater (Credits: Ringside News)
Leon Slater Wants to Surpass AJ Styles as TNA’s Defining Star
Speaking to Wrestling Life, Slater reflected on his encounter with Styles at TNA Slammiversary 2025, calling it an unbelievable moment. “The company that I work for, the company that I’m currently the world champion of, was on the back of this man for years. He is the TNA guy. Even to this day, he is the TNA guy, and of course, I’m trying to overtake him as that.”
What made the moment special was that Styles didn’t have to acknowledge him at all. After more than a decade away from the company he helped build, Styles could have simply waved to the crowd and left. Instead, he spent time with Slater and sang his praises — while naming X-Division legends like Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Amazing Red, and Homicide and declaring Slater the future of the division.
Youngest TNA World Champion Targets AJ Styles’ Legacy
Slater has backed up the talk in the ring, beating Nic Nemeth at Bound For Glory to become the youngest TNA World Champion in company history. But his goal is bigger than titles: he wants his name to become as synonymous with TNA as Styles’ has been for years.
That’s a towering target. Styles was the driving force behind TNA’s X-Division and remains its most iconic homegrown star. But Slater isn’t trying to erase that history — he wants to build a legacy big enough that the next generation hears “TNA Wrestling” and thinks of him first.
Also Read: TNA iMPACT Results (10/29): Amazing Red Defends X-Division Title | Frankie Kazarian and Avery Styles Make Tag Team Debut on November 5 TNA iMPACT
Source: Ringside News — read the full story there.
