Current TNA World Champion Leon Slater did not just made waves within TNAhe also makes frequent appearances in WWE, both on WWE NXT and on the main roster, thanks to his company’s partnership with the pro wrestling giant. Slater notably appeared at John Cena’s retirement show, WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C., in December 2025, where he teamed with Je’Von Evans to take on AJ Styles and Dragon Lee.
Slater talked to Extreme Channel and explained a little more about his time in NXT. He said he will be doing a TNA and NXT ring for two to three weeks because he still lives in the UK. He recalled a time when he thought he would be able to fly home with gaps in his schedule, only to find out that wasn’t the case.
“I asked them. “Oh, well, I’ll go home here, huh?” he said. The traveling lady of “NXT” says: “No, you’ll be in DC that weekend.” I go, ‘Okay. Cool. I didn’t really think about it, and I walked away, thinking. Then I understood and said: “Oh my God!” As the negotiations continued and it was formalized, it began to become a reality. The weekend itself was just incredible. I have many friends there. I met a lot of my childhood heroes… That day was really a dream, it was unbelievable.”
Slater, who was the TNA X-Division Champion at the time, and Evans would be defeated by Styles and Lee, who were the World Tag Team Champions at the time. After the match, all four men saluted Cena in the ring.
Slater talks to John Cena
Slater said Saturday night’s main event alongside Evans is the match he’s most proud of in his career. He also talked about meeting Cena and said that the Never Seen 17 was actually one of the first people he saw when they came back in the gorilla position after the match. Slater described Cena as a “legend” and said he always “gives so much.”
“For someone who has so much on his plate between the Hollywood stuff and all his other interests and his involvement in WWE, he gives so much of his time,” he said. “That was my biggest step since meeting John… I saw him in the hallway earlier in the day and obviously I said, “It’s very nice to meet you, sir, thank you for having me,” and she said. “No, no. Thank you for being here…” He was just a real stand-up guy and he couldn’t have given more of his time, and he could have given his time more honestly, and he could have given his time better. match”.
The former X-Division Champion went on a tear in TNA in 2026, and his efforts culminated in a victory over Nick Nemeth in the main event of TNA Bound for Glory, where he captured the company’s top title. Slater earned the shot his third run since regaining the X-Division title From Cedric Alexander, last man standing in a steel cage match at TNA Lockdown.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Extreme Channel and credit ah/t Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
