through cross-promotional partnershipA number of TNA Wrestling stars have managed to appear in WWE NXT and vice versa. Such was the case with TNA’s Leon Slater, who made several trips to WWE’s developmental brand in 2026.
In the last episode “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” Slater explained how those opportunities have come as a huge benefit to him, both in and out of the ring.
“It really changed the game for me,” he said. “Just being in that environment, being around that category of people and being able to learn from people like Matt Bloom, Terry Taylor or Shawn Michaels, it was a life-changing experience. I think for me, maybe even more important than in the ring, I learned how to handle myself from that. how you talk to people is as important as how you carry yourself when you walk into a meeting place.”
Slater’s ‘NXT’ in-ring debut saw him and Jevon Evans face The Culling’s Shawn Spears and Nico Vance on the September 30, 2025 edition of ‘NXT’. More outings followed, with Slater notably contending for the NXT Tag Team and NXT Championships.
His last appearance pitted him against then-NXT Champion Oba Femi at the NXT New Year’s Eve in January 2026. Femi saved then known for leaving the title behind to make a clean transition to the WWE main roster. Slater, though unsuccessful, still returned to TNA as the X-Division Champion. 10 months later he now holds the promotion’s biggest prize, the TNA World Title.
If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” with ah/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
