Backstage Update on Why TNA Didn’t Book Leon Slater to Become Longest-Reigning X-Division Champion

Leon Slater came so close to becoming the longest-reigning TNA X-Division Champion but was shockingly dethroned earlier this month. Slater lost a Two Out of Three Falls match to Cedric Alexander on the May 14, 2026, episode of Thursday Night iMPACT.

He ended up tying with Austin Aries as the joint-longest-reigning X-Division Champion at 298 days. Naturally, a lot of fans were upset that Leon Slater didn’t get to break the record. In the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WOR), Dave Meltzer provided a potential reason why TNA didn’t let that happen.

According to Meltzer, Slater is believed to be headed to either WWE or AEW once his deal with the company expires. However, he did not reveal when Slater’s contract will expire.

Slater has competed at several NXT and WWE main roster shows ever since TNA entered into a working relationship with WWE. He notably competed at John Cena’s retirement show, Saturday Night’s Main Event, last December, teaming up with Je’Von Evans to face then-World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Dragon Lee.

In January 2026, during WWE’s European Tour, Leon Slater answered then-United States Champion Carmelo Hayes’ Open Challenge on Friday Night SmackDown. Slater has yet to compete in All Elite Wrestling.