Leon Slater is not shying away from one of the largest comparisons a TNA Wrestling talent can make.
The reigning TNA World Champion has made clear that he wants to establish himself as the next AJ Styles, an aspiration that recognizes both the scale of Styles’ legacy and the enormous work required to approach it. For Slater, the goal is not simply to be mentioned beside a former TNA cornerstone. It is to become the kind of performer whose identity becomes inseparable from the promotion’s own story.
Speaking about his interaction with Styles at TNA Slammiversary in 2025, Slater reflected on what that moment meant personally and historically. Styles was not merely a returning name on a major event. To Slater, he was the wrestler most closely associated with the company that Slater now represents as world champion.
“He is the TNA guy,” Slater said of Styles. “Even to this day, he is the TNA guy, and of course, I’m trying to overtake him as that.”
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That is a bold target, but it is also a fitting one for the youngest TNA World Champion in history. Slater reached that milestone when he defeated Nic Nemeth at Bound For Glory to win the TNA World Championship. The accomplishment immediately positioned him as a central figure in the company’s present, while his comments on Styles show that he is thinking just as seriously about TNA’s future.
AJ Styles’ Place In TNA History
Styles’ influence on TNA is difficult to separate from the promotion’s formative years. During a run that lasted nearly 12 years, he helped give the company a distinct in-ring identity. He was a foundational figure in the X-Division, the fast-paced branch of TNA wrestling that became a defining feature of the promotion and offered a different vision of what major American wrestling could look like.
The X-Division was never only about speed or aerial ability. At its strongest, it presented wrestlers as athletes who could bring urgency, creativity, technical skill and risk-taking into the same match. Styles became one of its most visible standard-bearers. His performances, championships and longevity helped make him a natural answer whenever fans discuss the wrestlers most responsible for shaping TNA’s legacy.
That context made his Slammiversary appearance especially meaningful. Styles had not been part of the company for more than a decade, yet his connection to TNA remained unmistakable. Rather than simply appearing before the audience as a celebrated former star, Styles used the opportunity to acknowledge the division and the wrestlers who helped establish it.
During his interaction with Slater, Styles pointed to Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Amazing Red and Homicide as fellow foundational names from the X-Division’s history. The moment linked several generations of TNA talent: those who helped create the division’s reputation, a returning icon whose career remains deeply tied to the company, and Slater as a champion being positioned as part of what comes next.
More Than A Ceremonial Endorsement
For Slater, the most striking part of the encounter was the time Styles chose to spend with him. Styles could have received a major reaction simply by walking onto the Slammiversary stage and acknowledging the crowd. Instead, he specifically praised Slater, who had just become a titleholder at that point.
“He could have come back and gone out on the stage and waved his hand and said, ‘Hi, thanks for coming to Slammiversary,’ but he chose to spend that time not only with me, but to sing my praises,” Slater said.
In wrestling, endorsements from established names can be valuable, but their importance depends on what follows. A symbolic passing-of-the-torch moment does not guarantee success. It can, however, spotlight the expectations surrounding a younger performer and give their rise a stronger historical frame. Styles’ words did not make Slater TNA’s future by themselves. They underlined the faith that has been placed in him while providing a memorable marker in his development.
Slater’s current status makes that endorsement look even more significant in retrospect. More than a year after Slammiversary 2025, he is no longer just a newly crowned titleholder receiving encouragement from one of TNA’s most recognizable alumni. He is the TNA World Champion, and he carries the responsibility that comes with being the promotion’s top champion.
The difference between being a promising young wrestler and becoming a company-defining figure is often measured over time. Championship wins matter, particularly one as historic as Slater’s victory over Nemeth. Still, the larger challenge is sustaining that position, delivering in prominent moments and helping give the promotion an identity that viewers associate with a particular era.
Slater’s Ambition Comes With Perspective
What stands out about Slater’s comments is that he did not minimize Styles’ accomplishments in order to state his own ambition. He openly acknowledged that Styles remains the name most closely linked with TNA. That perspective is important because it frames Slater’s goal as a pursuit rather than a claim already achieved.
“He is legendary,” Slater said, describing the scale of Styles’ connection to the company.
There is a clear respect in that assessment. Styles’ standing was built over years of performances and contributions to an evolving promotion, not through a single title reign or one signature event. Slater is aiming at that level of impact, understanding that the task is much larger than holding gold.
At the same time, every generation needs its own lead figures. TNA’s history cannot remain frozen around the same names forever, no matter how important those names are. The company’s long-term health depends on current talent becoming compelling enough to create new milestones and new associations for audiences. Slater’s desire to become the next AJ Styles speaks to that generational responsibility.
It does not necessarily mean copying Styles’ career, style or path. In fact, the more realistic interpretation is that Slater wants to occupy a comparable place in TNA’s culture: a performer who can represent the company at its highest level, embody its athletic identity and remain central to its biggest moments.
The Weight Of The TNA World Championship
Winning the TNA World Championship has put Slater in a position where those ambitions will be tested constantly. The champion is not only judged by victories and defenses. The role also demands visibility, confidence and the ability to make important matches feel important. For a wrestler who is already the youngest person to hold the title, those expectations arrive earlier than they do for many champions.
His victory over Nemeth at Bound For Glory provided a defining achievement, but it also raised the stakes of every step that follows. Nemeth is an experienced wrestling veteran, and defeating him gave Slater a landmark win. As champion, Slater now has the opportunity to turn that achievement into a longer statement about his place in TNA.
The Styles comparison will naturally remain a demanding one. Styles was a major figure across multiple stages of TNA’s history, and his association with the company has endured despite his lengthy absence. Slater does not need to erase that legacy for his own to matter. His stated ambition instead reflects a determination to reach the kind of stature that makes a wrestler synonymous with an era.
That is why the Slammiversary exchange continues to resonate. It brought together an established symbol of TNA’s past and a champion who wants to become a symbol of its present and future. Styles looked at a wrestler with major potential and called him the future of the X-Division. Slater has since added the TNA World Championship to his résumé, giving his pursuit even greater weight.
A New Standard To Chase
Slater’s comments are ultimately a declaration of intent. He knows who AJ Styles is to TNA. He knows the history of the X-Division and the wrestlers who built it. And he knows that becoming a lasting face of the company requires far more than saying the right words.
For now, Slater has one of the strongest platforms possible: the TNA World Championship and the distinction of being its youngest holder. He also has an endorsement from a wrestler whose name remains deeply woven into TNA history. The challenge is converting that momentum into the consistency and influence associated with the company’s greatest standard-bearers.
Slater is not presenting himself as the finished successor to Styles. He is presenting himself as someone determined to earn that conversation. In a company where the phrase “the house that AJ Styles built” still carries meaning, that may be the only credible way to approach such an ambitious goal.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.