Although nothing could be bigger then John Cena’s final match Leon Slater is hoping to steal the show tonight on SNME.
“I feel like I owe it to [AJ Styles] to put on a good performance and make sure that people can look back on that [Slammiversary] speech and go, ‘You know what? AJ Styles was right. That guy is everything he’s meant up to be.’ And I think Je’von’s coming in with the exact same mindset. So the fact that my main roster debut is against the guy that a lot of people would call Mr. TNA, I’ve always wanted to strive for that position and be the face of the company and be what AJ was in the 2000s to this new era of TNA. So I’m extremely excited. I’m ready for the nerves to set in, and I already know as soon as that music hits, I’m going to be quirking in my boots. I can’t lie. But once that bell rings, we’re going to steal the show,” he told Sports Illustrated.
Slater, the TNA X-Division Champion, will be teaming with NXT’s Je’Von Evans against World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Dragon Lee tonight.
Slate is proud to be partnering up with a friend outside of the ring.
“I think since we’ve had a couple of these big moments together, we’ve actually become pretty good friends. Ever since we did the first tag match on NXT, even like the chemistry was just there instantly…and I think after Bound for Glory, sharing that special moment in the middle of all of those people in the middle of a record crowd at TNA, stuff like that just brings you closer together. So now, heading into Saturday Night’s Main Event against AJ and Dragon Lee, the biggest opportunity of both our careers, I don’t think I’m wrong in saying. It’s very cool to know that I’ve got one of my best friends by my side heading into the biggest opportunity of my life,” he said.
About tonight’s “passing of the torch” between Cena and Gunther, Slater said: “I think everyone in my generation right now is in a very, very fortunate position where we are at a time where the guard is changing. There’s been a couple of generations in between us where the John Cenas, the AJ Styles, the Tanahashis have still been like in their prime as people have been coming up and there’s only so far you can get…With those positions being freed up, whether that’s through injury or people retiring or people slowing down even, it’s a great opportunity for all of us to slot up and take those spots.”
