WWE and TNA Wrestling icon AJ Styles has confirmed he will retire in 2026, and one man is determined to get him in the ring.
Current X-Division Champion Leon Slater is holding a title made famous by the Phenomenal One, and he is certain he and Styles will face each other in the coming months.
Before Sunday’s Bound For Glory event, the TNA star exclusively told Metro: ‘1,000% and I will go as far as to say it’s not an if, but it’s a when.’
The 21-year-old trailblazer is a ‘big believer in the power of the mind and the power of manifestation’, and he’s confident a match with Styles is written in the stars.
‘This is a definitely another case of putting it out into the world, keep working towards the opportunity. And I believe that the powers will be will make it happen,’ he said.
As Styles nears the end of an illustrious career that started back in 1998, Slater is keen to learn from his idol’s past to shape his own future.
‘I think AJ Styles has had maybe the most perfect career out of any professional wrestler. And if I could follow anyone’s blueprint, it would most definitely be his,’ he added.
He pointed to the 48-year-old superstar putting TNA ‘on his back’, moving on and finding success in Japan with the Bullet Club, before joining WWE in 2016 and forging a whole other legacy.
‘By the end of it, when it’s all said and done, I want people to be able to say that Leon Slater is one of the greatest to ever do it,’ he smiled. ‘And I think AJ Styles has led a pretty good blueprint to do that.’
This weekend’s Bound For Glory, an event Styles built in the early years, will give Slater a chance to do the same.
He’s defending his X-Division Title against fellow 21-year-old rising star Je’Von Evans, who has been delighting WWE fans on NXT – and both men have been hailed as the future of the entire industry.
‘This is probably the youngest dream match in wrestling history. I can’t remember another time in professional wrestling wheretwo 21 year olds have been at this point in their careers and have been this parallel,’ he smiled.
He noted how both men are ‘very similar athletes’ and people away from the ring, and he agrees with some fans hailing them as ‘the alternate universe version of each other’.
They’ll be opponents this weekend, but they recently teamed up on an episode of NXT, while they were on opposite sides of the TNA/WWE men’s elimination bout at ShowDown earlier this week.
Slater, who described his first two WWE matches as a ‘feather in the cap’, is ‘even more excited’ to face Evans after getting a taste.
‘I don’t think I’ve teamed with anyone that quite matches my energy like Je’Von does,’ he said. ‘It was super, super fun teaming with him, and that got me, honestly, even more excited for the matchup at Bound for Glory.’
Speaking of Bound For Glory, it’s a stacked card featuring everyone from prospects like Slater and Evans, through to a final ever meeting between iconic tag teams the Hardy Boyz and Team 3D.
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Both the NXT and TNA tag titles will be on the line as the four men battle in a Table Match with decades of history and experience on display.
‘Especially in Matt and Jeff’s case, they could have retired 15 years ago and still been the greatest tag team of all time,’ he argued. ‘I really do think it’s a testament to Matt and Jeff and Bubba and D-Von that in 2025, after all the history they’ve made and their historic careers, that they’re they’re still going, and they’re still killing it.’
Elsewhere on the card is a ‘sports entertainment main event style’ clash between Mike Santana and WWE’s TNA Champ Trick Williams, while Kelani Jordan will defend the Knockouts Title against Indi Hartwell in a ‘killer’ bout.
Slater is clearly excited, and he pointed to the rich diversity in styles and combinations across the whole Bound For Glory card.
‘I truly believe that TNA is the biggest variety show in professional wrestling right now,’ he said. ‘If you’re a professional wrestling fan, I think you’d be a fool to miss out on Bound for Glory.’
He added: ‘No matter what your flavour is, if you watch Bound for Glory, you’re gonna find something for you.’
UK & Ireland fans an watch Bound For Glory on Sunday at midnight using an exclusive new TNA+ VIP Tier, which includes every PLE and PPV, all episodes of iMPACT! Access and the entire TNA library.
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