Retiring WWE legend ‘could return to TNA’ for final dream match
He doesn't have long left as an active wrestler.
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.
Leon Slater insists a dream match is a matter of ‘when’ (Picture: TNA Wrestling) AJ Styles confirmed 2026 will be his retirement year (Picture: Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)‘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.
British wrestler Slater looks up to Styles (Picture: TNA Wrestling) This weekend, Slater will face Je’Von Evans (Picture: Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images)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.
It’s been described as the ‘youngest dream match’ in history (Picture: Bradlee Rutledge/ WWE Via Getty Images) Slater is excited given the comparisons between both men (Picture: TNA Wrestling)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.
