Add as a preferred source on Google Leon Slater failed to break the all-time TNA X-Division Championship record, and the finish is already raising questions about his future with the company.
On the May 14 episode of iMPACT!, which aired live from Sacramento, California, Slater put the title on the line against Cedric Alexander in a 2 Out of 3 Falls Match. TNA itself promoted the bout as Slater’s chance to become the longest-reigning champion in X-Division history.
Alexander, however, won the match and ended Slater’s reign, which finished tied with Austin Aries at 298 days. After the match, Fabian Aichner, formerly known as Giovanni Vinci in WWE, made a surprise appearance and stared down the new champion.
A lot of people were mad about TNA not letting Leon Slater break the record for longest X-Division Title reign, but the belief is Slater is gone to WWE or AEW when his contract is up.
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) May 29, 2026
– @WONF4W pic.twitter.com/HFyBfPKyQ0
The decision frustrated some fans, especially because Slater needed so little time to stand alone at the top of the title’s all-time list. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, though, the belief is that Slater will eventually leave TNA for WWE or AEW once his contract expires.
Slater won the X-Division Championship at Slammiversary 2025, defeating Moose to become the youngest champion in the title’s history. That same night, AJ Styles returned to TNA and pointed to the British star as the future of the division.
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Slater has already appeared on WWE programming through the company’s partnership with TNA, which has only added to the perception that he is on WWE’s radar. AEW, meanwhile, has also been mentioned backstage as a real possibility.