WWE's AJ Styles Endorses TNA Star Pulling Out His Signature Move At Emergence
Since its creation, no one has been able to hit the Styles Clash better than its inventor, AJ Styles. But that might have changed upon last night's showing between Leon Slater and former WWE star, Cedric Alexander, at TNA Emergence.
During their collision for the X-Division Championship, the challenger, Alexander, had Slater set up for another suplex. Before he could execute it, the current and reigning champion, Slater, countered the move by stacking his opponent's shoulders on the mat, then flipping him into the Styles Clash. It was a too sweet move that was hit perfectly, so perfectly that even "The Phenomenal One" commented on Slater's performance immediately after on X [formerly known as Twitter] with, "[playful emoji] Slater Clash!!"
😏Slater Clash!! https://t.co/t7FxduPuEi
— AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg) August 16, 2025
The inaugural and former six-time X-Division Champion gave his stamp of approval to Slater when the future Hall of Famer returned to TNA at Slammiversary, for the first time in over a decade, last month. Styles congratulated Slater after he defeated Moose for the title, marking him the youngest-ever X-Division Champion in company history at 20-years-old. He endorsed the young champion by stating that the British star is the future of the X-Division.
There's only ONE Phenomenal @AJStylesOrg — and he just stamped his approval on the "Youngest in Charge" @LEONSLATER_!
Watch #TNASlammiversary LIVE on TNA+: https://t.co/bUyG5ln9JT pic.twitter.com/Cy6nEM08Wu
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 21, 2025
Speaking of younger talent, the former Bullet Club leader has found himself in a tangible clash with the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Dominik Mysterio, as of late. Styles couldn't unseat the champion, as Mysterio played dirty to retain his championship at SummerSlam earlier this month. This past Monday on "WWE Raw," Styles took another loss to the Judgment Day star in tag team action.