TNA's Leon Slater Is Happy To Be 'Figurehead' Of Wrestling's Next Generation

TNA World Champion Leon Slater has discussed the growing opportunities for young wrestlers, expressing his willingness to represent his generation.

Many young stars across TNA, WWE, and AEW have been pushed over the last year or so, with Slater being among the most successful, having recently become world champion. The young wrestler believes that his title win could be a catalyst for more youngsters to receive bigger opportunities.

"It's not only being the TNA World Champion, being at the stage of my career that I'm in and at the age that I'm at, like, it's wider than TNA. I am the youngest world champion in professional wrestling history, especially at least in the last 100 years or so," he began in his interview with "Wrestling Life Online." "And again, I feel like it could be the start of a movement here. We've seen more people pop up and be younger and younger and younger, whether it's myself, whether it's Je'Von Evans, whether it's Roxanne Perez, whether it's Nick Wayne, whether it's a Kyle Fletcher. Any of these guys that are kind of below 30, below 25 even. I feel like now more than ever we are staking our claim as not only the future, but as the now of the industry."

The TNA star said that he accepts being the face of this young generation of wrestlers coming through the ranks, and stated that it's a pressure that he's willing to bear.

"And to be the first person of that generation to win a world title and be trusted by their company to represent them, I could say it's a burden. But again, it's a privilege that I welcome, and it's a pressure that I welcome, and I'm glad that I can be the figurehead for this next generation," he concluded.

Slater is focused on making it big in the industry and recently outlined how he is trying to emulate TNA great AJ Styles, whom he hopes to surpass in the promotion.