Matt Hardy Says Leon Slater Would Have Thrived in WWE’s Attitude Era: ‘He Is So Talented’

Matt Hardy has some high praise for his TNA protégé Leon Slater — high enough to place the 21-year-old alongside the biggest names of wrestling’s most celebrated period.

In an interview with GOW Media, Hardy said Slater is the kind of talent who would have excelled during the Attitude Era, the late-1990s/early-2000s period when The Hardy Boyz, Edge & Christian, and The Dudley Boyz were tearing the house down on a nightly basis.

“One person I think would have been great (in the Attitude Era), and I’m so jealous of how far he is at such a young age is Leon Slater,” Hardy said. “He’s one of those guys too (like) myself and Jeff, he’s like our kid, we kind of took him under our wing.”

Hardy pointed to the influence his brother Jeff has had on Slater’s in-ring style — most notably the Swanton 450, which draws a direct line back to Jeff’s trademark Swanton Bomb — but emphasized that Slater’s understanding of the business sets him apart. “He is 21 and he gets it. If there was some advice I’d give a younger me, he is the younger me, because he gets that advice and he has had it all. He understands it.”

The veteran Hardy also highlighted the work Slater is putting into the character side of his game. “He’s working really hard on his character aspects and trying to make people emotionally invested in him. But he is so talented, he is incredibly athletic, he is incredibly acrobatic and if he was around in the Attitude Era he would have killed it.”

Slater’s breakout 2025 included a historic TNA X-Division Championship reign — he fell just short of becoming the longest-reigning champion in the title’s history, finishing his 298-day run tied with Austin Aries before losing the belt to Cedric Alexander on the May 14 episode of TNA Impact. He’s now looking to reclaim it at this Sunday’s Slammiversary PPV in Boston, where he’ll be one of seven competitors in an Ultimate X Match also featuring Alexander, Fabian Aichner, KC Navarro, Mr. Elegance, Frankie Kazarian, and the returning Amazing Red.

With glowing endorsements from a Hardy Boy and a Slammiversary spotlight moment ahead, Slater’s trajectory looks pointed firmly upward.