The meteoric rise of Leon Slater

Leon Slater is one of the fast-rising stars in world wrestling right now. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise, grabbing headlines globally for his dazzling displays in WWE rings, and now stands as the new number one contender for the NXT Championship.

Slater recently won a frantic Fatal Four-Way against Joe Hendry, Myles Borne, and Dion Lennox to earn his shot at NXT: New Year’s Evil on January 6, 2026. Standing in his way is champion Oba Femi, who recently battled Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in a Champion vs. Champion clash at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

The current TNA X Division Champion shared that card with Femi vs. Rhodes, teaming with Je’Von Evans against WWE World Tag Team Champions Dragon Lee and legendary AJ Styles. Though defeated, it added another highlight to Slater’s résumé on the night John Cena retired, losing the main event to former PROGRESS star GUNTHER (formerly WALTER).

Slater’s focus now locks on Femi and NXT gold, a title held by icons like Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Finn Bálor, and Bron Breakker.

His rise started alongside Man Like DeReiss in the West Midlands’ 0121 movement, key to Birmingham’s indie scene. Slater debuted for PROGRESS in May 2022 as a teenager at Chapter 134: No Mountain High Enough, falling to Ricky Knight Jr. before tagging with RKJ against Sunshine Machine for the Tag Titles.

He shone in the 2023 Natural Progression Series (semi-finals) against foes like Francesco Akira, Blake Christian, and Konosuke Takeshita. PROGRESS momentum propelled him to TNA’s X Division for a fast-tracked push.

In May 2025, Slater returned for Super Strong Style 16 at Camden’s Electric Ballroom, reaching the final by pinning Jack Morris (R1), Zozaya (QF), and Michael Oku (SF), before a razor-close loss to DeReiss. That run, plus his X Division reign, signals Slater leads wrestling’s next generation.

Via the TNA-WWE partnership, his NXT spots have globalised his PROGRESS/TNA buzz, cementing him as a generational high-flyer.

Leon Slater’s path from 0121 and PROGRESS to TNA X Division Champion and NXT contender compresses years into whirlwind triumphs, his ascent is just starting.

Catch PROGRESS stars live at Chapter 188: UNBOXING VIII – The Search for Socks, Electric Ballroom, Sunday 28th December 2025, with tickets now available by clicking here.