TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater appeared on today’s episode of WWE SmackDown to answer Carmelo Hayes’ open challenge.
It was announced on last night’s debut episode of TNA iMPACT on AMC that Leon Slater would be unable to appear on that show or Genesis due to a visa issue. Less than 24 hours later, Slater was in a WWE ring on SmackDown, facing Carmelo Hayes for the United States Championship.
Slater didn’t win, but had a tremendous performance in front of his home country. But how did all of this come about? Is he really dealing with visa issues? Or was this a plan between TNA and WWE?
According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp (via Fightful Select), the visa issues for Slater are real, and TNA allowed WWE to use him while he was stuck back in his home in the United Kingdom.
TNA is working to get these visa issues rectified soon. Slater is believed to be under contract to TNA for the majority of 2026.
Stay tuned to WrestleZone for more information as it becomes available.
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What do you make of this report? Are you surprised that Leon Slater’s visa issues turned out to be legitimate? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
