Matt Hardy has heaped praise on TNA’s Leon Slater, going so far as to say the 21-year-old would have thrived during WWE’s famed Attitude Era.
Hardy, who, along with his brother Jeff, has taken the young high-flyer under their wing in TNA, made the comments in an interview with GOW Media. He admitted he is in awe of how far Slater has come at such a young age.
“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.
Hardy explained that Slater has become like family to the Hardys, and that the admiration runs both ways.
“He’s one of those guys, like myself and Jeff. He’s like our kid, we kind of took him under our wing,” Hardy said. “Obviously he was a huge Hardy Boyz fan. His motivation for the Swanton 450 was Jeff’s Swanton, obviously. But dude, he is 21 and he gets it.”
For Hardy, what sets Slater apart is his maturity and his hunger to learn. “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,” Hardy said. He noted that Slater is rounding out his game beyond his athleticism. “He’s working really hard on his character aspects and trying to make people emotionally invested in him.”
Ultimately, Hardy believes Slater has everything it takes. “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,” Hardy said.
Slater is set to compete in the Ultimate X match for the TNA X Division Championship at Slammiversary this Sunday.
