Leon Slater: When I First Started Staying In The States, Drake Maverick (Rockstar Spud) Made Me Feel At Home… I Stayed With Him For A Few Weeks
Slater gives Maverick his flowers.
Since the summer of 2025, Leon Slater has been reigning as TNA X Division Champion. As of this writing, he’s had nine defenses of the title.
As Slater was speaking to PWInsider, he was asked to name TNA alumni whom he’d like to defend the belt against. He named Amazing Red and Rockstar Spud a.k.a. Drake Maverick. He then told the story of how Maverick looked out for him when he first began staying in the USA.
“My go-to is always Amazing Red. I was lucky enough to wrestle him just before Bound for Glory at House of Glory in New York in 2025, and that was a massive dream match for me. The other one is more personal—Rockstar Spud. When I first started staying in the States, Spud really went out of his way to make me feel at home. I stayed with him for a few weeks, even though we’d barely known each other. I learned so much from him. To have that full-circle moment and defend the X Division Title against someone I see as a mentor would mean everything.”
Present day, Maverick is a writer for WWE. He was an on-screen talent for the company and previously served as the General Manager of the now-defunct 205 Live brand.
