EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Hardy Officially A Fan Of Leon Slater's Swanton 450

Leon Slater has wowed fans around with the world in recent years with his physics-defying Swanton 450 that sees 'The Youngest In Charge' begin his dive from the top rope with a Swanton Bomb and then somehow almost freeze in mid-air before he transitions to a 450 Splash.

The move has repeatedly gone viral on X (FKA Twitter) and it turns out the man who popularised the Swanton Bomb in the United States, Jeff Hardy, is a fan of Leon Slater's finishing move.

Leon Slater exclusively revealed to Cultaholic Wrestling's Tom Campbell that Jeff texted his brother Matt Hardy following April's Rebellion pay-per-view to call the Swanton 450 "badass." This partly blew Leon's mind as Jeff Hardy is his favourite wrestler.

"Obviously Matt showed up and I had no clue that Matt was showing up, I didn't see him all day. So I was freaking out when Matt showed up and I got to meet him the next day on the tapings. I was talking to Matt, which was already a crazy thing because Matt and Jeff come as like a one-two punch, and he was explaining to me that Jeff had texted him because I was on the pre-show of Rebellion, which is the pay-per-view that Matt returned on. So Jeff had been texting Matt saying, 'Hey, I seen this Swanton 450 and I think it's badass.' I was like, 'OH MY GOD. THE JEFF HARDY.' At this time I'm wanting to reach out and touch Matt and see if he's real because I've only seen him on my phone and TV, and his brother, my favourite wrestler of all time, has seen my move and thinks it's cool. That made my life. I think I could quit wrestling after that to be honest," Leon said.

Leon Slater is such a fan of Jeff Hardy that he even likes the much-maligned Immortal version of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and would happily revive it if the 19-year-old wins the X-Division Title.

"I don't know why, it's so cool! It's so cool! If I could have that belt, I would have it. If we could change the X-Division belt to the Jeff Immortal belt I would have it done like that," Slater added.

Leon Slater has been a part of TNA since October 2023. The promotion has recently begun working with WWE NXT on a more permanent basis and Leon revealed he would be interested in crossing over to the WWE brand.