TNA Wrestling X-Division Championship Plans Following Leon Slater Exercising Option C

TNA

TNA Wrestling has shared an official update on the future of the X-Division Championship, and how the next titleholder will be crowned.

Leon Slater defeated Cedric Alexander at TNA Lockdown to win back the X-Division Title, and avoid the stipulation where if Alexander would’ve won, Slater’s record-tying title reign would’ve been erased from history.

With Slater announcing later that night that he was exercising Option C and challenging for Nic Nemeth’s TNA World Championship at Bound For Glory, the new X-Division Champion’s reign lasted less than a day.

TNA Wrestling has now announced that the next champion will be crowned at Bound For Glory, on the same night Slater challenges for the company’s top prize.

In a video shared to social media, Director of Authority Santino Marella stated:

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is I, Santino Marella, the Director of Authority. Leon Slater has exercised Option C, which means he will challenge for the TNA World Title.

“In light of that, he has vacated the X Division Championship, and we will be starting a series of qualifying matches, in which the winner of each match will then be in a six-way match for the X Division title at Bound For Glory.”

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TNA Wrestling has yet to officially announce the qualifying matches for the championship bout at Bound For Glory.

There has been some speculation since Lockdown that Avery Styles could compete for – and perhaps even win – the vacant X-Division Championship, given his father’s history with the gold.

AJ Styles was notably the inaugural TNA X-Division Champion, winning the gold in a four-way double elimination match against Low Ki, Jerry Lynn and Psicosis in June 2002.

Having been advertised for the event, Avery Styles announced at Lockdown that he had officially signed with TNA Wrestling.

Another star who will likely be vying for a spot in October’s championship match include former champion Cedric Alexander, whose reign was ended at the hands of Leon Slater after 101 days.

Bound For Glory 2026 will emanate from the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, October 11.

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• bound for glory
• champion
• Vacate
• TNA
• X Division

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