Heath Slater Says He Wasn’t Ready To Be World Champion, Wanted To Be Intercontinental Champion

Heath Slater signed with WWE in 2006 and despite nearly 15 years in the company, never broke past midcard status.

Slater is a former multi-time Tag Team Champion, a one-time 24/7 Champion and was used regularly on television during his run, but his list of accolades isn’t very long. And, the truth according to Slater, is that he wasn’t ready for the tip-top spot in the company.

“Hell no,” Slater told Lilian Garcia on Chasing Glory when asked if he was ready for the World Title. “I was there for a decade, a whole decade. I might have a faction here, a faction there. I was in so many factions. I was always that little puzzle piece. I didn’t see myself being champ. Why? Mentally, I wasn’t there.”

Perhaps Slater’s most memorable run was when he became a free agent following the 2016 WWE Draft. The story eventually ended with Slater teaming with Rhyno to win the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. But Slater wanted a little more from the storyline.

“The whole storyline with being a free agent was ‘let me prove myself and get up to the IC ranks.’ That’s the one title I always wanted. That’s the one title that all the greats actually held. I wasn’t mentally ready. I wasn’t even physically ready. I gave up in the gym too. Why do you think I was wearing my shirt? I wasn’t promoting it,” he said.

When asked if he believes he could be champion should he return to the promotion like his 3MB partners Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre, Slater replied, “I could be champ once, why not? But I enjoy wrestling. My entrance music hitting, me walking out, I enjoy the entertainment aspect more than anything. If I go back, I would want to fulfill my goal that I didn’t fulfill the first time and that the IC title.”

Elsewhere during the interview, Slater discussed feeling burnt out during the end of his WWE run before he was released on April 15. You can find his full comments by clicking here.

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