Heath Slater Talks Leaving IMPACT, Free Agency, Slater Gator, WWE offers (Patreon)

The recently departed IMPACT Wrestling star Heath caught up with Fightful Select for an exclusive interview. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp spoke with the former 3-time WWE Tag Team and SmackDown Tag Team Champion, and the two discussed numerous topics.

Sean mentioned this was the first time that Heath had been a free agent in quite a while and asked how he felt about it. Heath said jokingly; he didn’t know how he felt about it but wished he wore his old Free Agent WWE shirt.

Heath said he is feeling good, both physically and mentally. He said he is home more with his children. He said he’s excited to explore new places or potentially familiar places. Heath thinks it is cool that IMPACT is going back to TNA.

Heath told Fightful going back to the WWE shortly after his release to work with Drew McIntyre that he did not want to. He said it took Drew about a week and a half to talk him into it.

He said the WWE wanted him to do the WWE promo with Drew, work a match with Dolph Ziggler, and help Drew win a match. He said he ended up only doing the promo with Drew, and that was it.

Heath said the WWE did offer him a new deal, but it was different from what he had. Heath added that he had already been there for fifteen years. Heath said he felt like he never did the Independents, so he felt like it was time to go and wrestle new people.

The All-Star Wrestling Heavyweight Champion said he had friends going to IMPACT, so he went because they had a good atmosphere. Then he got hurt and told us IMPACT extended his contract. Heath said he signed the contract on the day of Bound for Glory 2020 and got hurt on the same day. He said IMPACT honored the contract even with the contract not being finalized.

Heath said he respected the hell out of IMPACT for doing that. He said it’s a great place and cannot say anything bad about it. Heath says he does not burn bridges, and if things don’t work out, they don’t work out. He says things are so different in the Indies.

Sean brought up how Heath has helped mentor Indy Wrestler Emily Jaye. Heath says he’s known Emily before she was even a teenager. Heath says Emily is going out there kicking butt; he says he looks after her and is glad she is kicking ass.

Heath was asked about his interest in possibly being a producer in a company. Heath said that he and his wife have talked about it.

Heath told us he has about a quarter left in the tank before retirement. Heath says he’ll go once he feels embarrassed when coming out behind the curtain. Heath says he and Titus O’Neill were thrown together. Heath said the name Slater Gator when doing a promo, and he said it stuck because he thinks Vince McMahon heard it and loved it.

Heath told Fightful about getting to work with Bret Hart. He couldn’t believe it and that Bret is the man. Heath says [Nexus] were told in a meeting when they worked with Bret, “We could not touch him, don’t let him bump, don’t let him do this, and don’t let him do that. So, we were his punching bag.” Heath says it was always in the ring with Bret, and he always said Bret wanted to do more than he was supposed to. Heath said, “What am I going to do? Tell Bret, no?”

He said he knew that Bret Hart was a great human being when they had a match, and afterward, Michael Hayes told Bret, “My god, Bret, you look like you did back in the 90s.” Heath says Bret turned around and pointed to Heath and said, “It was all him.”

Heath then showed off some memorabilia he had kept over the years. He told us he was a Steelers fan, and things went south from there.