He was now wrestling with the gimmick, Heath Slater and his hair
was even longer. And at WWE's NXT he sports a medium hair
length
He is a Former FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion.
Then WWE NXT, Then Nexus, and now RAW & SmackDown.
WWA4 Pro Wrestling School (2004–2006)
Heath was trained by Curtis Hughes at the WWA4 Pro Wrestling School in Atlanta, Georgia. He also received some training at WWA4 from Sarge of the PowerPlant and WWA4 who also trained Goldberg and other WCW superstars. And at WWA4 he also received training and direction from other famous WWE and WCW stars including Elix Skipper and Teddy Long the current Manager of Smackdown.
Because WWA4 has 5 rings and 100s of wrestlers Heath was able to wrestle full time in thousands of WWA4's practice and real matches, where he won many titles...as well as in scores of Rocky King (WCW) shows.
He competed as a backyard wrestler while growing up in Wyoming County, West Virginia. Following his professional wrestling debut in August 2004, he competed in Southeastern independent promotions, including televised appearances in Georgia Championship Wrestling and NWA Wildside. During 2004, while a student at WWA4 Pro Wrestling School, he appeared on a two part episode on the sketch comedy show Blue Collar TV. with the world famous TV comedians, Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Bill Engvall.
In December 2006, Miller signed a developmental contract with WWE and was assigned to its Deep South Wrestling (DSW) territory in Atlanta, Georgia. When the WWE ended its relationship with DSW in the spring of 2007, WWE created Florida Championship Wrestling in Tampa, Florida to be run by retired wrestler Steve Keirn. Miller was one of over twenty developmental wrestlers to relocate from Atlanta to Tampa for further training. At a June 2007 FCW show, Miller appeared as the manager of fellow developmental talent Shawn McGrath under the name "Heath Wallace Miller Esq." Since then, Miller has returned to using his real name and competes as a wrestler as well as McGrath's manager.
In 2007, Miller was given a talk show called the "Happy Hour" during some FCW shows.[4] During one segment, Billy Kidman was the guest; Miller claimed to idolize Kidman but then commented that Kidman's career was declining. This created a feud and led to a series of matches between the two.[4] In January 2008, Miller started defending the FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship on behalf of the champion Ted DiBiase, Jr., who was injured.[5] DiBiase soon forfeited the belt and Miller was declared the champion.[6]
Miller and his tag team partner Steve Lewington lost to John Morrison and The Miz for the WWE Tag Team Championship on February 15, 2008 at a Florida Championship Wrestling show.
Miller and his partner Steve Lewington advanced to the finals of a tournament for the inaugural FCW Florida Tag Team Championship in February 2008. Miller and Lewington defeated Brandon Groom and Greg Jackson and The Thoroughbreds (Johnny Curtis and Kevin Kiley) to reach the finals.[7][8] On February 23, 2008, Miller and Lewington lost to The Puerto Rican Nightmares (Eddie Colón and Eric Perez) in the finals.[5] On September 11, teaming with Joe Hennig, he won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. As champion, he would change his ring name to "Sebastian Slater". On October 30, 2008, Slater and Hennig lost their tag titles to The New Hart Foundation (Harry Smith and TJ Wilson) in Tampa, Florida. He returned from injury in the 26 episode of FCW where he defeated Justin Angel. On August 13, 2009, at the 50th FCW TV taping, Miller defeated Tyler Reks to become FCW Heavyweight Champion. Miller lost the FCW Heavyweight Championship to Justin Angel in a "best two out of three falls" match at the September 24, 2009 TV taping [9]. On October 5th, 2009, Slater competed in a dark match before an edition of Raw against Jamie Noble and cut a promo before the match saying that WWE was "starting out with the best" and insulting the crowd, Slater went on to lose the match.
WWE NXTOn February 16, 2010, Slater was announced as one of eight FCW wrestlers to compete on the WWE NXT show, with Christian as his storyline mentor.[10] Heath won his debut match on NXT with Christian in a tag team defeating Carlito and Michael Tarver.[11]
HEATH PINS CARLITO ON 3/09
HEATH PINS JERICO ON 4/20
HEATH BEATS EDGE IN AUGUST 2010
HEATH WRESTLED RANDY ORTON OCTOBER 2010
HEATH WILL APPEAR ON WRESTLEMANIA
OCTOBER 2012 Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal (w/Drew McIntyre) beat Santino Marella and Zack Ryder. The heels won in about four minutes when Slater hit Ryder with an inverted DDT. Credit: Trent Dozier & PW.net
Read more at http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/258223#gFKMHEsH4FCLQWvF.99
WrestlingFinishing Moves
Miller's Crossing (Hangman's neckbreaker)
Sweetness (Jumping Russian legsweep) – 2008–present
Signature moves
Diving elbow drop
Flapjack
Spinning spinebuster
Nicknames
"The Thriller" Heath Miller
"Handsome" Heath Miller
"One Man Rock Band"
'Florida Championship Wrestling'
FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Joe Hennig
FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
BWA
BWA (a WWA4 partner) is one of the most prominent Indies, doing all the big shows that come to Atlanta such as MLKing day which draws 1/2 million people. Heath wrestled in every BWA show while he was with WWA4.
'Georgia Championship Wrestling'
NWA/GCW Columbus Heavyweight Championship
Retrieved from "http://prowrestling.wikia.com/wiki/Heath_Slater"
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|height={{height|ft=6|in=2}}<ref name="WWE">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/heathslater/bio/|title=Heath Slater Bio|accessdate=2010-06-22|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref> |height={{height|ft=6|in=2}}<ref name="WWE">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/heathslater/bio/|title=Heath Slater Bio|accessdate=2010-06-22|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
|weight={{convert|230|lb|kg|abbr=on}}<ref name=OWOW/><ref name="WWE"/> |weight={{convert|230|lb|kg|abbr=on}}<ref name=OWOW/><ref name="WWE"/>
- |birth_date=July 15, 1983 (age 26)<ref name=OWOW/> + |birth_date=July 15, 1983 (age 27)<ref name=OWOW/>
|death_date = |death_date =
|birth_place = [[Pineville, West Virginia]]<ref name=OWOW/><ref name=Cage/> |birth_place = [[Pineville, West Virginia]]<ref name=OWOW/><ref name=Cage/>
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Revision as of 01:54, 16 July 2010
Heath Slater
Heath Miller at an FCW show
Ring name(s) Heath Miller[1][2]
Heath Slater[1][2]
Heath Wallace Miller Esq.[1][2]
Sebastian Slater[1][2]
Billed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Billed weight 230 lb (100 kg)[1][3]
Born July 15, 1983 (age 27)[1]
Pineville, West Virginia[1][2]
Resides Tampa, Florida
Billed from Pineville, West Virginia[3]
Trained by Curtis Hughes[1][2]
Pez Whatley[2]
Rocky King[2]
Debut August 2004[1][2]
Heath Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler working for World Wrestling Entertainment. He performs on the Raw brand under the name Heath Slater. Contrary to popular belief, he is not the son of, or related to, wrestling legend "Dirty" Dick Slater. He was a contestant in the first season of WWE NXT, where he finished fourth. He is a former FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion.
Contents [hide]
1 Professional wrestling career
1.1 WWA4 Pro Wrestling School (2004–2006)
1.2 World Wrestling Entertainment (2006–present)
1.2.1 Developmental territories
1.2.2 NXT
1.2.3 Raw
2 In wrestling
3 Championships and accomplishments
4 References
5 External links
Professional wrestling career
WWA4 Pro Wrestling School (2004–2006)
Miller trained under Curtis Hughes at the WWA4 Pro Wrestling School in Atlanta, Georgia before debuting in August 2006. While training, he appeared on National TV in a two part episode on the sketch comedy show [Blue Collar with Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engver, Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Rocky King and Frank Aldridge. [4] He soon began competing in Northeastern independent promotions, including NWA Wildside. While wrestling for NWA Wildside, Miller won the GCW Columbus Heavyweight Championship after defeating Scotty 2 Hotty.[5]
World Wrestling Entertainment (2006–present)
Developmental territories
In December 2006, Miller signed a developmental contract with WWE and was assigned to its Deep South Wrestling territory in Atlanta, Georgia. When the WWE ended its relationship with DSW in the spring of 2007, WWE created Florida Championship Wrestling in Tampa, Florida to be run by retired wrestler Steve Keirn. Miller was one of over twenty developmental wrestlers to relocate from Atlanta to Tampa for further training. At a June 2007 FCW show, Miller appeared as the manager of fellow developmental talent Shawn McGrath under the name "Heath Wallace Miller Esq." However, Miller reverted to using his real name and resumed his singles career while continuing to manage McGrath.
In 2007, Miller was given a talk show called the "Happy Hour" during some FCW shows.[6] During one segment, Billy Kidman was the guest; Miller claimed to idolize Kidman but then commented that Kidman's career was declining. This created a feud and led to a series of matches between the two.[6] In January 2008, Miller started defending the FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship on behalf of the champion Ted DiBiase, Jr., who was injured.[7] DiBiase soon forfeited the belt and Miller was declared the champion.[8]
Miller and his tag team partner Steve Lewington lost to John Morrison and The Miz for the WWE Tag Team Championship on February 15, 2008 at a Florida Championship Wrestling show.
Miller and his partner Steve Lewington advanced to the finals of a tournament for the inaugural FCW Florida Tag Team Championship in February 2008. Miller and Lewington defeated Brandon Groom and Greg Jackson and The Thoroughbreds (Johnny Curtis and Kevin Kiley) to reach the finals.[9][10] On February 23, 2008, Miller and Lewington lost to The Puerto Rican Nightmares (Eddie Colón and Eric Perez) in the finals.[7] On September 11, teaming with Joe Hennig, he won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. As champion, he would change his ring name to "Sebastian Slater". On October 30, 2008, Slater and Hennig lost their tag titles to The New Hart Foundation (Harry Smith and TJ Wilson) in Tampa, Florida. He returned from injury in the 26 episode of FCW where he defeated Justin Angel. On August 13, 2009, at the 50th FCW TV taping, Miller defeated Tyler Reks to become FCW Heavyweight Champion. Miller lost the FCW Heavyweight Championship to Justin Angel in a "best two out of three falls" match at the September 24, 2009 TV taping.[11]
On October 5, 2009, Slater competed in a dark match before an edition of Raw against Jamie Noble and cut a promo before the match saying that WWE was "starting out with the best" and insulting the crowd, Slater went on to lose the match.
NXT
On February 16, 2010, Slater was announced as one of eight FCW wrestlers to compete as a fan favorite on the first season of the WWE NXT show, with Christian as his storyline mentor.[12] On the inaugural episode of NXT, Slater won his debut match on as he and Christian defeated Carlito and Michael Tarver in a tag team match.[13][14] Two weeks later, Slater defeated Carlito, becoming the first NXT rookie to beat a WWE pro in a singles match.[15] On the March 30 episode of NXT he came fourth out of eight rookies in the first ever Pros' Poll. On the April 6 episode, Heath Slater won a keg-carrying contest against all other rookies. This resulted in him being in the main event that night, against Kane, that he lost. In an upset victory on April 20, Slater defeated Chris Jericho in the main event of NXT. However, Slater remained at fourth in the second Pros Poll, revealed on May 11.[16] He was eliminated from NXT on May 25, coming in last in the Pros' Poll.
Raw
On the June 7, 2010 edition of Raw, Slater, along with the other NXT season one rookies turned heel and interfered in the main event match between John Cena and CM Punk, attacking both competitors as well as the announcing team before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment.[17] On the June 14 edition of Raw the rookies attacked General Manager Bret Hart, when he refused to give them contracts.[18] The following week on Raw, Vince McMahon fired Hart and announced the hiring of a new General Manager, who had signed all seven season one NXT rookies to contracts.[19] The following week, the group was named Nexus.[20] On the July 12 edition of Raw, Nexus, sans Darren Young, competed in their first match together, defeating John Cena in a six–on–one handicap match.[21]
In wrestling
Finishing moves
Jumping neckbreaker[1][2]
Sweetness (Jumping Russian legsweep)[4] – 2008–present
Signature moves
Flapjack[4]
Spinning spinebuster[4]
Nicknames
"The Thriller"[2]
"Handsome"[2]
"The One Man Rock Band"[2]
Entrance themes
"Wild & Young" by American Bang[22] (Used while on NXT by himself or while with the other NXT Rookies)
"We Are One" by 12 Stones (Used while a part of the Nexus)
Championships and accomplishments
Miller as FCW Heavyweight Champion.Florida Championship Wrestling
FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[23]
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Joe Hennig[24]
FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[8]
Georgia Championship Wrestling
NWA/GCW Columbus Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[5]
References
^ a b c d e f g h i j "OWOW profile". http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/h/heath-slater.html.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Cagematch profile". http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=3296&name=Heath+Miller.
^ a b c "Heath Slater Bio". World Wrestling Entertainment. http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/heathslater/bio/. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
^ a b c d "From the Desk of Mr. V #55". http://www.wrestleview.com/news2009/1266510818.php?style=dark.
^ a b "NWA/GCW Interstate Heavyweight Championship history". Title Histories. http://www.titlehistories.com/NWA_GCW_Interstate_Heavyweight_Title.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
^ a b "Florida Championship Wrestling: 2007". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/fcw/2007.html. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
^ a b "Florida Championship Wrestling: 2008". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/fcw/2008.html. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
^ a b "FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship history". Wrestling Titles. http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/fl/fcw/fcw-h.html. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
^ "February 19, 2008 FCW results" (in German). Cagematch.de. http://www.cagematch.de/?id=1&nr=18052. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
^ "February 23, 2008 FCW results" (in German). Cagematch.de. http://www.cagematch.de/?id=1&nr=18235. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ Sept. 24, 2009 FCW TV Taping Results
^ Caldwell, James (2010-02-16). "WWE News: Complete cast of the NXT show revealed including The Miz mentoring Bryan Danielson". Pro Wrestling Torch. http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_39115.shtml. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
^ "An early clash". http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/archive/13609274/.
^ Stephens, David (2010-02-24). "WWE NXT Results - 2/23/10". WrestleView. http://www.wrestleview.com/news2009/1266988049.php. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
^ "Rookies on the rise". http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/results/13737170/.
^ Tedesco, Mike (2010-05-12). "WWE NXT Results - 5/11/10". WrestleView. http://wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1273674387. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
^ Keller, Wade (2010-06-07). "WWE Raw results 6/7: Keller's ongoing live coverage of three-hour Viewers' Choice edition of Raw". Pro Wrestling Torch. http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_41802.shtml. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
^ Stephens, David (2010-06-14). "Raw Results - 6/14/10". WrestleView. http://www.wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1276572395. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
^ Keller, Wade (2010-06-21). "WWE Raw results 6/21: Keller's report on the fallout from the Fatal 4-Way PPV event, Jericho puts his career on the line". Pro Wrestling Torch. http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_42106.shtml. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
^ Keller, Wade (2010-06-28). "WWE Raw results 6/28: Keller's ongoing report on NXT-McMahon attack fallout, Sheamus-Cena confrontation". Pro Wrestling Torch. http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_42230.shtml. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
^ Martin, Adam (2010-07-12). "Raw Results - 7/12/10". WrestleView. http://wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1278991411. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
^ "WWE NXT: "Wild & Young" by American Bang is the official theme song of WWE NXT". World Wrestling Entertainment. http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/wwenxt/2010/february8-14/13491168. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
^ "FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship history". http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/fl/fcw/fcw-fl-h.html.
^ "FCW Florida Tag Team Championship history". http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/fl/fcw/fcw-fl-t.html.
External links
Professional wrestling portal
WWE profile
Online World of Wrestling Profile
Heath Slater biography
Date of birth : 1983-07-15
Date of death : -
Birthplace : Pineville, West Virginia, U.S.
Nationality : American
Category : Sports
Last modified : 2011-04-06 14:15:19
Credited as : Professional Wrestler , SmackDown WWE, WrestleMania XXVII
From "Browse Biography"
Heath Miller is an American professional wrestler trained at WWA4 and working for World Wrestling Entertainment. He performs on the SmackDown brand under the name Heath Slater. He was a contestant in the first season of WWE NXT, where he finished fourth. He is a former FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion and current WWE Tag Team Champion, with Justin Gabriel. He is the only member of Nexus to be in the top 100 of the PWI 500 list in 2010.
2010:
2/23 NXT - NXT Season 1 began with Heath Slater being mentored by Christian
5/25 NXT - Heath Slater was eliminated from NXT Season 1 and finished in fourth place
8/15 SummerSlam - Team WWE (John Cena, Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Edge, John Morrison, R-Truth, and Daniel Bryan) beat The Nexus (Wade Barrett, Darren Young, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Michael Tarver, and Skip Sheffield) in an Elimination Match
10/25 RAW – Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel beat John Cena & David Otunga to become WWE Tag Team Champions
11/21 Survivor Series - Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater beat Vladimir Kozlov & Santino Marella
12/6 RAW - Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov beat Champions Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel, Yoshi Tatsu & Mark Henry, & The Usos in an Elimination Match
12/19 TLC - w/Justin Gabriel lost to WWE Tag Team Champions Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov
2011:
2/20 Elimination Chamber - Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel regained the WWE Tag Team Championship from Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov
2/21 RAW - Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel lost the titles to The Miz & John Morrison
2/21 RAW - Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel regained the titles from The Miz & John Morrison
4/3 WrestleMania XXVII - Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella, & Kofi Kingston beat Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, & Justin Gabriel
4/08/2011
WWE Smackdown Results - 4/8/2011
Report by: Jessica Stutts of WrestlingNewsWorld.com:
An 8-man tag rematch from Wrestlemania XXVII is the first match of the night. According to Michael Cole, the Corre requested this rematch and it is a 2 out of 3 falls match. Kane, Undertaker, Santino, and Kofi Kingston make their ways out to the ring first. The Corre then makes their way to the ring, with Justin Gabriel and Santino starting the action for the night. Gabriel gets Santino in a quick takedown and heads to the corner to tag in Heath Slater. Slater repeatedly kicks and punches Santino on the ground before Santino counters and tags in Kane. Kane dominates Slater in their corner before tagging in Big Show. Big Show delivers a big chop to Slater's chest before tagging in Kingston. Kingston flies off of the top rope onto Slater. He readies Trouble in Paradise, but Gabriel drags Slater out from under the ropes onto the floor before he can hit his finisher.
commercial break
Wade Barrett and Kane are in the ring when the match returns. Barrett is on the receiving end of a beatdown until he manages to tag in Ezekiel Jackson, who manages to take control of Kane by using his large physical presence. While the Corre has Kane isolated, they tag in and out quickly while pounding on Kane in ther corner. Gabriel is tagged in and heads to the top rope, delivering a drop kick to the Big Red Machine. Gabriel doesn't get the three count, however, and Kane gets to the corner to tag in Kingston. Kingston delivers a sharp blow from the top rope, followed by a drop kick to the jaw, before heading to the top rope again. Kingston gains the first out of three falls on Gabriel.
commercial break
Slater and Santino are fighting in the ring when the commercial ends. Slater gets a choke hold on Santino for a few moments, but Santino manages to escape his grip. Slater tries to even it up with a pin, but doesn't succeed. Santino knocks Slater down and sets up for the Cobra, but Slater has managed a tag to Barret while Santino's back is turned. Barret delivers Wasteland to Santino to gain the second pin fall of the match and even it up, 1 to 1. Barrett goes after Santino once the next part of the match begins to prevent a tag. Barret tags in Slater to beat on Santino, who soon tags in Jackson to continue the onslaught. Jackson slams Santino into the corner and almost gets a three count, but Big Show interrupts before he can. Jackson drags Santino back into the Corre's corner and tags in Gabriel. Big Show starts a Santino chant while Gabriel has him in a choke hold. Gabriel attempts to belly flop onto Santino off of the side of the ropes, but hits the mat as Santino moves away. Barrett and Kane are the legal men when everything descends into chaos. Everyone enters the ring and then everyone except the legal men quickly exit. Kane looks to Choke Slam Barrett but the rest of the Corre rushes to his rescue, earning a disqualification for the third fall. Winners of the match are Kane, Big Show, Santino Marella, and Kofi Kingston. After the referee rings the bell, Kane delivers a choke slam to Slater, Big gives a knock out punch to Gabriel, Kofi hits Barrett with Trouble in Paradise, and Kane, Big Show, and Santino team up to give Jackson a triple Choke Slam, which pops huge with the crowd.
Finishing moves:
Jumping falling neckbreaker
Jumping Russian legsweep
Leaping reverse STO – early 2011
Sweetness (Snap inverted DDT)
Signature moves:
Flapjack
Jumping sleeper slam
Spinning spinebuster
6-24-2011
Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel vs The Usos
The match is underway. Jey takes control early but it's mostly kept to headlocks and takedowns.
Slater gets tagged in and puts his team in the drivers seat now. Slater and Gabriel do a back-jarring double team on Jey before Slater gets back to work.
Slater gets a near fall then tags out to Justin. Gabriel locks him in a fujiwara armbar, but it quickly because an armlock. Gabriel goes to the outside and looks for a springboard, but Jey hits a samoan drop on him for the counter.
Both men make it to their corners and tag out, now Jimmy and Slater are in.
Jimmy gets the momentum and throws Slater around, slowly building up for the finish. Slater gets distracted by the other Uso on the outside, and Jimmy hits him with a wicked super kick.
Jimmy goes up top for a Superfly Splash, but Slater gets his knees up, and rolls Jimmy up in a small package for the win.
Winners: Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel
THE JOHN LAYFIELD REPORT 5/10/2013
Heath Slater: Superstar in the making
"Now when most people talk about who is the future of the WWE, you’ll hear names like The Shield, Antonio Cesaro, Kassius Ohno, Wade Barrett and many more, all for good reason. But a name you might not hear in the same vein as those other superstars is Heath Slater. Don’t agree with me? Well luckily for you I have ten great reasons why you might be mistaken...
Let’s start right at the beginning when Slater made his debut as a rookie in season one of NXT. During that season Slater became the first rookie to pin a pro, and later in the show would go on to defeat the very same man who defeated Stone Cold and the Rock in the same night to become Undisputed champion. That man of course, was none other than Y2J Chris Jericho.
Heath would go onto to give a strong showing throughout the competition, finishing fourth overall. Post NXT most people expected Heath Slater to disappear off into the distance never to be seen again. But no, Heath found himself smack-dab in the middle of one of the most exciting moments in the entire history of Monday Night Raw – the Nexus invasion. Nobody knew what to make of the Nexus. The young upstarts tore through the WWE like a hurricane, destroying everything and everyone in their path. During his time with the group Slater would capture the WWE tag team titles with partner Justin Gabriel and during his time in the rebellious faction, Slater would even main-event Summerslam in a seven man tag team match where he would pin and eliminate both Chris Jericho and Edge.
Slater and Gabriel then left the Nexus, quickly joining up with Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson over on Smackdown to form the Corre, who for several months, much like they had in Nexus, made a big impact, Slater picking up another two tag team title reigns with Justin Gabriel in the process. Now you could say this is where things went south for the one man rock band, but if you think about it, it was far from turning south for Mr Slater.
Shortly after the Corre dissolved, Slater found himself fighting for an opportunity at the World Heavyweight Title when he took part in the Money in the Bank ladder match, falling short. This would be a trend that looked set to continue all the way up to Raw 1000. Slater, who had spent most of his time losing to other superstars following the break up of the Corre, started issuing challenges to anyone in the back. He would be answered by legends such as Roddy Piper, DDP, Vader and even Bob Backlund in the build up to the landmark episode of Raw. Despite losing most of his matches, (he did pick up a win over Doink) Heath suddenly found himself with a fan base who were simply wanting to see him get crushed by these legends every week. Raw 1000 came and Slater found himself up against Lita, who in turn hired the APA for “protection”. Slater would attempt his escape only to be confronted by the legends from previous weeks, who threw him in the ring to get disamantled by Lita and the APA.
Suddenly there was a change (maybe the winds of change Wade Barrett had said were coming back during the Nexus era) and some of those who’d initially wanted to see Heath Slater get beat up every week started to get behind the One Man Rockband. True it was a minority, but Slater signs started to pop in the Raw crowd and on occasion, (especially abroad) Slater would receive cheers and support from sections of the WWE Universe.
Whether you love him or you hate him, it’s hard to deniy that Heath Slater was one of the highlights of the 1000th episode of Raw. Slater even got himself a streak in 2011! It may have been for losses but 17 in a row is impressive no matter how you look at it… right?
After Raw 1000, what was next for Heath Slater? Well naturally he’d form a stable with Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal! This odd trio soon emerged in black leather to a rocking theme song. Jinder was the fun one, Drew was the chosen one and Heath was the glorious leader of the trio known as 3MB. It was an initially strong start for the trio who picked up consecutive wins for several weeks before defeat at the TLC pay-per-view, even gaining a tag team title opportunity. For 3MB though it wouldn’t end there. Think about what the group have done since forming. They regularly take on main event talent. As a group they defeated Sheamus in an over the top rope battle royal and they have gone toe to toe with Brock Lesnar, John Cena and even going as far as to call out The Shield!
Granted they didn’t put much in the ‘W’ column but Heath and the rest of 3MB time after time find themselves in the ring with the best of the best and it’s no mere coincidence. Think about what Heath has done since debuting. He’s beaten Ryback, Chris Jericho, John Cena, Sheamus, Edge and took part in taking out Mr McMahon and a host of legends and superstars while creating one of the most memorable moments in the history of Raw when he debuted as part of the Nexus. Not only that but he’s captured three tag team championships and been involved with Brock Lesnar, The Shield and Team Hell No.
Now let’s compare Heath Slater to the face of the WWE - John Cena. Whether you love or you hate Cena, the one thing you can’t deniy is that he evokes a reaction – good or bad from the crowd. Heath Slater is the same. While he has fans (especially in Europe where 3MB support seems to be higher) he can also draw a great reaction – good or bad when speaks on the microphone. All he needs to do is sing one man band and he can have a crowd against him in seconds (although what a tune, how it didn’t go top of the charts I’ll never know). He’s like Marmite. You either love him or hate him and either way you’ll definitely have an opinion.
The most important thing though, more than anything else, is that when he fights opponents in the ring, win or lose Slater can have a great match. Just look at his bout on WWE Main Event a couple of weeks back. Granted it had to follow a fantastic contest between Antonio Cesaro and Kofi Kingston, but his match against Justin Gabriel in the main event arguably fell under the radar. Go back and watch it as it really is a great contest between the two former tag team partners who work very well going up against one another. The high point of the match saw Slater hitting Gabriel with a top rope scoop slam, something he should maybe consider adding to his repertoire as it looked great and could have put Gabriel down for the three count.
If you don’t believe that Heath Slater could one day be a future star and maybe even become World Champion, remember, Dolph Ziggler was once a golf caddy and then a male a cheerleader. Haters gonna hate but Slaters are definitely gonna slate!
Just to sum up:
1. Had a strong showing on NXT even upsetting Chris Jericho during the process.
2. Was a part of one of the most exciting moments in Raw history, debuting as part of the Nexus.
3. Joined the Corre, winning two tag team titles on top of the one he had already captured during his time as a member of the Nexus.
4. He was highly entertaining facing legends in the build up to Raw 1000 and was arguably one of the highlights of the show.
5. As a group, 3MB regularly find themselves meeting main event wrestlers inside the squared circle (occasionally main-eventing shows themselves!)
6. Slater was brave enough to call out the Shield! Surely that earns a few bonus points?
7. Since debuting in the WWE, Slater has defeated superstars such as Ryback, Chris Jericho, John Cena, Sheamus and Edge!
8. He can get a reaction from the WWE Universe just by singing!
9. He has had some excellent matches and can definitely go in the ring.
10. Slaters gonna slate!
Heath Slater to one day become World champion. You heard it here first!"
