Heath Slater has addressed his recent release from WWE. The former 3MB member was let go by the company on Wednesday. He wasn’t the only one as WWE also released several other in-ring talents and backstage personnel.
Taking to his Instagram account, Slater reflected on his career in WWE. He expressed his gratitude for being able to live his dream and for the friendships he’s made. Slater then confessed that he understood why he was one of the Superstars to be let go.
Heath Slater acknowledged how his family, wife, kids and the WWE Universe could all see that his “fire was fading.” It’s something that Slater takes fault for, admitting “That’s all on me.” He added how putting other Superstars over all the time and consistently losing can take a toll on a person, and that’s what happened to him.
With in-ring talent now sitting out a 90-day non-compete clause, Heath Slater is already looking to the future. Eager to embrace future opportunities, he noted how on July 17, he’ll be able to “spread my wings and fly a little bit.”
For the first time in a long time, he reveals he can feel a fire inside him again. He confessed that he’s excited to get in “legit” shape and actively feed that hunger he hasn’t felt in some time, adding “No bullshi*, get ready for the encore.”
While 3MB ended up being a stable consisting Drew McIntyre,
Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater, the faction could have been a lot different if
the company had listened to the idea of Slater.
The One Man Band who was considered the leader of the group
recently appeared on Edge and Christian’s podcast where he discussed a number
of things.
While talking about the faction he led several years ago, Slater revealed that he had the idea for Dean Ambrose and other stars to join him and form a band but the company didn’t agree with his line up:
“I pitched this idea, but the guys that I pitched for was
[Dean] Ambrose, Fandango and EC3. I pitched those ideas and they said, ‘Ambrose
no we have something for him, Dango no we have something for him,’ and I was
like, ‘What about Hutter?’ and they’re like, ‘No’. I said, ‘Why not?’ and
they’re just like, ‘No’.”
Continuing on the topic, the former Nexus member recalled
the initial reaction of the stars who eventually ended up being a part of the
band, McIntyre and Mahal.
According to him, Mahal who was doing nothing at the time accepted the decision easily. However, McIntyre was very angry at first and he made his peace with it later on. You can check out Heath Slater’s comments in the clip below:
Drew McIntyre had formed an alliance with Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley in recent weeks and drifted away from Dolph Ziggler, who he was originally paired with upon his arrival on main roster.
Due to this, many believed that this pairing will be ending soon. These speculations turned out to be true after Drew attacked Ziggler during a segment on this week’s Raw, confirming their break up.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer talked about Dolph’s status after this angle and speculated that he will once again drift down the card. Though as noted before, WWE Officials are still high on McIntyre and his main event push is expected to continue.
Heath Slater Apologises
We noted before how Rhyno and Heath Slater were put in a match with the stipulation being that the loser will be fired from Raw on this week’s episode of the Red-Branded Show. This bout was won by Slater.
Both Corbin and Heath have continued this storyline on Twitter since then and as seen below, Corbin is seen blaming the One Man Band for Rhyno’s firing while Heath Slater apologizes for it:
A lot of people are blaming me for @Rhyno313 being out of a job. If you want to blame someone blame @HeathSlaterOMRB he is the one who beat him. He could have just quit. That’s what a real friend would have done. #RAW
It’s all your fault. I know it, The @WWEUniverse knows it, and you know it. I didn’t want this to happen. But when you put my back up against the wall. I will fight back no matter what. #igotkids@WWE I’m so sorry @Rhyno313https://t.co/frH43uIf16
As we noted before, initially, it appeared that Rhyno is done with WWE after this loss. However, the latest update on the situation suggests that he will be sticking around.
Jinder Mahal, Drew McIntyre, and Heath Slater once formed the trio, 3MB. The faction existed in the WWE Universe from 2012-2014.
The WWE Network has just announced the trio will reunite, this time in a “Table For 3” episode set to air on the WWE Network. The episode will air Monday night at the conclusion of Raw.
A synopsis for the show reads: “It’s a Table for 3MB as Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal get the 3-Man Band back together for the greatest reunion of all time!”
Return Of 3MB
The reunion of the faction is made all the sweeter by the fact 2 of the 3 band members were released from WWE. Both Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre were released by WWE on June 12th, 2014.
Following the release of his other band members, Heath Slater moved into a tag-team with Titus O’Neil called “Slater Gator.” From there he’d move into his next low-card stable, the Social Outcasts.
Jinder Mahal spent two years on the independent circuit before returning on August 1st, 2016. Mahal would defeat Heath Slater in his first match back with the company.
Drew McIntyre increased his stock outside of WWE by competing for ICW in Scotland, EVOLVE, and other top-tier independents. He also wrestled for Impact Wrestling. When he returned, however, he was sent to NXT. McIntyre returned to NXT on April 1st, 2017. He would then go on to win the NXT Championship before being called up to the main roster earlier this year.
Believe it or not, Heath Slater has been with WWE for over 10 years.
Slater signed with WWE in 2006 and was sent to their developmental territory of Deep South Wrestling (DSW). In 2007 he debuted in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) where he remained for three years.
Following his stint on NXT, Slater made his debut as a member of the Nexus on an episode of RAW in 2010. Since then, Slater has been involved with several tag teams. He was a member of Three Man Band (3MB) with Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre.
He also teamed with Titus O’Neil to form “Slater And The Gator.” Today, Slater is partnered up with Rhyno on Monday Night RAW. In his time with WWE Slater has never won a singles title. He has, however, captured several Tag Team Championships in his day.
At this point in his career, Slater may be looking to change that. He wrote a lengthy post on Instagram about his current WWE position:
“I got signed with @wwewhen I was 22 years old. I’ve been through Deep South, Florida Championship Wrestling and The Foundation of @wwenxt Ive been in faction after faction and tag team after tag team none of them actually went the way I hoped.
“I just hope that one day before this is all over that I can do things my way. And as a grizzled young vet in the business I hope that time comes sooner than later.”
As we’ve noted, it seemed that Alexa Bliss suffered an injury during her Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) match against Nia Jax for the RAW Women’s Title.
It seems like the injury was either minor or a storyline because Little Miss Bliss is booked for WWE’s European Tour and competed at WWE’s live event in Bournemouth, GB last night.
Heath Slater Gets A New Tattoo For His Kids
Former Tag Team Champion Heath Slater recently got a huge tattoo on his left arm for his kids in North Carolina. Slater noted that the tattoo was dedicated to his daughters Remmy and Roz. Check it out here:
The new WrestleMania Fusion card for Peyton Royce on WWE Super Card is out, and it notes that the name of her finisher is “The Ugh.” Royce took to Twitter to react to the name, and you can check it out here:
– First-ever Women’s Royal Rumble winner and RAW Superstar Asuka has made her decision to challenge SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34. Asuka made her SmackDown Live debut this past Tuesday to confront “The Queen.”
Many fans have been wondering if this now means “The Empress Of Tomorrow” is a SmackDown Live Superstar. WWE still lists Asuka as a RAW competitor, however, if she beats Flair at WrestleMania for the SmackDown Live Women’s Title that’s likely to change.
– A fan recently took to Twitter to tell Heath Slater that he wants to see WWE give him a push. Slater said that he doesn’t need a push, if he gets just a ‘nudge’ he can do the rest:
– Former WWE Superstar Mo of “Men On A Mission” (real name Bobby Horne) took to his Facebook page to reveal he was about to undergo a kidney transplant surgery this past Tuesday. Here’s what he had to say before the surgery:
“To all my friends, fans and family. I love you all. I just received the call. I am on my way to Medical City Hospital for a kidney transplant. Please keep me in your thoughts and. prayers. For the record. I am scared.”
He also recently set up a crowdfunding effort to help pay for his medical costs related to the kidney transplant operation. Here’s his post on the matter:
“Hello, I am Bobby L. Horne and I ad suffering from end stage renal failure. I am Currently on the kidney transplant list in the State of Texas. This fund raiser is to cover the astronomical cost of anti rejection medication for the first year following a transplant. I have spent the majority of my adult life helping others and more importantly our youth. Now I need your help. Anything you can give will be greatly appreciated.”
– Below is video of Heath Slater talking to Charly Caruso after his WWE Royal Rumble appearance on Sunday. Slater says he eliminated new RAW Tag Team Champion Sheamus in .8 seconds, beating the previous 1 second record set by Kane and Santino Marella. Rhyno joins the interview and gives Slater props for showing a side he’s never seen before. Rhyno says Slater never gave up and that’s what matters.
– Ronda Rousey returned to the ringside area after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view went off the air and greeted fans who were hanging around. Below is video from the post-show segment:
– WWE Champion AJ Styles posted the following Twitter comments after his win over Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn in the 2-on-1 Handicap Match at the Royal Rumble and after Shinsuke Nakamura won the men’s Rumble match to earn a WrestleMania 34 title shot:
They wanted the match. They got the match. But they were never going to get my title.
Time to watch the Men’s #RoyalRumble match with MY @WWE Championship.
– Heath Slater posted the following Instagram videos showing an incident that occurred on an airplane on New Year’s Eve. Slater was trapped inside one of the lavatories on the plane and someone needed to use a screwdriver to pry open the door and get him out. Check out the videos here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdZEYW_nmNH/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdauBZHHqu3/
– WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss’ appearance at Saturday’s Shreveport World of Wheels event has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. A replacement is currently being worked out by event organizers.
The One Man Band Heath Slater recently appeared on the WrestlingInc podcast and talked about his former partners Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre among other things. Below are some of the highlights of his interview:
If he still talks to his partners from 3MB, Jinder Mahal, and Drew McIntyre:
“We text each other here and there but it’s not like we talk to each other everyday. Every time we talk, we just pick up and leave off like we never stopped talking, that type of deal. We were on the road together for two years straight, and I love them all to death, Drew is back and Jinder is back killing it still. I’m sure something will happen where he will get another shot. It’s just one of those things where I am happy for them. I’m genuinely happy for them.”
His current tag team partner Rhyno:
“He’s a road warrior man. He always wants to drive, and drive all the way, He is a night owl. We watch documentaries together; he’s one hell of a guy. A great dude.”
His top three favorite matches in WWE:
“Three off the top of my head; Nexus vs. WWE at SummerSlam, which we should have won. Mine and Rhyno’s match against the Usos when we won the Tag Team titles. Just because the storyline was good and people were behind it. The roof had blew off when we won, which was a very chill bump moment, And then probably the Money in the Bank one that I was in, just because I had always wanted to be in another one and I haven’t been. I just love climbing ladders and doing crazy stuff so probably those three. I haven’t watched those back in God knows how long.”
The wrestling school he is in the process of opening:
“I want to teach the total package. I want you to be able to go out there and cut a promo on anything. I want you to be able to have a gimmick and feel comfortable with it to make it work. I want you to learn everything you can learn because I am still learning, but I have a lot that I have learned and that I can teach, so it’s one of those things where I am trying to always get the best out of whoever walks into that school, period, That is just the bottom line. I am the type of guy that shoots from the hip, so if you are doing something wrong just take good criticism because I will let you know who you are. I don’t want someone to keep doing something wrong and they get a handle with it so they keep doing it, but it’s the wrong way of doing it. You have to have thick skin in the business. I am trying to make sure everyone is ready for WWE, or NXT and all of that stuff. If you are not ready to go there and pick things up, I can make sure to give you some pointers if you want to come to Face 2 Face.”
Heath Slater recently appeared on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling to talk about various topics. Here are the highlights:
The success of fellow 3MB members Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre:
“Those two guys are like my brothers and I love them to death and I am so happy for both of them. Jinder is doing great, Drew is doing great, they are both great and all I can say is that I am happy for them. I just need to beat up Brock to become the Universal Champion and we can all unite like Transformers and make that big 3MB comeback again but I am pretty sure that is not going to happen (laughing) so that is like words in the wind. But I am very happy for them and they are awesome dudes and hopefully they get more success.”
His free agent storyline in 2016:
“It was so much fun. I wish they would have kept it going and I just wish that somehow they would have kept it going but winning the tag titles and getting that contract was amazing. But in my mind and what I was thinking was as a free agent on Smackdown and doing all the interruptions and all this stuff it was getting steam and you could feel the energy when you walked in the building and when I would break up stuff and do all that nonsense, it was one of those things that could have gotten me sympathy. If we would have lost that night and if I showed up to RAW the following week and did the same thing on RAW to try and get an opportunity again and to keep it going but they just wanted to end the storyline I guess. It was amazing winning the titles and it was Rhyno’s first time ever winning the tag team titles and was cool because he tagged with guys like Tajiri and Stone Cold Steve Austin and never got the titles and here comes Heath Slater and we win the titles. The story was good, the people were good and it was a lot of fun.”
If he tried to work elsewhere during that time:
“I tried. I tried to do that. I wanted to wrestle in EVOLVE and work with Drew and I wanted to do stuff like that. Guys that I know and worked before that won’t act a fool and go AWOL and be out for themselves, lets have a good match and let people believe this storyline that I am doing and I pitched it but they turned that down real quick.”
– Former WWE Divas Champion Paige took to Instagram to let fans know that she’s back in the gym training for her WWE return. Paige has been out-of-action since summer of last year after undergoing neck surgery, with a target return date landing somewhere around this summer. Here’s what Paige had to say:
“Just getting alberto to take pics in the gym. Pretending to work out… Jkkkk. Boxing gym later. Time to start kicking ass again!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVSmMnPFqbL/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVSmgVTFxzP/
– Since defeating WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz and the Congratulations Bear in a Tag Team Match on Monday Night RAW last night (June 12, 2017), alongside tag team partner Rhyno, Heath Slater has been retweeting fans on Twitter about him possibly challenging for the title next. Slater noted on RAW that its been a childhood dream of his to challenge for the strap, and he might just get that opportunity soon:
Woooooooooooooo!!!!! I'm finally going to get my wrestling dream…. I beat @mikethemiz and now I'm going for the #Intercontinentaltital
Former Smackdown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater and Rhyno are now on the Raw roster. Slater and Rhyno haven’t been featured prominently on Smackdown since losing the titles.
It was also announced that Kalisto will be making the switch from Smackdown to Monday Night Raw. Kalisto and Apollo Crews recently had a feud with Dolph Ziggler. Now, both Crews and Kalisto are a part of the Monday Night Raw roster.
Monday night while RAW was in Las Vegas, the Smackdown crew was in Oakland. A rental car being used by Heath Slater and the Ascension was broken into. Each member of the Ascension had their bags stolen.
It is not currently known if the thieves were aware of how many kids Heath Slater has.
He’s Got Kids!!
Slater announced on Twitter that the car had been broken into:
– WWE announced 13,145 fans in attendance for last night’s SmackDown from the Allstate Arena in Chicago. They previously announced 12,708 fans in attendance in the same building for Monday’s RAW.
– Heath Slater may have suffered an injury in last night’s SmackDown 4 Corners Elimination Match as he tweeted the following after the match:
I guess I'll be seeing the DR tomorrow…. Ahhhhhhhh
– Tyson Kidd, who has been out of action for more than 1 year with a neck injury, tweeted the following in response to a fan that asked him about WWE 205 Live:
– As noted, Bobby Roode vs. NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura is now official for TakeOver: San Antonio next month during Royal Rumble weekend. Triple H tweeted the following on the match:
WWE has announced a Wild Card Triple Threat for tonight’s SmackDown with Konnor vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Heath Slater. The winner will earn a SmackDown Tag Team Championship shot for his team.
As reported earlier, tonight’s main event will feature Dean Ambrose taking on Luke Harper. Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper will be at ringside.
WWE’s official Five Point Preview for tonight lists these highlights:
– Luke Harper targets The Lunatic Fringe
– Who will win a SmackDown Tag Team Title opportunity for his tandem?
– When will the WWE Universe finally learn who attacked Nikki Bella?
– Is SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss really injured?
– Special appearance from “Shooter” star Ryan Phillippe
Join us here tonight for WWE SmackDown Live Results & Discussion.
Last night on Talking Smack, Rhyno walked out on Heath Slater. Rhyno blamed the loss on Smackdown to Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton on Slater. Rhyno stated that he was the only one competing in the match and Slater let him down. Slater and Rhyno lost the Tag Team Championships to Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt at WWE TLC on Sunday. Heath Slater responded to Rhyno’s accusations that Slater was holding them back by pointing at that Rhyno was the one who got pinned on Sunday. Rhyno didn’t seem to take that well and stormed off the set.
It appears that this is the beginning of the end for the tag team of Heath Slater and Rhyno. It was an unexpected run, given the fact that Heath Slater wasn’t drafted to either Monday Night Raw or Smackdown during the brand split. The two going their separate ways makes sense given the fact that they lost the titles and all of their momentum with the WWE Universe. It will be interesting to see where things go from here, especially for Heath Slater. Heath has become a bit of a crowd favorite and he earned the crowd’s praise by constantly battling for a roster spot when he wasn’t drafted. As for Rhyno, I’m not sure what the future holds for him. I don’t believe the initial plans were for Rhyno and Slater to form a tag team in the first place. It was lightning in a bottle and the team was destined to be short-lived.
– Enzo Amore and Big Cass will be the guests for Wednesday’s episode of “Unfiltered with Renee Young” on the WWE Network.
– It looks like the final work is being done on WWE Studios’ “The Marine 5: Battleground” but no release date has been announced yet. As seen below, Heath Slater and Naomi were doing audio work for the movie this week.
– NXT taped the following matches before SmackDown hit the air on Tuesday night in Ottawa: Eric Young vs. No Way Jose, NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. local wrestler Nichole Matthews and Tye Dillinger vs. NXT Champion Samoa Joe.
– After SmackDown ended, WWE taped Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi for this week’s Main Event episode.
– The dark main event to close the show saw Kane and Dean Ambrose defeat Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt with a chokeslam and Dirty Deeds. That match took place after the Main Event taping.
– Below are backstage SmackDown Fallout videos from last night with SmackDown Tag Team Champions Rhyno & Heath Slater vowing to fight the #1 contenders no matter who wins between The Wyatts vs. American Alpha next week, and WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz adding another notch to his IC Reunion Tour:
WWE’s next pay-per-view offering is Hell in a Cell this Sunday, but November’s Survivor Series event is already taking shape. In addition to the blockbuster Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar main event, SmackDown Live saw several developments regarding the RAW vs. SmackDown team elimination matches.
SmackDown tag teams confirmed for the Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match with RAW teams vs. SmackDown teams include The Hype Bros and SmackDown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater and Rhyno. The Hype Bros defeated The Ascension on tonight’s SmackDown in a qualifying match and the champions were automatically put into the match. No word yet on who the other 3 SmackDown teams will be.
On a related note – Nikki Bella became Team Captain for the Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match featuring female Superstars by defeating Natalya tonight. Because of the loss, Natalya will not be one of the 4 Superstars joining Nikki.
The RAW brand is expected to start announcing Survivor Series participants on Monday.
The Usos defeated American Alpha on tonight’s SmackDown to become the new #1 contenders to SmackDown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater and Rhyno. They will get their championship shot at No Mercy next month.
Below is the updated card for the 10/9 PPV from Sacramento:
WWE World Championship Triple Threat: AJ Styles (c) vs. John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose
SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: Slater & Rhyno (c) vs. The Usos
– This past weekend’s WWE Backlash event ranked #2 in Nielsen’s Social Media ratings, behind the 2017 Miss America pageant. Backlash featured more than 282K Twitter Interactions with 44K unique users, whereas Facebook got 278K interactions from 144K unique users. It’s interesting to note that WWE pay-per-views don’t always make the cut, and the last event to rank in the Nielson ratings was Battleground.
– Heath Slater is not only one of the first-ever Smackdown Tag Team Champions, but the only man in company history to hold the newly created blue belt as well as the established tag team titles currently showcased on RAW. Prior to his reign with Rhyno, Heath Slater was WWE Tag Team Champions with former Superstar Justin Gabriel.
– Below is a bonus match from the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic featuring Drew Gulak teaming with Tony Nese to take on Lince Dorado and Kenneth Johnson:
After winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with Rhyno at WWE Backlash last night, Heath Slater will finally get his SmackDown contract this week. WWE just announced that Slater will sign the contract on tomorrow’s SmackDown episode.:
Heath Slater’s wife, Beulah, and their seven kids were rocking in the single-wide this past Sunday when Slater & Rhyno defeated The Usos to become the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions at Backlash. The victory not only positioned the odd couple as the duo to beat on Team Blue, but also finally secured Slater a SmackDown LIVE contract — a contract The One Man Band will sign this Tuesday night!
Tune in to SmackDown Live tomorrow night to for Heath Slater’s contract signing.
Heath Slater and Rhyno won the finals of the SmackDown Tag Team Championship tournament at Backlash to become the first-ever SmackDown Tag Team Champions tonight.
Slater and Rhyno defeated The Usos in the finals. The Usos defeated The Hype Bros. earlier in the night to earn a spot in the finals.
Slater also earned a SmackDown contract by winning the match.