WrestleCon Promoter Says Leon Slater Was Not Losing To Ricochet Before Match Was Pulled

Leon Slater vs. Ricochet was supposed to be one of the biggest matches of WrestleMania weekend, but it got pulled at the last minute — and now WrestleCon promoter Michael Bochicchio is pushing back on rumors about why it happened.

Slater had been set to face Ricochet at the WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow, but TNA removed him from the match last week, citing “partner conflicts.” After that, fans started speculating that the match was canceled because Slater wasn’t supposed to lose. Bochicchio says that idea isn’t true at all.

While speaking with John Pollock and Wai Ting of POST Wrestling, Bochicchio said both sides already approved the finish, and Slater wasn’t booked to lose in the first place.

“We went directly to Leon’s boss. We went directly to Ricochet’s boss. We told them what the finish of the match would be to protect the individual. A lot of people think, ‘They didn’t want Leon to lose.’ Guys, I’m going to be honest, Leon wasn’t losing. Come up with a different theory on why they pulled him because that had nothing to do with it. The match and finish were cleared.”

Bochicchio also said the way he found out about the match being canceled caught him off guard. Instead of hearing it directly from TNA right away, he said he first saw the news online before getting a message shortly before their pay-per-view.

“The first communication I got from TNA was about two hours before their PPV on Saturday. Mr. Silva sent me a text saying he would like to communicate. That was after we changed and replaced the match. I still haven’t spoken to him. I said, ‘Sure, call me anytime.’ I haven’t heard from him.”

There has been talk online that WWE might have had something to do with the match getting pulled, but Bochicchio said he doesn’t think that was the case. Instead, he believes the situation may have changed because of outside business issues and scheduling tensions.

“I believe Carlos got upset AEW ran on a Thursday, hurt their ratings, and everything changed. That’s my opinion. Maybe WWE has more involvement than we ever thought, but Carlos can say to WWE, ‘Guys, I gave my word on this match. I would like to be able to follow through with my word.’”

With Slater vs. Ricochet off the table, WrestleCon quickly booked a new main event featuring The Demand taking on Mike Bailey, Kevin Knight, and Michael Oku. Still, many fans are left wondering what really caused the original match to fall apart.

Do you think Leon Slater vs. Ricochet should have stayed on the card, or was pulling the match the right move? Let us know what you think and share your thoughts.