 Slater in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Heath Wallace Miller (1983-07-15)July 15, 1983 (age 42) Pineville, West Virginia, U.S. |
Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Heath Heath Miller Heath Slater[1] Heath Wallace Miller Esq.[2] Sebastian Slater[2] Fake Sting |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 216 lb (98 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Pineville, West Virginia[1] |
| Trained by | Curtis Hughes |
| Debut | 2004 |
Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure inWWE under thering nameHeath Slater. He also performed inImpact Wrestling, under themononymous nameHeath.
After debuting in 2004, Miller signed to WWE in 2006 and competed in itsdevelopmental territoriesDeep South Wrestling (DSW) andFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) before appearing on thefirst season ofNXT in 2010. He debuted on WWE's main roster later that year as a member ofThe Nexus, becoming a three-timeWWE Tag Team Champion with fellow Nexus memberJustin Gabriel in the process. In 2016, he began a storyline which saw him forma tag team withRhyno, leading the two to become the inauguralWWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions. He is the first wrestler to have won both the SmackDown and Raw Tag Team Championships.[a] He was released from WWE in April 2020, ending a 14-year tenure with the company.
Miller signed withImpact Wrestling later that year. He would reunite with former tag team partner Rhino and win theImpact World Tag Team Championship in 2022. Overall, Miller is a five-time tag team champion between WWE and Impact.
Heath Wallace Miller was born inPineville, West Virginia, on July 15, 1983.[3] He was raised by his mother, stepfather, and grandparents.
Miller was trained byCurtis Hughes at the wrestling school of World Wrestling Alliance (WWA4).[2] He made his debut in 2004, wrestling for WWA4 and otherGeorgia-based wrestling promotions.[2]
In December 2006, Miller signed a developmental contract with WWE and was assigned toDeep South Wrestling (DSW), a WWEdevelopmental territory. When the WWE ended its relationship with DSW in the spring of 2007, Miller was one of over twenty developmental wrestlers to be sent for further training at the newFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) territory. At a June 2007 FCW show, Miller appeared as themanager of fellow developmental talent Shawn McGrath under the name Heath Wallace Miller Esq., but he 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.[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 afeud and led to a series of matches between the two.[4] In January 2008, Miller started defending theFCW Southern Heavyweight Championship on behalf of the championTed DiBiase, Jr., who was injured.[5] DiBiase soon forfeited the belt and Miller was declared the champion.[6]
Miller and his tag team partnerSteve Lewington lost toJohn Morrison and the Miz for theWWE Tag Team Championship on February 15, 2008, at an FCW show. Miller and Lewington then advanced to the finals of a tournament for the inauguralFlorida Tag Team Championship in February 2008. Miller and Lewington defeated Brandon Groom and Greg Jackson and The Thoroughbreds (Johnny Curtis andKevin Kiley) to reach the finals.[7][8] On February 23, 2008, Miller and Lewington lost to The Puerto Rican Nightmares (Eddie Colón andEric Perez) in the finals.[5] On September 11, teaming withJoe Hennig, he won theFCW Florida Tag Team Championship.[9] As champion, he changed his ring name to Sebastian Slater. On October 30, 2008, Slater and Hennig lost the title toThe New Hart Foundation (Harry Smith andTJ Wilson) inTampa, Florida.[9] He later returned from injury and defeatedJustin Angel. On August 13, 2009, at the 50th FCW TV taping, Miller defeatedTyler Reks to become FCW Heavyweight Champion.[9][10] Slater lost the FCW Heavyweight Championship to Justin Gabriel in atwo out of three falls match at the September 24, 2009, TV taping.[9][11]
On February 16, 2010, Miller, now using the ring name Heath Slater, was one of eight FCW wrestlers to compete on the first season of the newNXT show, withChristian as his storyline mentor. On the inaugural episode ofNXT, Slater debuted as aface as he and Christian defeatedCarlito andMichael Tarver in a tag team match. Two weeks later, Slater defeated Carlito, becoming the first NXT rookie to defeat a WWE pro. On the March 30 episode ofNXT, he came fourth out of eight rookies in the first Pros' Poll. On the April 6 episode, Slater won a keg-carrying contest against all other rookies. This resulted in him being in the main event that night, a match againstKane, which he lost. In an upset victory on April 20, Slater defeatedChris Jericho in the main event ofNXT. However, Slater remained at fourth in the second Pros Poll, revealed on May 11. He was eliminated fromNXT on May 25, coming in last in the Pros' Poll.
On the June 7 episode ofRaw, Slater and the other season oneNXT rookies established themselves asheels by interfering in the main event match betweenJohn Cena andCM Punk, attacking both competitors,Jerry Lawler andJustin Roberts before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment.[12] On the June 14 episode ofRaw, the rookies (sansDaniel Bryan, who had been released from his contract) attacked General ManagerBret Hart, when he refused to give them contracts.[13] At theFatal 4-Way pay-per-view, the seven rookies interfered in theWWE Championship match, and as a result costing Cena the championship toSheamus. The following week onRaw,Vince McMahon fired Hart and installed theAnonymous General Manager, who signed the seven season oneNXT rookies to contracts.[14] The following week, the group was namedThe Nexus.[15] On the July 12 episode ofRaw, The Nexus competed in their first match together, without Darren Young, a six–on–one handicap match against John Cena, which they won when Gabriel pinned Cena.[16] The Nexus continued to feud with Cena and the Raw roster, resulting in aseven-on-seven elimination tag team match atSummerSlam. Slater eliminated both Chris Jericho and Edge but was eliminated from the match by Daniel Bryan, with Team Cena winning the match.[17]
In October 2010, Cena was forced to join The Nexus as a result of losing to Barrett atHell in a Cell and atBragging Rights, Cena andDavid Otunga won the WWE Tag Team Championship.[18][19] On the October 25 episode ofRaw, Barrett made a tag team match, with Gabriel and Slater facing Otunga and Cena for the championship. Gabriel and Slater won when Barrett ordered Otunga to allow Slater to pin him, winning the title.[20][21] Gabriel and Slater held the title for nearly two months, before losing it toSantino Marella andVladimir Kozlov in a four-way elimination match also involvingThe Usos andMark Henry andYoshi Tatsu on the December 6 episode ofRaw.[22] Gabriel and Slater received a championship rematch atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs but lost bydisqualification when Nexus memberMichael McGillicutty interfered.[23] On the January 10, 2011, episode ofRaw, Gabriel and Slater refused to take part in new Nexus leader CM Punk's initiation and walked away from the group.[24]
The following day, at the January 11 taping ofSmackDown, Gabriel and Slater helped their former leaderWade Barrett andEzekiel Jackson attackBig Show.[25][26] The following week, Gabriel, Slater, Barrett, and Jackson formedThe Corre, and later that night Gabriel defeatedWorld Heavyweight ChampionEdge in a non-title match, following interference from the other members of The Corre.[27][28] After winning a non-title match against the champions Kozlov and Marella on the February 4 episode ofSmackDown, Gabriel and Slater received a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship two weeks later, but lost via disqualification when the other members of The Corre interfered.[29][30] They received a rematch at theElimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 20 and defeated Marella and Kozlov to win the WWE Tag Team Championship for the second time.[31][32] The following night onRaw, Gabriel and Slater lost the championship to John Cena andThe Miz, but won the championship back minutes later after Barrett invoked The Corre's rematch clause and The Miz quickly turned on Cena. The match ended with Slater pinning Cena.[33][34] The Corre began a feud with Big Show and atWrestleMania XXVII, the team of Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella andKofi Kingston defeated The Corre.[35] At the April 19 taping ofSmackDown, the duo of Gabriel and Slater lost the Tag Team Championship to the team of Kane and The Big Show. In a backstage segment following the match, Gabriel was attacked by Slater, who thought Gabriel blamed him for their loss. On the May 6, 2011, edition ofSmackDown, Gabriel, Barrett and Slater attacked Jackson, removing him from the group. Barrett walked out on Gabriel and Slater in a 6-man tag team match against Jackson and The Usos on the June 10, 2011, edition ofSmackDown, leading to Gabriel and Slater telling Barrett that The Corre was over.[36][37] Slater and Gabriel then started a feud with The Usos. On the June 17, 2011, episode ofSmackDown, Gabriel and Slater were defeated by The Usos, later defeating them in a rematch on the June 24, 2011, edition. The next day, he and Gabriel were added to theSmackDownMoney in the Bank ladder match.
They were again defeated by The Usos on the July 8, 2011, episode ofSmackDown, having a visible disagreement and argument in the ring following the match. On the July 15, 2011, episode ofSmackDown, Slater started a feud with Gabriel when he verbally berated him saying that Gabriel was holding him down. That same night, Slater lost to Gabriel.[38] AtMoney in the Bank on July 17, he and Gabriel participated in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match, which was won by Daniel Bryan. On October 17, WWE suspended Slater due to aWellness Violation for 30 days.[39]
On the June 11, 2012, episode ofRaw, Slater began appearing in segments involving WWE veterans returning toRaw as a build-up toRaw's1000th episode on July 23. 2012. In the segments, Slater would enter the ring and issue challenges to "the so-called legends" or "any former WWE champion", which resulted in him losing a series ofsquash matches, with the first two losses toVader andSycho Sid. He was further humiliated in a comedic segment byRoddy Piper,Wendi Richter andCyndi Lauper. He defeatedDoink the Clown on the July 2, 2012, edition ofRaw, but following the match,Diamond Dallas Page came to the ring and performed theDiamond Cutter on Slater. On the July 9, 2012, episode ofRaw, after losing toSin Cara, Slater berated the audience and issued a challenge "to any former champion" and guaranteed he would defeat him;Bob Backlund accepted the challenge. Shortly after Backlund entered, Slater hit him with a cheap shot. Backlund then applied thecrossface chickenwing submission hold and kept it locked in long after Slater had tapped out. In following matchesScotty 2 Hotty,Rikishi andRoad Warrior Animal all defeated Slater in further matches.
On July 23, 2012, during the 1000th episode ofRaw, he demanded a "no disqualifications, no countout" match and guaranteed his own victory.Lita responded to the challenge, however before the match could begin, Lita said she had "hired herself a little protection", after whichAPA emerged. Slater attempted to leave; however, he was forced back to the ring by all of the legends who had humiliated Slater in the preceding weeks onRaw. Lita performed atwist of fate on Slater, followed by aclothesline from hell byBradshaw. Lita then pinned Slater after performing amoonsault. As Slater lay prone in the ring, the legends celebrated whileFaarooq taunted him with his catchphrase "Damn!".
On the September 21, 2012, episode ofSmackDown,Drew McIntyre andJinder Mahal interfered in Slater's match against Brodus Clay by attacking Clay.[40] The trio later settled for the name of the Three Man Band, or 3MB for short.[41] Slater would then go on to become the brash and confident leader of the 3MB. From October 2012, 3MB racked up many wins against Team Co-Bro (Santino Marella andZack Ryder) and the Usos, all of them due to illegal interference. AtTLC, 3MB's winning streak came to an end at the hands of The Miz,Alberto Del Rio and theBrooklyn Brawler. The next night at theSlammy Awards, 3MB lost again to Miz, Del Rio, andTommy Dreamer. McIntyre and Mahal often interfered in Slater's matches on Slater's behalf, defending the leader of the trio.[42][43][44] On the20th Anniversary of Raw on January 14, 3MB won an Over the Top Challenge against Sheamus. Slater and McIntyre represented 3MB in theNXT Tag Team Championship tournament to crown the inaugural champions, but lost in the first round byAdrian Neville andOliver Grey on the January 23NXT.[45] He competed in theRoyal Rumble coming from number 10, but was eliminated by John Cena. On the April 12 episode ofSmackDown Slater, along with the rest of 3MB, attempted to ambushTriple H as he was addressingBrock Lesnar, howeverThe Shield then came out and attacked them. On the April 15 episode onRaw, 3MB called out The Shield but instead, Brock Lesnar came out and attacked the three of them, delivering the F-5 on Slater twice on the barricade. Two weeks later onRaw, 3MB attacked The Shield, who would quickly turn the tables on them.Team Hell No came to the ring, seemingly to aid 3MB, but The Shield escaped and Team Hell No attacked 3MB instead. Over the next couple months, the group continued being used as part-timers but mostly as jobbers, while doing that on the main brand TV shows they would feud with Zack Ryder onSuperstars.
On the November 11, 2013, edition ofRaw, while on tour in the UK, 3MB changed their name to The Union Jacks, but were defeated by Santino Marella andLos Matadores. On the November 13, 2013, episode ofMain Event, Slater and McIntyre would defeatThe Prime Time Players. On the November 15, 2013, episode ofSmackDown, The Union Jacks were defeated byR-Truth and The Prime Time Players. On the November 18, 2013country music episode ofRaw, 3MB competed as The Rhinestone Cowboys. McIntyre and Mahal lost to R-Truth and the debutingXavier Woods inNashville, Tennessee. Similarly, this trend of name changes continued to amount the group losses as they also lost to The Prime Time Players onSmackDown, as The Fabulous 3Birds, which was a play on legendary tag team, TheFabulous Freebirds. On the November 29, 2013, episode ofSmackDown, they were billed as The Plymouth Rockers, a play onThe Rockers tag team, even coming out to the Rockers' theme music and faced Los Matadores, along with their mascot,El Torito in a losing effort. Shortly after that match, Slater took time off from WWE to deal with personal issues. He returned on the January 6, 2014, edition ofRaw, which saw 3MB defeated by Rikishi andToo Cool. On April 4, 2014, Slater broke his losing streak, picking up the win against Kofi Kingston onSuperstars. AtWrestleMania XXX, all three members entered the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and eliminated bothThe Great Khali and Xavier Woods as a unit, before all three were eliminated by Mark Henry. After WrestleMania, 3MB entered a feud with Los Matadores, which sawHornswoggle ally himself with the trio so as to feud with El Torito. 3MB won their first match since December 2012 after Slater and McIntyre beat Los Matadores on the April 28, 2014, edition ofRaw. On June 12, 2014, both Mahal and McIntyre were released from their WWE contracts, thus disbanding 3MB.[46]
On the June 16, 2014, edition ofRaw, Slater showed signs of a face turn as he stood up toRusev andLana by responding to their anti-American promos. However, he was quickly defeated by Rusev, who applied theAccolade on Slater to get the win. On the June 26, 2014, episode ofSuperstars, Slater facedAdam Rose in a losing effort. On the July 11, 2014, edition ofSmackDown, Slater teamed up withTitus O'Neil to face The Usos in a match which Usos won. AtBattleground, Slater competed in a battle royal for the vacantIntercontinental Championship; Slater managed to eliminateCesaro but was then quickly eliminated by Sheamus. On the July 21, 2014, episode ofRaw, Slater confrontedFlo Rida about theirprevious confrontation. This resulted in Flo Rida once again pushing Slater to the ground. Slater then began to regularly team up with Titus O'Neil. On the July 29, 2014, episode ofMain Event, Slater and O'Neil became known as "Slater Gator" and picked up their first win overTyson Kidd and Zack Ryder.[citation needed]
On the August 4, 2014, episode ofRaw, thanks to a distraction fromDean Ambrose, Slater scored an upset victory overSeth Rollins and he followed it up a week later with a count-out victory overDolph Ziggler thanks to yet another distraction, this time from The Miz. During this period, Slater Gator also scored victories onMain Event over Los Matadores andGold and Stardust. Slater's brief winning streak was ended when Slater Gator were defeated by Los Matadores on the August 25, 2014, edition ofRaw. Slater Gator then began a feud withAdam Rose and his bunny, who has attacked Slater on many occasions. In his return toRaw on November 17, 2014, he returned in Uncle Sam attire and became the next victim against Rusev. Later atSurvivor Series, Slater remained and Titus O'Neil lost to Adam Rose and The Bunny. In December 2014, a warrant for Slater's arrest was issued, rendering him inactive until all legal issues are resolved. The charges were dropped on January 15, 2015.[47] Slater returned to action in a dark match against Luke Harper on February 3, 2015. On the February 12, 2015, edition ofSmackDown, Slater Gator competed in a tag team turmoil match, where they were quickly defeated by the team of Daniel Bryan andRoman Reigns.
On the February 16, 2015, episode ofRaw, O'Neil made a face turn and reformed the Prime Time Players withDarren Young, effectively disbanding Slater Gator. Later that night, Slater stated on social media, "I'm going to start focusing on ME!!! I'm better on my own ... It's about time I get what I deserve," cementing their breakup.[48] Shortly afterwards, Slater debuted a shorter haircut. AtWrestleMania 31, Slater competed in the 30-man Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which was won by Big Show. Slater returned to the scenes on the April 20, 2015, edition ofRaw when he was at catering, only to receive anRKO through the table byRandy Orton. On the May 28, 2015, edition ofSuperstars, Slater picked up a victory against Adam Rose. Slater would appear mostly onSuperstars andMain Event losing to the likes ofFandango, Neville, R-Truth, and Zack Ryder. Slater started appearing onRaw, trying to answer John Cena's United States Championship Open Challenge, but was denied each week.
On the January 4, 2016Raw, Slater debuted a new stable of himself,Curtis Axel, Adam Rose andBo Dallas calling themselves "social outcasts". Slater went on to defeat Dolph Ziggler after interference from his stablemates.[49] On the January 11 episode ofRaw, now billed as The Social Outcasts, the group would faceThe Wyatt Family to a no contest whenRyback got involved.[50] On the January 14 episode ofSmackDown, the four defeated the team ofGoldust,Damien Sandow,Jack Swagger andZack Ryder in an eight-man tag match. On the February 15 episode ofRaw, Slater defeatedZack Ryder with the help of The Social Outcasts. On April 3, Slater competed in the 3rd annualAndré the GiantMemorial Battle Royal atWrestleMania 32 but was eliminated. In May, The Social Outcasts began filmingThe Marine 5: Battleground, taking them out of action.[51]
The Social Outcasts returned on the June 27 episode ofRaw, confrontingEnzo Amore and Big Cass.[52] The following week onRaw, The Social Outcasts faced Enzo Amore and Big Cass in a losing effort.[53]
I was shocked to hear the amount of support he mustered from the crowd ... Slater is very clearly a valuable role-player, and it seems the crowd has a lot of respect for his work.
While his fellow Social Outcast members got drafted by the end of the2016 WWE draft, Slater was the only active Superstar not selected by either show.[55] Slater appeared on the July 26 episode ofSmackDown, cutting a highly acclaimedworked shoot promo addressing the issue,[54][56] only to be attacked by a returningRhyno shortly after.[57] During the next few weeks, Slater faced other wrestlers to win a contract, but he was defeated.[58][59] Despite not appearing at the event, WWE audiences chanted "we want Slater" during the brawl betweenRoman Reigns andRusev atSummerSlam,[60][61] as well as the following night onRaw.[62][63]
.jpg)
During this time, Slater started a gimmick as a desperate father with several children to support, including the catchphrase "I got kids", which would slowly turn Slater to afan favorite for the first time since 2010. He eventually signed withSmackDown and found an unlikely ally in Rhyno, with the two emerging victorious in the finals of a tag team tournament atBacklash, defeatingThe Usos and becoming the inauguralSmackDown Tag Team Champions.[64][65] On October 9 atNo Mercy, Slater and Rhyno successfully defended the titles against The Usos.[66] AtSurvivor Series, Slater and Rhyno were the team captains for Team SmackDown in the10–on–10 Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination match,[67] where they were defeated by Team Raw.[68] AtTLC: Tables Ladders and Chairs, Slater and Rhyno's reign came to an end at 84 days after they were defeated byRandy Orton andBray Wyatt.[69] Two days later onSmackDown, Slater and Rhyno received their rematch but failed to regain the titles.[70] AtElimination Chamber on February 12, 2017, the duo were the first entrants into thetag team turmoil match for the titles, eliminating Breezango and theVaudevillains before being eliminated by The Usos.[71] AtWrestleMania 33, Slater and Rhyno both competed in theAndré the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but neither were able to win.[72]
On the April 10 episode ofRaw, both Slater and Rhyno were sent to theRaw brand as part of theSuperstar Shake-up. On the June 5 episode ofRaw, Slater and Rhyno unsuccessfully challengedCesaro and Sheamus for theRaw Tag Team Championship.[73] After pinningThe Miz in a tag team match on the June 12 episode ofRaw, Slater was awarded anIntercontinental Championship match against Miz on the July 3 episode ofRaw, which he lost. On the October 30 episode ofRaw, Slater and Rhyno defeatedThe Club in anAll Hallow's Eve Trick or Street Fight.[74] He entered the2018 Royal Rumble as the fifth entrant, but was attacked byBaron Corbin before he could enter the ring. He would then repeatedly be attacked by incoming entrants, keeping him from entering the ring. The eleventh entrant,Sheamus, inserted him to the ring and Slater immediately eliminated him in a hugeupset, but was eliminated seconds later byBray Wyatt.[75] AtWrestleMania 34, Slater entered the fifth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but did not win.[76] He also participated in the 50-man Royal Rumble match at theGreatest Royal Rumble, where he entered at number 36. However, he was eliminated by eventual winnerBraun Strowman.[77]
On the December 3 episode ofRaw, acting general managerBaron Corbin forced Slater and Rhyno to fight each other with the stipulation that the loser will be fired. Slater won, but Corbin immediately repositioned him as a referee instead of a competitor.[78] The following week onRaw, Slater refereed a match betweenElias andLio Rush, where he allowedBobby Lashley to attack Elias, leading to Rush's win. Later that same night, he attempted to cost Seth Rollins theIntercontinental Championship by helping Corbin during their match, but failed.[79] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Slater was scheduled to referee aTLC match betweenBraun Strowman and Baron Corbin, but during the match Slater took off his referee shirt (with help fromApollo Crews,Bobby Roode,Chad Gable,Finn Bálor, andKurt Angle) and attacked Corbin, allowing Strowman to win the match.[80] The next night, the McMahon family (Vince, Stephanie, Shane, andTriple H) announced that they will collectively be in charge of Raw and SmackDown. Corbin begged to be the permanent Raw general manager, but the family announced that he would have to win ano disqualificationhandicap match against Angle, Crews, Roode, and Gable with Slater as referee, which he lost.[81] After Corbin was removed from power, Rhyno returned to aid Slater against an attack fromJinder Mahal on the December 24 episode ofRaw.[82] The following week onRaw, Slater and Rhyno faced Mahal andThe Singh Brothers in a losing effort.[83] AtWrestleMania 35, Slater competed in the sixth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but failed to win.[84] On July 17, their team ended after Rhyno left WWE.[85][86]
On the June 24 episode ofRaw, Slater briefly captured the24/7 Championship fromR-Truth before immediately losing it to back to Truth. This marked Slater's first singles championship win in WWE.[87] As part of the2019 draft, Slater was drafted to SmackDown brand.[88] On the February 7, 2020, episode ofSmackDown, Slater appeared in backstage segment withDaniel Bryan, trying to sympathize with the latter following a recent loss toBray Wyatt. Slater's poor choice of words led to a match between him and Bryan, where Bryan emerged victorious.[89] The two had a rematch two weeks later, where Bryan was once again the victor.[90]
On April 15, 2020, he was released from his WWE performers contract due to budget cuts resulting from theCOVID-19 pandemic, ending his 14-year tenure with the company.[91] On the July 6 episode ofRaw, Slater, still under a 90-day no-compete clause, appeared to confront his former 3MB teammateDrew McIntyre, and he demanded a match against McIntyre, which he lost easily.[92] After the match, Slater was attacked byDolph Ziggler before being saved by McIntyre as the two embraced and shared a moment in the ring together.[93] His no-compete clause expired on July 14, 2020.
On July 18, 2020, atSlammiversary, Miller, now known asHeath, made hisImpact Wrestling debut, declaring himself as a free agent before being interrupted byRohit Raju, who insulted Heath before Heath attacked him.[94] Heath would then run in to his former tag team partnerRhino backstage before being told to leave the building by Impact executiveScott D'Amore as he was not an Impact employee.[95] On the August 4 episode ofImpact!, Heath made his in-ring debut by challengingMoose for theTNA World Heavyweight Championship and a spot on the roster, but was defeated.[96] Despite this, he and Rhino began a "#Heath4IMPACT" campaign to convince the company to sign Heath, even getting celebrity endorsements fromDavid Hasselhoff,Flava Flav,Nancy Kerrigan andChuck Norris.[97][98]
AtVictory Road,Heath and Rhino teamed for the first time in Impact, where they defeatedReno Scum (Adam Thornstowe and Luster the Legend).[99][100] Three days later, Scott D'Amore offered Heath a contract, however, contract talks broke down.[101] D'Amore eventually allowed Heath and Rhino to enter theCall Your Shot Gauntlet match atBound for Glory, and if either man won, Heath would get his contract, and if neither won, Rhino would be fired.[102] At Bound for Glory, Rhino won the match, thus winning Heath an Impact contract, however, Heath suffered an injury during the match.[103][104]
After an absence of almost a year, he returned from injury on the September 30, 2021, episode ofImpact!, saving Rhino from a potential attack byViolent By Design, a stable that Rhino used to be a part of.[105][106][107] AtBound for Glory,Heath and Rhino defeatedViolent By Design (Deaner andJoe Doering). afterwards Heath and Rhino decided to challenge VBD to one more match at Turning Point, which was accepted and at the event Rhino and Heath were defeated.[108][109][110] AtTurning Point, Heath and Rhino lost to Violent By Design (Eric Young and Joe Doering). On theUnder Siege preshow, Heath and Rhino defeatedRaj Singh andShera. AtAgainst All Odds, Heath,America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris andJames Storm), andThe Good Brothers (Doc Gallows andKarl Anderson) defeatedHonor No More (Eddie Edwards,Kenny King,Matt Taven,Mike Bennett, andPCO) in a ten man tag team match. AtVictory Road, Heath,Josh Alexander, andRich Swann lost to Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett).
AtBound for Glory, Heath competed in 20-personIntergenderCall Your Shot Gauntlet which was won byBully Ray. On October 8, 2022, during theImpact! taping, Heath and Rhino defeatedThe Kingdom to become to the newImpact World Tag Team Champions, marking his first title in Impact Wrestling.[111] AtOver Drive, Heath and Rhino defeated theMajor Players (Brian Myers andMatt Cardona) to retain the titles. On the December 15 episode of Impact Wrestling, Heath and Rhino lost the tag team championship to theMotor City Machine Guns.
AtHard To Kill, Heath and Rhino competed in a Four-way tag team elimination match for the Impact World Tag Team Championship but failed to win the titles. atNo Surrender, Heath competed in a Four-way match to determine the #1 contender to the Impact World Championship which was won bySteve Maclin. atRebellion, Heath and Rhino lost toChampagne Singh andShera during the preshow. AtAgainst All Odds, Heath competed in the 8-4-1 match to determine the #1 contender to the Impact World Championship which was won byNick Aldis. AtBound for Glory, Heath competed in 20-personIntergenderCall Your Shot Gauntlet which was won byJordynne Grace.
On October 27, 2023, it was reported that Heath's contract had expired.[112]
After being released by WWE and while working for Impact, Slater debuted at Lariato Pro Wrestling on September 12, 2020, inDublin, Georgia defeatingJay Bradley.
On November 23, 2024, Slater unsuccessfully challengedEvan Golden for theBeside the Ring Championship inElizabethton, Tennessee. AfterE.Z. Money blinded special enforcerBuff Bagwell at ringside, Slater was knocked out by Golden with brass knuckles, allowing Golden to retain the title.[113]
Miller was one of the main cast members ofThe JBL and Renee Show from 2013 to 2015 on WWE.com, where he played "Big" Clem Layfield, a storyline nephew ofJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield.[citation needed]
Miller was the host ofWWE Game Night on WWE.com and WWE'sYouTube channel.[114]
Miller, as Heath Slater, is a playable character in thevideo gamesWWE '12,WWE '13,WWE 2K14,WWE 2K16,WWE 2K17,WWE 2K18,WWE 2K19 andWWE 2K20.
Miller married his high school girlfriend Stephanie Jean in 2011; they have two children and reside inFort Mill, South Carolina.[115][116]
Miller remains friends with Scottish wrestlerDrew McIntyre and Indo-Canadian wrestlerRaj Dhesi (formerly Jinder Mahal), who were his stablemates in the team 3MB during his time in WWE.[117]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Marine 5: Battleground | Cash |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The JBL and Cole Show | Himself |
| 2013–2015 | The JBL and Renee Show | Himself/"Big" Clem Layfield |
| 2016–2017 | WWE Game Night | Himself (a.k.a. Mr. Miller) |
| 2017 | Southpaw Regional Wrestling | Pelvis Wesley |
| 2021–present | Heath House | Himself |
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database