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In July 2016, WWE separated Raw and SmackDown for the first time in five years. Heath Slater, however, hadn't been picked on either roster, which is why he started appearing on both the red and blue shows from time to time in an effort to earn a deal.
The storyline of Slater as a free agent subsequently led to the conquest of the couple titles together with Rhyno on the occasion of the pay-per-view Backlash. Their reign lasted 83 days overall, and the two continued to work together for nearly three years before Rhyno left Stamford-based federation in 2019.
Currently, Heath and Rhyno both play IMPACT Wrestling. In a recent interview with 'Title Match Wrestling', the former '3MB' member said he rejected WWE's initial idea of enlisting him in SmackDown on Draft night.
Heath Slater now battles at IMPACT Wrestling
"WWE had a different plan in store for my future," Heath Slater revealed. "Their idea was that I should appear in SmackDown with my tail between my legs, but I disagreed at all.
I told him we could have a damn interesting storyline. I was a free agent at the time, as I didn't belong to Raw or SmackDown. It would have been more helpful if I started going to both shows in order to get a job. I should have tried to impress Shane and Stephanie McMahon so I could get them to offer me a contract.
We could have gone on for months with that plot. Luckily, they listened to me and things went the right way” - he explained. WWE has been the protagonist of numerous layoffs in the last year and a half, having to deal with the crisis linked to the pandemic.
Notable names like Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Mickie James, Andrade and Bray Wyatt were forced to pack, along with several behind-the-scenes insiders. There are also rumors of a possible landing in Daniel Bryan's All Elite Wrestling (who would follow in the footsteps of his friend CM Punk).
The former WWE star was recently a guest on The Angle Podcast. During the interview, Heath Slater revealed that WWE had offered him a chance to return to the promotion last year — an offer he turned down. The offer was for about half the money Heath was making in the past at WWE.
As a result, he decided not to take up the deal. "I talked to IMPACT, New Japan, and ROH. I talked with AEW after I went with IMPACT. They just wanted me to come in for a three-week thing to do some things. I was already committed with IMPACT."