TNA's A.J. Francis Eyes X Division Title After Leon Slater-Cedric Alexander Match

Leon Slater faces one of the biggest matches of his young pro wrestling career Thursday night. He will defend the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling X Division Championship against Cedric Alexander.

A win would make Slater the longest-reigning X Division champion, surpassing Austin Aries' record of 298 days. Aries held the title starting in September 2011 before giving it up for a TNA World Championship shot.

TNA wrestler A.J. Francis wants Slater to beat Alexander. Francis said he plans to take the title from Slater and called himself the biggest heel in the company.

"Hopefully Leon wins because the person that should be taking the X Division title off Leon is me. I’m the biggest heel in TNA," Francis told Fox News Digital. "I’m really the biggest heel in wrestling. I’m such a big heel that there’s this entire initiative that there was a streamer who was excited to see me at Reality of Wrestling on a show and it’s become, like, a thing where, ‘There was no way this guy was that excited to see A.J.’ Wow. Like, I’m such a heel that you hate me so much that someone else can’t enjoy my presence. Nobody else in this wrestling business gets booed like me."

Francis said top heels like MJF and Dominik Mysterio get cheered by fans. He named himself and Logan Paul as the only wrestlers who truly get booed. He noted Joe Hendry remixed a song originally made about him for Logan Paul two years ago.

"I always provide. I’m the ultimate provider. I’m the biggest and best heel in the business. I’m the best big man in the business and I prove it time and time again," Francis said.

No one would top him for taking the title from Slater, Francis added. He claimed he got cheated out of the belt in their previous match.

"So who would be better to take that X Division title off Leon Slater than me? Who would get a better reaction to take that X Division off Leon Slater than me? And also, by the way, in the one match I had against Leon Slater for the X Division title, I was cheated by BDE, Rich Swann and the referee," he said.

Francis dismissed his critics.

"These are facts. See, that’s the thing, I come on here and talk facts and people get mad at me because I talk facts," he told Fox News Digital. "Because in this wrestling business, that’s full of these cowards that only are tough in interviews and only tough behind a TV screen and they’re not tough in real life. They don’t want you to say things that are facts that could be ‘misconstrued’ as trying to ‘get heat’ or ‘trying to going to business for yourself.’ I am going into business for myself. I’ve been in business for myself."

He said people told him he was worthless 2 1/2 years ago, but he kept working for himself. Francis said he does not disrespect others unprovoked.

"I think if you don’t appreciate the things that I bring to the table as the best big man in the business, as the best heel in the business, personally, I feel, ‘F--- ya.’ And if you have a problem with me saying that, that’s your problem. I can go out of my way disrespecting nobody. I don’t go out of my way talking down to nobody. It’s always other people that want to start with me. The problem is they bring a knife to a gun fight and they get mad they get clapped."