One of AEW’s most popular tag teams is no more following the events of this week’s AEW Collision. Tensions between Anthony Bowens and Max Caster of The Acclaimed came to a head during the tapings, with Bowens accusing Caster of letting his ego take over. Bowens then announced his decision to align with Billy Gunn, prompting Caster to declare the official end of The Acclaimed.

The on-screen issues between Bowens and Caster have been simmering for months. However, Bowens expressed confidence late last year that a breakup was unlikely. In a November interview with ROAR Around The Ring, Bowens stated:

“Max and I, we have a lot more stuff that we need to accomplish. I’m not particularly worried about anything that’s been happening.”

The Acclaimed joined AEW in 2020, initially appearing on AEW Dark before transitioning to televised programming. The duo achieved significant success, capturing the AEW World Tag Team Championship in September 2022 and holding the titles for 140 days before losing them to The Gunns in February 2023. Alongside Billy Gunn, they also became AEW Trios Champions, holding the belts for a record-breaking 238 days.

AEW Collision Spoilers: Taping Results Airing 1/18

With The Acclaimed now dissolved, speculation surrounds the next steps for Bowens and Caster. Bowens has made his intention to team with Billy Gunn clear, while Caster has previously shown interest in the Hurt Syndicate’s recruitment efforts. Stay tuned to SEScoops for updates on Bowens, Caster, and their post-Acclaimed careers.

AEW star Anthony Bowens has been forced to miss the January 11 episode of Saturday Night Collision due to the wildfire disaster in California. Bowens, a Southern California resident, took to social media earlier today to provide an update on his status and well-being before the latest AEW show.

The former tag champion noted that he and his partner are having to evacuate their homes as a precautionary measure after the Paradise fires started moving towards their area. Though Bowens confirmed that his neighborhood is safe as of now. The AEW star also thanked the LA Fire Department for their continuous hard work:

• Anthony Bowens Pays Tribute To Sting With Throwback Photo

A group of fires has devasted the greater Los Angeles area since Tuesday this week. The Paradise Fire is the largest of the several blazes that have led to over 100,000 people evacuating their homes. WWE’s Cathy Kelley revealed earlier this week that she is one of the thousands who have been displaced.

The wildfires have destroyed over ten thousand structures and claimed as many as 16 lives per the latest reports. They have burned over 37,000 acres so far, an area bigger than the city of San Francisco. You can find a list of resources for affected residents as well as ways to help victims here.

AEW fans might have witnessed the end of The Acclaimed following this week’s AEW Dynamite: Fight For The Fallen. During the event, the former Tag Team Champions suffered a decisive loss to The Hurt Syndicate. Max Caster carried the match for his team, while Anthony Bowens appeared uninterested in aiding his long-time tag partner.

In a digital exclusive interview, Caster expressed outrage over what he described as a “two-on-one attack” by The Hurt Syndicate, once again proclaiming himself the “best wrestler alive.” This declaration enraged Bowens, who accused Caster of bringing the loss upon himself.

“You’ve been pissing me off for months, so much so that Billy [Gunn] doesn’t even want to show up and deal with you.”

Caster didn’t hold back, telling Bowens “F*** Billy Gunn” and asserting himself as the leader of The Acclaimed. Bowens fired back, hinting at a potential showdown between the two.

“The only reason why I haven’t punched you in the face is because Billy asked me not to.”

Caster may have been at odds with The Hurt Syndicate this week, fans are speculating about Caster’s future with MVP’s faction. After all, The Hurt Syndicate previously offered The Acclaimed business cards. While Bowens dismissed the idea of aligning with MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and Bobby Lashley, Caster seemed to consider the proposal.

The Acclaimed has spent years as one of AEW’s most popular tag teams, but now Max Caster and Anthony Bowens can barely stand each other. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on The Acclaimed.

AEW has a few stables going, but they don’t have as many as they used to. Now, after their Big Business Dynamite, it is apparent that they have one less faction on their roster, but the war is not over.

The Bang Bang Scissor Gang joined up as Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, and Billy Gunn joined Bullet Club Gold. Now, they are no longer together after Jay White betrayed the former AEW Trios Champions.

Bang Bang Scissor Gang Breakup

AEW recently disbanded the Bang Bang Scissor Gang, a stable that hadn’t been around for long, to set up a feud between its former members. The dissolution of the group was evident on the March 13 episode of AEW Dynamite when Jay White won a singles match against Darby Allin. 

Following the match, White attempted to inflict more damage on Allin, prompting The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to rush to the ring to intervene. This did not set too well with Switchblade. 

Initially, White appeared to back off, allowing Caster and Bowens to assist Allin out of the ring. However, when Caster and Bowens left the ring, White suddenly attacked Billy Gunn with a chair, surprising the Boston fans in a big way. 

Despite Caster and Bowens’ attempts to intervene, they were overpowered by Colten and Austin Gunn. This caused a beatdown for the babyfaces.

Bullet Club Gold is showing their true colors tonight!

Watch #AEWDynamite #AEWBigBusiness LIVE on TBS!@JayWhiteNZ | @theaustingunn | @coltengunn | @RealBillyGunn | @Bowens_Official | @PlatinumMax pic.twitter.com/UrtBzF468C

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 14, 2024

What’s Next

The dramatic turn of events marked the end of the Bang Bang Scissor Gang’s run. The trio had joined forces on the January 20 episode of Collision. Currently, The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn still hold the AEW World Trios Championship, while Jay White & The Gunns retain the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team titles.

SEScoops will have more on this story as additional updates are made available. Odds are, fans have not heard the last of this story at all. The Acclaimed will not likely go after the Bullet Club Gold stable to turned on them.

Sting’s in-ring career may now be in the rearview mirror, but his legacy continues to live on.

On Sunday night, the 64-year-old competed in what would be his final professional wrestling match in the main event of AEW Revolution. There, Sting, along with Darby Allin, successfully defended the AEW World Tag Team Championships against The Young Bucks (Matthew and Nicholas Jackson) in a tornado tag team match.

A Thank You To ‘The Icon’

Following Sting’s victory, several wrestling personalities weighed in on social media to pay homage and share positive memories of “The Icon.” One of those was Sting’s colleague, and former AEW Tag Team Champion, Anthony Bowens.

As evidenced by the throwback photo posted to X (formerly Twitter), Bowens is a long-time fan of “The Icon,’ even going as far as donning Sting-inspired facepaint when he was younger. Bowens also credits Sting with sparking his love for professional wrestling.

“Thank you Sting. My love of this sport started with you,” Bowens wrote. “Your support and confidence in me has meant the world. There’s a saying you should never meet your heroes, but I’m so glad you proved that to be false. You’re the f***ing man. Thank you for everything.”

Thank you Sting. My love of this sport started with you. Your support and confidence in me has meant the world.

There’s a saying you should never meet your heroes, but I’m so glad you proved that to be false. You’re the fucking man.

Thank you for everything. ???… pic.twitter.com/1klkfG43fI

— Anthony Bowens (@Bowens_Official) March 4, 2024

Full-Circle Moment

In addition to sharing a locker room with Sting, Anthony Bowens also received the opportunity to wrestle him. On the January 19, 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite, Bowens and Max Caster (together known as The Acclaimed) faced off with Sting and Allin in tag team action.

The ending of the contest saw Allin sidestep while Bowens charged toward a previously exposed turnbuckle. After laying out Bowens with a flipping stunner, Allin then nailed him with a Coffin Drop for the win.

The reveal of the Devil at AEW Worlds End has proven to be a huge talking point among fans and those within the wrestling business. 

In the main event of AEW Worlds End, MJF lost the AEW World Championship to Samoa Joe. After the match, the Devil’s henchmen’s attacked MJF and revealed themselves to be Wardlow, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett. Adam Cole watched on as the four men beat down Cole’s ‘best friend’ before revealing himself as the Devil. 

Adam Cole has been The Devil this WHOLE TIME?!

Order #AEWWorldsEnd LIVE on PPV!
??: https://t.co/TiDZIQm5Hp
?: https://t.co/2USw7IAedK@AdamColePro | @The_MJF pic.twitter.com/JM03SIyeJU

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 31, 2023

The Wrestling World Reacts

After months of build, the reveal of the Devil has had the wrestling world talking. Taking to Twitter, Cole shared a snippet from the song ‘pride.is.the.devil. by J. Cole and Lil Baby. 

pic.twitter.com/mnlVGxhTXZ

— Adam Cole (@AdamColePro) December 31, 2023

While some suspected Britt Baker of being the Devil, that was never the plan. On Twitter, Baker was pleased to prove those who doubted her wrong. 

I told you guys I’m not the devil.

I’m the bully…. remember? pic.twitter.com/ypfAYz33Uh

— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) December 31, 2023

Anthony Bowens has been aligned with MJF and was attacked by The Devil’s henchmen alongside the rest of the Acclaimed recently. The AEW Trios Champion had just two words for Cole and his allies. 

FUCK YOU ? #AEWWorldsEnd

— Anthony Bowens (@Bowens_Official) December 31, 2023

Alex Hammerstone recently wrapped up his time with  MLW and has teased joining AEW. The former MLW World Champion shared a photo of himself alongside MJF, and others during their time as The Dynasty and asked if MJF needs some help. 

Need a friend or two, brother? ?

— Hammerstone (@alexhammerstone) December 31, 2023

Richard Holliday was also once part of The Dynasty and shared his own reaction to the reveal of the Devil and his henchmen. 

Need a friend or two, brother? ?

— Hammerstone (@alexhammerstone) December 31, 2023

There have been some negative reactions to the closing moments of AEW Worlds End, but that hasn’t phased Samoa Joe. The new AEW World Champion made it clear he’s enjoying the ‘salty tears’ of fans. 

Damn, ankles gonna swell all these salty tears I’m drinking.

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) December 31, 2023

AEW World Tag Team Champion was concerned that coming out as gay would negatively affect or possibly end his career in the ring.

In November 2020, Bowens, alongside Acclaimed teammate, Max Caster, signed a five-year deal with AEW and are in their first reign as World Tag Team Champions.

After coming out as bisexual in 2017, Bowens shared a video in 2019 with his partner, stating he now solely identifies as homosexual.

Career-Ending

Bowens is proud of who he is, but for years he feared he would never have the chance to come out due to his career.

Speaking on the Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend podcast, the AEW star explained how the decision to not come out was seen as the more pragmatic choice.

 “I would sit in my room, in my car, and just cry thinking if I came out, you know, my career is over, fans would hate me, wrestlers would hate me, a national TV company wouldn’t take a chance on me.”

Anthony Bowens.

Bowens added that he feels proud for coming out, and hopes to be an example to others that there is nothing wrong with being LGBTQ+.

“To be able to be somebody that people can watch on television, hopefully connect to and relate to, to give them that sense of hope that, I made it through, they can make it through.”

Anthony Bowens.

LGBTQ+ Wrestling

While there was once a stigma around LGBTQ+ in wrestling, that isn’t the case (as much) anymore.

In addition to Bowens, AEW’s first openly gay champion, AEW is also home to Nyla Rose, a transwoman, and both Toni Storm and referee Aubrey Edwards identify as bisexual.

In WWE, Sonya Deville is the promotion’s first openly lesbian Superstar, while Doudrop, Kayla Braxton, and the recently returned Tegan Nox have also come out as bisexual.

h/t – eWrestlingNews

This weekend’s AEW Full Gear card may be forced to change as Anthony Bowens is believed to be injured.

Bowens and Max Caster are scheduled to defend their AEW World Tag Team Championships against Swerve in Our Glory this Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.

The Acclaimed captured the titles from Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland at September’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam special, making Bowens the first openly gay champion in the promotion’s history.

Bowens Injured

Fightful Select reports that sources who spoke to them said that Bowens may have suffered an aggravated shoulder injury during Dynamite.

On last night’s show, Bowens faced Swerve Strickland after The Acclaimed debuted their special music video featuring Paul Wight as Captain Insano.

The finish of the match saw Strickland hit Bowens with the JML Driver for the pinfall victory.

Fightful added that they can’t say for certain if this is legit or if it’s being worked into a story. 

AEW has not publicly commented on Bowens’ status and he remains booked for Full Gear at this time.

Previous Injury

If Bowens is indeed injured, it won’t be the first time that he will have been hurt during his AEW tenure.

In May, Bowens underwent a procedure on his knee that kept him out of action for months, after suffering a knee injury in March of this year.

Despite the injury, Bowens continued to appear on AEW programming and used a wheelchair to get around.

Some lucky AEW fans got an extra special souvenir during last night’s taping of Dynamite and Rampage.

Last night’s taping took place at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri and saw the promotion continue on the road to AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door on June 26.

Prior to the show going live, Austin Gunn said that he and the Gunn Club had written notes which had been left under the seats throughout the arena.

Shortly after Anthony Bowens of The Acclaimed shared a similar message, saying he and Max Caster had joined the Gunn Club with this idea.

The Gunn Club and The Acclaimed

Since The Acclaimed and the Gunns aligned, both groups have seen a rise in popularity, despite Anthony Bowens being unable to wrestle due to a knee injury.

The group has been riling up fans with their entrance, in which Caster performs his rap and the Gunn Club gets the name of the city wrong.

Bowens corrects them before doing his signature scissor taunt.

While neither team has captured the AEW World Tag Team Championships yet, both teams are quickly proving themselves to be all-rounders in Tony Khan’s promotion.

Both members of the Gunn Club and Max Caster competed in last night’s Casino Battle Royal, which was won by Kyle O’Reilly.

• The Acclaimed’s Max Caster Responds to John Cena’s Praise of Him

AEW star and one-half of the Acclaimed tag team Anthony Bowens has revealed that he has undergone a knee surgery.

The 31-year-old had made a cryptic post earlier this week saying that he wanted to be on Dynamite but the opportunity was taken away from him.

In an apparent update to the story, Bowens took on his Twitter to share the news of the surgery with fans on Friday. He claimed that he had to get the operation because of an attack after Elevation on Monday:

“Without getting into too much detail..bc of the attack after Elevation on Monday, I had to undergo a procedure this week to fix my knee. Story of my life..1 step forward, 2 steps back.” wrote Anthony Bowens.

The Acclaimed had teamed up with The Gunn Club to compete in an 8 men tag team match during this week’s Dark: Elevation episode. They defeated Bryce Donovan, GKM, Lucas Chase & Zack Clayton.

Footage shown on Friday’s Rampage saw Anthony Bowens getting attacked after the match. Though the culprit behind the attack was not revealed.

Before the Elevation match, the AEW star had been out of action for several months due to another knee injury. There is no word on how long he will take to recover this time.

AEW star Anthony Bowens made a cryptic tweet before this week’s episode of Dynamite that has got people talking about his absence from the show.

One half of The Acclaimed took on his Twitter before this week’s episode of the Wednesday night show. He mentioned how he wanted to be at the TV tapings from Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas but that opportunity was taken away from him:

Anthony Bowens wrote: “I wish I was at #AEWDynamite tonight in Houston but that opportunity was taken away from me”:

The Acclaimed last wrestled for AEW during the May 11 episode of AEW Dark: Elevation. They teamed up with The Gunn Club to defeat Bryce Donovan, GKM, Lucas Chase & Zack Clayton.

Though it’s been a while since their last Televised match. Prior to the Dark appearance, Anthony Bowens and Max Caster challenged Jurassic Express for the AEW tag team titles during the March 9 episode of Dynamite.

The AEW star did not provide any more details on his absence. So it’s hard to say if it’s some kind of injury that has been affecting him or if the lack of creative direction is the reason for his absence from this week’s show.

Anthony Bowens will be missing some time due to an injury.

AEW President Tony Khan broke the news during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio (h/t 411Mania):

“I really like Anthony a great deal. He’s been injured. We don’t think it’s anything too long-term, but the truth is, he was supposed to be back by now and that’s jammed me up the last couple weeks in planning. He’s been out almost a month and they originally thought it was going to be two weeks. It’s been a few weeks I’ve been looking forward to bringing him back. He’s recovering from what is hopefully a short-term knee injury.“

Bowens is still advertised to be in Max Caster’s corner for the March 30 episode of AEW Dynamite.

Bowens is one-half of The Acclaimed along with Caster. He was last seen in action teaming with Caster to challenge Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus for the AEW World Tag Team Championships on March 9.

The Acclaimed fell short in the title match.

All Elite Wrestling first signed trans wrestler Nyla Rose, shares her thoughts regarding a wrestling fan offensive sign aimed towards her.

On Dec. 22, 2021, Rose wrestled Ruby Soho on AEW Dynamite. A fan hoisted a transphobic sign for the AEW camera to see during the match. Rose responded by giving the middle finger, and her employers removed the male fan from the event. Sports Illustrated Justin Barrasso spoke with Rose about the incident that upset those that supported her and diversity.

Barrasso also transcribed the following quotes.

“For the most part, people understood why that sign was wrong,” Rose said. She continued, “Maybe that person didn’t quite understand the gravity of what they were doing. You want to boo, that’s cool. But there is a line. People might feel it’s a conflict of their beliefs by simply respecting someone else, but it’s not. You don’t have to understand or even agree with somebody’s situation to show them simple respect and kindness, like respecting their pronouns and respecting their way of life. I’d love for people to be cool with it, but if that’s not your thing, it’s not your thing. But shouldn’t people want to treat their fellow humans with a little respect and kindness?”

Nyla Rose’s on her Influence in AEW

As an African and Native American transgender wrestler in AEW, Rose is a role model for others. Although the article notes that Rose believes she is a wrestler and not a pioneer, the former AEW Women’s World Champion recognizes how influential she is.

“People from so many different walks of life have connected with me, and I think that’s wild,” Rose said. She continued, “I grew up a wrestling fan, and I found inspiration in my life from the things the wrestlers did. I’m going out there thinking, I’m just performing and putting on a show, but people have told me I’m a beacon for them. Black families have said they see me as someone who is so strong. As a Native person, I’ve heard from families that tell me it makes them so proud of their heritage that they’ve broken down in joy when they see themselves reflected in the Iroquois flag. The LGBTQ community has such a prominent figure [in Nyla Rose], and I understand the importance of that.”

Rose isn’t the only AEW wrestler from the LGBTQ community that had to deal with an offensive spectator. On Dec. 8, 2021, at AEW Dynamite, an instigator called Anthony Bowen a homophobic slur during his match. Like Rose, Bowens hopes to continue ignoring the hate and positively influence those who look up to him.

On last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, a fan can be heard yelling a homophobic slur at the Acclaimed’s Anthony Bowens during his match. The Acclaimed teamed with 2.0 in a losing effort to the Varsity Blondes and Jurassic Express on the show.

Bowens recently spoke to TMZ about the incident.

“Unfortunately that kind of stuff comes with the territory, being an out LGBTQ athlete,” Bowens said.

“This is actually the first time that I’ve audibly heard something like that during a performance or during television.”

Bowens also responded to a Tweet featuring a video of the fan yelling the slur.

Bowens continued to say that when he started a YouTube channel with his boyfriend, the comments they received were quite hateful.

“I have really thick skin, I’m kind of used to it from my boyfriend Michael and I,” Bowens said. “We have our YouTube channel and when we first started that the comments were brutal.”

Bowens would continue to say, however, that the comment is not indicative of AEW fans at all.

“This is not indicative of the AEW fans at all,” Bowens said. “Any interactions I’ve had with them since starting the company have all been positive.”

Bowens also spoke about how when he first arrived in AEW, he was happy to see LGTB wrestlers such as Nyla Rose and Sonny Kiss freely being themselves. His full comments are available in the player below: