AEW fans witnessed the final chapter of The Acclaimed at AEW Collision: Maximum Carnage, as Anthony Bowens and Max Caster offically split. After weeks of escalating tension, Bowens turned his back on Max Caster, opting to align with Billy Gunn instead during the latest episode.
Reflecting on the end of The Acclaimed, Caster shared that his desire for personal growth and pointed the finger of blame squarely at Gunn.
“Anthony Bowens is my best friend for life. I know he’s hardheaded, and ever since he started listening to Billy Gunn, he’s been a real stubborn guy. Billy is a bad influence—has been since the ’90s.”
Caster shared that his efforts to grow led to him asking the group to quit scissoring, a request both Bowens and Gunn rejected. The self professed best wrestler alive compared his parting from The Acclaimed to a passenger fleeing a sinking ship.
“That life raft was me. I found self-worth, self-confidence. I love myself, and I think that’s a good thing.”
The Acclaimed began teaming in 2020 and Caster and Bowens captured the AEW World Tag Team Championships in 2022. The following year, the pair and Gunn won the AEW Trios Championships, titles the faction would hold longer than any other group. Now, Bowens and Caster will have to forge separate paths in AEW as one of the promotion’s most popular teams has come to an end.
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.
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 taped the January 18 ‘Maximum Carnage’ special of Collision from Cincinnati, Ohio this Thursday. The show featured several top stars such as Adam Page, Jon Moxley, and Kazuchika Okada in action. Below are the complete spoiler results for the episode:
Texas Death Match: Hangman Page def. Christopher Daniels: Weapons such as tables and barbed wire were involved and Daniels was left bloodied. Page pinned the former SCU member to pick up the victory.
Six Men Tag Team Match: Roderick Strong, Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly def. The Infantry & ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty
Tag Team Match: Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Top Flight – The duo of Action Andretti & Lio Rush showed up after the bell and attacked Top Flight following their loss.
Toni Storm Promo: Tony Schiavone interviewed the young rookie following her big win on Dynamite. She claimed that it was finally time for her to meet AEW Women’s Champion Mariah May ‘face to face.’
The Acclaimed Promo Battle: Max Caster and Anthony Bowens went back and forth on mic. Bowens told Max that he is a ‘cocky piece of shit.’ He claimed that he had everything it takes to be an AEW World Champion. Billy Gunn came out to try and talk some sense but he got berated by Caster. Max claimed that Billy only attached himself to the team so people would chant his name again. Max then asked Bowens to choose between him and Billy and Bowens chose Billy. An angry Caster then announced that The Acclaimed were done before walking out.
12 Men Tag Team Match: Cope, Powerhouse Hobbs, The Outrunners & FTR def. The Death Riders & The Learning Tree – Hobbs was apparently attacked backstage before the match and he initially didn’t show up with his other teammates. The Death Riders tried to kidnap Cope but FTR thwarted their attempt. The two groups then brawled away from the ring leaving the rest of the participants on their own. Powerhouse Hobbs came out selling his leg in the end. He got the hot tag and pinned Bryan Keith with a spinebuster for the win.
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.
Tonight’s All Elite Wrestling Dynamite episode will take place at the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. It will be the last Dynamite in the United States before the company heads overseas on the road to All In on August 25.
AEW Dynamite Tonight
Here is what has been announced to occur on tonight’s show
Jay Lethal vs. Adam Page
Three-Way Match for the Number One Spot In Casino Gauntlet At All In: Roderick Strong vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Swerve Strickland vs. Wheeler Yuta
AEW TBS Championship Match: (C) Mercedes Moné vs. Hikaru Shida
AEW World Tag Team Championship: (C) The Young Bucks vs. The Acclaimed
Plus, Dynamite will also feature:
Hook to appear
A Flim By Mariah May segment
Kazuchika Okada & Claudio Castagnoli Face to Face
The Acclaimed Finally Get Their Title Opportunity
The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) are set to challenge The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson) for the tag titles. The fan-favorite duo earned the opportunity after defeating the champions in an eliminator match on the June 19 episode of AEW Dynamite. After nearly two months of building to their rematch, both teams will try to settle their differences and end the episode with the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
(AEW)
Mercedes Moné Puts Title On The Line Ahead of All In
In preparation for her match against Dr. Britt Baker, DMD, at All In, Moné puts her title on the line against Shida. The matchup will be the “CEO” fifth time defending the AEW TBS Championship since winning it at Double or Nothing on May 26.
(AEW)
Swerve Strickland Faces Wheeler Yuta In Non-Title Match
Elsewhere in the episode, Strickland takes on Yuta in a non-title match to get ready for his title defense at All In. Bryan Danielson will be in the corner of his Blackpool Combat Club ally and get a preview of what to expect from the champion at the upcoming pay-per-view.
(AEW)
Number One Spot In Casino Gauntlet Will Be Determined
Another important match on tonight’s episode is the three-way match to determine who will have the number one spot in the Casino Gauntlet. Strong, Cassidy, and O’Reilly will push each other to their limit to gain an advantage in the featured All In match.
What Happened On Last Week’s AEW Dynamite Episode
Before tonight’s episode, here is a recap of what happened last week.
Stay tuned to SEScoops for our continued coverage of Dynamite and the upcoming AEW All In 2024 PPV on Sunday, August 25.
Team AEW was victorious over The Elite on this week’s edition of Dynamite in a brutal Blood and Guts match that left the heels with no choice but to forfeit.
Jack Perry and Darby Allin started the match for their respective teams and the TNT Champion maintained the advantage over Allin with a trash can and extension cord.
Jack Perry sends Darby Allin flying like a lawn dart!
Nick Jackson was the next arrival, giving the Elite a distinct advantage, and ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe was the first wrestler to bleed significantly after having his face scraped across the cage.
The #ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe has arrived to even the odds for #TeamAEW!
Matt Jackson was out next to join his brother but Anthony Bowens would change the complexion of the match. Bowens used scissors and stabbed Perry in the head, earning “You Sick F***” chants from the crowd.
The Scissor King, Anthony Bowens is here to reinforce #TeamAEW!
Kazuchika Okada, wielding a ‘Rainmaker’ street sign was next to enter the cage and Max Caster followed with a microphone and he retrieved a barbed-wire board from under the ring. This came back to haunt The Acclaimed as the Young Bucks sent Bowens into it, prompting “Holy S***” chants from the crowd.
In case things weren’t already violent enough, thumbtacks were introduced next and poured into Caster’s mouth. ‘Hangman’ Adam Page was supposed to arrive next but didn’t. Instead, the Cowboy waited for Swerve Strickland’s entrance so he could ambush the reigning AEW World Champion.
Hangman Adam Page only has his eyes on #AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and now #AEWBLOODandGUTS begins!
Swerve was left locked out of the cage and Page, under the threat of being fired, got in the cage as demanded by Nick Jackson. Jeff Jarrett would help free Strickland’s trapped hand, allowing him to enter the cage.
Swerve and Hangman finally get their hands on each other!
Staple Guns were introduced via a briefcase that the Bucks had brought to the match. Despite this, Team AEW fought on with Darby Allin delivering a Coffin Drop to Jack Perry.
The finish of the match also involved Allin and Perry as the TNT Champion was handcuffed to the wall and took some kendo shots but refused to quit. Mark Briscoe followed with a chair shot to the head of Perry, but that still wasn’t enough. Allin then retrieved a gasoline can and threatened to see Perry ablaze. Fearing the loss of life of his ally, Matt Jackson gave in, awarding Allin a TNT title match at All In, and forfeiting Blood & Guts.
Darby Allin wants his TNT Championship Match at #AEWAllIn and will set Jack Perry ON FIRE to get it!
This year’s Blood & Guts certainly delivered the violence that fans have come to expect with the brutal stipulation. After months of having control, the Elite’s loss is a huge setback for the group, and could be a sign of things to come next month in Wembley Stadium.
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!
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.
Vince McMahon’s days in WWE may be over, and that provided AEW’s Max Caster with some ammunition during a recent rap at an independent wrestling event.
McMahon re-signed from TKO and WWE last month, following a lawsuit filed by ex-employee Janel Grant. Miss Grant claims that McMahon was sexually abusive to her and that he trafficked her to others in the company, including John Lauriniaits and a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. McMahon has denied the allegations against him and, via a spokesperson, has claimed the lawsuit is rife with “obscene made-up instances that never occurred.”
Max Caster on Vince McMahon
An AEW Trios Champion, Max Caster appeared at the Alpha-1 Wrestling event on February 4. During his pre-match rap promo, the Acclaimed wrestler made reference to the scandal surrounding the 78-year-old ex-Chairman of WWE.
“You wanna try me on the mic? Get a different plan cause I’m freaky with the words like I’m Vince McMahon.”
This is not the first time that Max Caster has name-dropped McMahon’s name. During a May 2023 edition of AEW Rampage, Caster poked fun at Dutch, saying he had the “worst mustache since Vince McMahon.” This was a nod to McMahon’s infamous lop-sided facial hair that he had debuted mere weeks before Caster’s barb.
In June 2022, Caster took another dig at McMahon, this time due to the initial allegations of sexual misconduct. Caster said that “Honestly I had something to say but somebody made me sign an NDA!” This rap also made reference to Donald Trump, a WWE Hall of Famer and friend of McMahon.
Bang Bang Scissor Gang will go down in the history books alongside the handful of supergroups that the pro wrestling world has witnessed.
The recently formed group of The Undisputed Kingdom (Adam Cole, Wardlow, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) had assaulted Jay White and The Acclaimed in the weeks leading up to the reveal of Adam Cole’s identity as The Devil at AEW Worlds End. This certainly gave a reason to The Acclaimed and Bullet Club Gold to unite and form a supergroup.
While the two factions haven’t been on the same page in the past, they are united now and gave fans a reason to cheer about last night on AEW Collision.
Bullet Club Gold and The Acclaimed unite to form The Bang Bang Scissor Gang
On last night’s edition of AEW Collision, the newly crowned Ring of Honor Six-Man Tag Team Champions, Bullet Club Gold’s Jay White, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn had a segment to celebrate their victory over the Mogul Embassy on January 17’s AEW Dynamite where they became the new champs.
Soon, AEW Trios Champions The Acclaimed (“Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn, Anthony Bowens, and Max Caster) interrupted them. It has been teased for weeks that they will unite to form a supergroup, The Bang Bang Gang. The Acclaimed had been pursuing them to and this time around, they would not leave the ring until they got their answer.
This led to The St Louis crowd chanting “Bang Bang Scissor Gang.” Colten and Austin Gunn were ready to shake hands with The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn but Jay White stopped them.
The Bullet Club Gold then had a little chat before turning around and do the ‘scissoring gesture,’ thus officially forming the Bang Bang Scissor Gang.
Check out the video clip of the segment below:
The new faction has reunited Billy Gunn with his sons, Austin and Colten Gunn. They were previously known as Gunn Club.
We will now have to wait and see how this storyline pans out.
There’s no secret as to how Billy Gunn can compete at the level he currently displays, according to the AEW Trios Champion.
At 60 years old, Gunn is the oldest champion in AEW, and likely the oldest star on the roster. Despite this, the tag team specialist continues to wow fans with a performance you’d expect to see from talent decades younger than the former King of the Ring. Speaking to the A2TheK Wrestling show, Gunn was asked what his secret is.
“I wish I had one, I wish I had a secret I can tell. It’s just, the last [year] I just focus more on me staying healthy. I’ve never, luckily for me, I’ve nd Dr done any sort of crazy stunts. Other than bumping a lot which, yeah it has it’s wear and tear, but I just really focus a lot on my training and my food and all that. I have great people around me so it’s just as long as I’m going to do this, I want to make sure I can perform at the level that makes me happy. Because if I don’t, then I just want to walk away. Though my kids and wife will say different, I’m walking away.”
When asked if he has a retirement date in mind, Gunn made it clear he doesn’t intend to plan that far in advance.
“I don’t really look at things like that. It’ll just be when it’s right. When it’s done, it’s done. There’s no time schedule, I can’t go ‘Hey, All In in London next year will be [my last match]. My brain doesn’t function like that. My brain and me tell my body I can wrestle until I want to. Which I know is not really a thing… But me not doing something doesn’t really enter my mind.”
Gunn’s most recent match took place on the November 4, episode of AEW Collision and saw the Acclaimed retain the AEW Trios Championships against Dalton Castle and his boys.
For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops.
The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens), along with “Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn, are having the most successful run of their AEW careers.
They’ve developed into a very capable tag team, having just wrapped up a run as AEW World tag team champions. In-ring work aside, it’s the ‘sports entertainment’ aspect of their act that’s really connected them to the fans.
Caster’s freestyle raps, and their music videos, are often controversial and highly entertaining. However, it’s their love for scissoring’ that has gotten them the most attention. A new trademark filing from Max Caster reveals his plans to do a lot more scissoring in the near future.
Max Caster’s ‘Scissoring’ Trademarks
On February 27, Max Caster filed to trademark “Scissorfest” for the purposes of entertainment events and “Scissor Me” for merchandise purposes.
According to the United States Patent & Trademark Office. the Goods and Services usage description for the marks include:
SCISSORFEST: trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of conducting of entertainment events in the nature of meet and greets, wrestling exhibitions, and music; Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainers; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Organization of entertainment events in the nature of meet and greets, wrestling exhibitions, and music; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Providing online interviews featuring a professional wrestler and sports entertainer in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment for entertainment purposes.
SCISSOR ME: trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of bandanas; Hats; Shirts; Socks; Sweatshirts; Shirts and short-sleeved shirts; Hooded sweatshirts.”
The Acclaimed has been embroiled in a feud with The Gunns (Austin & Colten Gunn). They will collide for the AEW Tag Team Titles at AEW Revolution in a four-way match that also features Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett and Orange Cassidy & Danhausen.
The Acclaimed did everything The Acclaimed is known for after this week’s episode of Dynamite went off air.
AEW presented a solid episode of their weekly flagship show ahead of this Sunday’s Revolution PPV from Chase Center in San Francisco.
The show featured the final build for upcoming big matches such as the World title match between MJF and Bryan Danielson among others.
The company also moved the Face of The Revolution Ladder match from the PPV event to Dynamite. The match was won by Powerhouse Hobbs and one AEW star quit the promotion after this bout.
The Acclaimed After Dynamite
The Acclaimed made a brief appearance on the show to save the team of Orange Cassidy & Danhausen from a beatdown by Jeff Jarrett and The Guns.
Though this wasn’t their last appearance of the night. The duo accompanied by Billy Gunn showed up once again after the cameras stopped rolling.
They presented a short rap before competing in a dark match against The Workhorsemen. After winning the bout, the popular tag team scissored with the crowd to end the night:
https://youtu.be/68EArq81BxM
The Guns will be defending the AEW Tag Team Championship in a four-way match at AEW Revolution. The challengers for this bout include The Acclaimed, Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal and Orange Cassidy & Danhausen.
Everybody loves The Acclaimed, AEW’s reigning world tag team champions – even the guy who was in charge of the music playing at WWE’s Royal Rumble Super Store
The Royal Rumble Super Store has been open since January 26 at the Alamodome and is presented by Credit One Bank. Fans who are in town for the Rumble can purchase merchandise, check out iconic WWE memorabilia and participate in autograph signings presented by Fiterman Sports A correspondent on the ground in San Antonio wrote in to tell us that it’s an attraction that’s definitely worth checking out if you attend a big WWE PPV weekend.
On Friday night, a few customers who were in attendance mentioned on social media that the Acclaimed’s entrance theme music was playing at the store while ‘members of the WWE Universe’ were shopping.
According to Twitter user @BosniazFinest28, “the guy who came to turn it off said he got screwed by his Spotify playlist.”
The Acclaimed was represented at another WWE event just miles away from the Royal Rumble Super Store. On Friday’s SmackDown, a fan of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens who had great seats proudly held a sign that reads, “Scissor Me Daddy Ass!”
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.
“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.
Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) attempted to regain the AEW Tag Team Titles from The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) at the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view event.
The match was a typical tag team format before everyone started doing moves in the ring with some legal and some not. Caster with a hurricanrana then a leg drop off the top rope to Lee. Caster with a crossbody off the top rope to Lee off the apron through part of the barricade. Swerve wanted Lee to smash Bowens’ finger, but he refused. Swerve slapped him and Lee walked out on him. The Acclaimed won with their finisher.
This was the third match between them. The first bout at All Out, which saw Swerve In Our Glory retain the titles, a surprising finish as many fans expected to see a title change.
The rematch took place when The Acclaimed beat Swerve In Our Glory for the titles at the Dynamite: Grand Slam event in September from New York City.
Lee and Strickland became the champions on the July 13th edition of Dynamite when they beat then-champions The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) and Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks) in a triple threat match.
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.
“He’ll be back. The guy who wrote The Waterboy has approved. Tony Khan and I have secured the rights to Captain Insano. There’s already an outfit made, the whole nine yards. We’re doing a lot of prep work, and this will be my last hoorah so to speak.”
It remains to be seen if Captain Insano will ever wrestle a match for AEW. It’s possible we will see him as a bonus character in the upcoming AEW: Fight Forever video game.
You can watch the music video for ‘A Hand for A Hand’ by The Acclaimed below. The song is a diss track mocking Swerve In Our Glory, who challenge for The Acclaimed’s tag titles this Saturday at AEW Full Gear.
AEW Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed have become wildly popular in All Elite Wrestling. They battled Swerve in Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) for the tag titles at All Out and came up short.
The crowd was so heavily behind The Acclaimed during the match and it got such rave reviews, that AEW President Tony Khan wasted no time and announced a rematch for Dynamite: Grand Slam. The Acclaimed captured the titles in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Daddy Ass (Billy Gunn) provided some assistance in the matchup.
Billy connected with a Fameasser on Swerve Strickland outside the ring and rolled him back inside. Max Caster hit the Mic Drop and Anthony Bowens fended off Keith Lee as the referee counted to three. The crowd went ballistic as The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass scissored in the ring.
Road Dogg On Billy Gunn With The Acclaimed
WWE is set to have a DX Reunion next week on RAW without Billy Gunn and there reportedly have already been preparations in case a “Daddy Ass!” chant breaks out. Billy was aligned with his sons (Colten & Austin Gunn) in the Gunn Club originally but they were separated.
The former DX member is now a massive part of The Acclaimed’s act and Colten & Austin have joined Stokely Hathaway’s The Firm stable alongside W. Morrissey, Lee Moriarty, and Ethan Page.
Road Dogg recently spoke about Billy Gunn on his “Oh… You Didn’t Know” podcast and praised his work with The Acclaimed. He said that Billy’s kids (Austin & Colten) needed to break away from their father to grow as performers.
The Ass Boys (Gunn Club) and Mr. Ass had to be separated sooner rather than later and now you can go on. Because with Billy, those kids couldn’t be heels and they didn’t have any room to grow because Billy’s star power overshadowed them. And that is all there is to it.
That is nobody’s fault, but they had to get Billy away from them so they had the kids turn on him. But look, those guys are really over right now and I think had I gotten a job with AEW, I think I could have helped The Acclaimed.
Road Dogg noted that The Acclaimed is capable of doing the same thing DX used to do with the long entrances and promos. He said that Billy being aligned with The Acclaimed is awesome and the group is on fire right now.
They’re on fire right now and they are only going to get greater. So look, Billy being involved with those guys is awesome to me. Billy does a job there too, he does what’s creatively written for him, he helps coach the kids, and he helps train people.
He does a lot other than just do his little TV show storylines. But you know, I’m proud of Billy. I’m happy where he is at, he’s happy where he’s at. So scissor away, my friend.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the “Oh… You Didn’t Know Podcast” and give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
All Elite Wrestling will present a regular episode of its weekly Rampage series this Friday night on TNT after last week’s special 2-hour “Grand Slam” edition
These matches were taped Wednesday night after Dynamite from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA, courtesy of Pwinsider.com:
AEW Rampage Spoilers
AEW World Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed defeated The Butcher and The Blade and Private Party.
Jamie Hayter (with Britt Baker and Rebel) def. Willow Nightingale.
Lee Moriarty (with Stokely Hathaway and W. Morrissey) def. Fuego Del Sol.
Ryan Nemeth insulted Philadelphia and ECW until FTW Champion HOOK interrupted. HOOK choked him out. The Trustbusters came out and left an envelope for Hook on the stage. HOOK picked up the envelope on his way to the back.
RUSH defeated John Silver. After the match, Andrade El Idolo attacked Alex Reynolds and Silver. The Dark Order got involved, as did The Butcher and The Blade. Hangman Page ultimately made the save.
AEW is about to kick off several weeks of holding live episodes of Rampage starting next week, including a live Battle of the Belts special next Friday night.
Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) made their latest defense of the AEW Tag Team Championships against The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) at the Dynamite: Grand Slam event on Wednesday night from New York City.
The match was the second bout on the card. There was a moment where Strickland hit Lee by accident, and it looked like The Acclaimed was going to win, but it was a near fall. Billy Gunn hit Strickland with the fameasser on the floor when the referee wasn’t looking and Caster and Bowens hit their finisher to him in the ring for the win.
This was a rematch from All Out, which saw Swerve In Our Glory retain the titles, a surprising finish as many fans expected to see a title change.
Lee and Strickland became the champions on the July 13th edition of Dynamite when they beat then-champions The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) and Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks) in a triple threat match.
What are your thoughts on Max Caster & Anthony Bowens winning the AEW Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
In the wrestling industry, factions don’t exactly come at a premium. The business has long relied on stables and some of them have achieved legendary status.
Others have been short-lived.
In this case, it was two teams coming together for a good time but not a long time.
the whole gunn club was walking around the airport this morning with alot more pep in their step and i realized it’s because we aren’t carrying two ppl on our backs anymore
The Acclaimed and The Gunn Club had formed a fun stable together. Fans were entertained by Austin and Colten Gunn being called the “Ass Boys” but they never found it to be funny.
Things finally boiled over when The Gunns didn’t allow Max Caster to get in his entrance rap during the July 6 episode of Dynamite.
Austin also stole Caster’s thunder by tagging himself in after he had done all the work in their eight-man tag team match.
The teams brawled after the match when Billy Gunn initially appeared to reprimand his sons for their actions. Instead, he ended up attacking The Acclaimed.
There will be no more scissoring between Anthony Bowens and Daddy Gunn.
AEW certainly isn’t the only promotion that leans on stables. The likes of NJPW and Stardom are quite group-heavy as well. Even WWE has its share of factions such as The New Day and The Judgment Day.
One AEW faction, however, could very well be in the midst of a breakup.
Gunn Club Splitting From The Acclaimed?
(via Tony’s Music)
There could be some trouble brewing between the Gunn Club and The Acclaimed.
During the special Blood & Guts edition of AEW Dynamite, Danhausen and FTR took on Max Caster & The Gunn Club. Anthony Bowens accidentally hit Austin Gunn with one of his crutches, costing Gunn Club the match.
Afterward, Austin & Colten Gunn were not happy with Bowens. Things got heated, which led to Billy Gunn shoving Austin down and appearing to side with The Acclaimed.
For weeks, The Gunn Club has hinted at not being aligned with The Acclaimed, who have been pandering to the crowd in babyface-like fashion.
In particular, Austin and Colten are not amused when being referred to as the “Ass Boys.” Bowens had been leading the crowd to sing “Ass Boys” while The Acclaimed’s theme would play.
WWE NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes had an interesting exchange with AEW’s Max Caster on Monday through social media.
It all started when Caster responded to a clip tweeted out by a fan account of Hayes and Trick Williams. That clip was from Hayes’ win over Cameron Grimes at NXT Vengeance Day last week. It featured Hayes making an “A” with his fingers, a reference to how he bills himself as The A Champion of NXT.
Caster reacted to it by writing “Everyone loves the Acclaimed [smiling face with hearts emoji] [winking face emoji].” Although Hayes uses the “A” symbol for being The A Champion, The Acclaimed uses the same taunt to represent their tag team name.
This is when things picked up as Hayes responded to Caster’s tweet by knocking them for often appearing on the Dark and Elevation shows that air on AEW’s YouTube channel.
“Damn I didn’t know this was your thing, I don’t watch the YouTube show [man shrugging emoji],” Hayes wrote.
Caster later responded to it and even Williams chimed in, as seen below:
After Dynamite last night, Tony Khan came out to thank the attending fans in Miami. He was interrupted by Max Caster and Anthony Bowens of the Acclaimed. During Castor’s rap that followed, he made reference to Top Dolla from Hit Row.
Below are highlights from Caster’s rap (transcriptions likely not perfect):
“I’m tired of you always hatin’ We’ll beat you like we beat NXT in the ratings
We can wrestle, we only got holla and you know I rap way better than Top Dolla”
Caster’s performance was posted to social media by @FLWrestlingFan
Top Dolla from Smackdown’s Hit Row released a diss track on Friday that seemingly references the Young Bucks and his recent comments about their sneakers.
“Some of y’all favorite wrestlers only wear sneakers on-camera to seem “cool & hip” but in real life they rock vans and ASICS exclusively… but y’all not ready for that conversation,” real name A.J Francis Tweeted.
“I prefer not to mention members of the competition. But if you watch they show, they tell on themselves,” he followed that up with.
The Young Bucks later changed their Twitter bio to “Spent more on sneakers in September than the entire NXT roster did,” shortly after.
AEW tag team The Acclaimed returned to action on this week’s AEW Dark.
The team of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens were last seen on the August 28th episode of the AEW Youtube series. Caster found himself in hot water after one of his pre-match freestyle raps received major blowback from fans.
Caster is known for walking the line of tastefulness, but his references to US Olympian Simone Biles’ mental health and the Duke Lacrosse 2006 sexual assault scandal crossed that line for many. He was sent to sensitivity training as a disciplinary measure.
During their entrance on Dark this week, the duo joked about their hiatus from AEW programing. Instead of lacing into their opponents with well-crafted biting insults, they jokingly read from a script approved by AEW management. See below:
