Anthony Bowens spent his early days in professional wrestling, as many talents do, grinding on the independent circuit. In 2020, however, he got his big break that landed him on global television.
during a recent interviewMichael Fairman channel“Bowens looked back on that big break focused he signs with All Elite Wrestling.
“I think when AEW opened, I was kind of where I was probably supposed to be,” Bowens said. “They were focusing on the young guys. It was a different style than WWE. It was an alternative and wrestlers were freer to hone their craft and I thought that was where I needed to go. Then. Fortunately, I tried with them in September 2020, I want to say. since”.
Bowens made his AEW debut on the October 6, 2020 episode of AEW Dark (taped September 25). Weeks later, he and Max Custer officially joined forces to form The Acclaimed, earning their first tag team victory over Aaron Solow and Angel Fashion under the same brand.
35 years old originally agreed to sign with WWE not long ago. After flying down to Florida and meeting with AEW CEO Tony Khan to discuss his potential plans for The Acclaimed, however, he ultimately decided to enter AEW.
Bowens and Custer became fast friends in AEW
Together, Bowens and Caster became a successful and popular act in AEW, reigning as World Tag Team and Trios Champions under their own names. Surprisingly, they were not very familiar with each other beforehand.
“I trained at Create A Pro in New Jersey. Custer trained at Create A Pro Long Island. I knew him from training. I would go out there and train a little bit in Long Island, so I knew him from there. I think we wrestled each other once in a multi-man match, but I didn’t really know much about him,” Bowens said.
“Then I found out that we will be together, I said. “Okay, okay, we need to figure it out and soon,” because if the owner has an idea for us and a team name, we need to be able to deliver. Also, be nice to each other and learn about each other because this guy is going to stick with me for a long time.
Tony Khan first saw the Create A Pro alumni compete individually on AEW Dark. In his case, Bowens collaborated with Lee Johnson; Custer had singles and triples appearances. After feeling pressure from WWE, Khan then made them a tempting offer to join forces and regularly featured in AEW programming.
Six years later, Bowens and Custer are now both free agents. The former’s moves after AEW remain unknown. Custer, meanwhile, has took a step back from in-ring competition to undergo therapy.
If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit “Michael Fairman channel“ with ah/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.
