Former AEW World Tag Team Champions Max Custer and Anthony Bowens appear to be embarking on a new journey in their respective careers as the men formerly known as The Acclaimed have become free agents.
It was reported in recent weeks that both Custer and Bowens were nearing the end of their AEW contracts, and that there were no signs of any discussions regarding new deals. Now Fighting Select have confirmed that the two men have officially entered the free agency pool after six years with All Elite Wrestling. However, Fightful was also told by AEW sources that Custer and Bowens remain on the company’s website on the AEW roster page, as there is still a possibility that they may end up staying with the company. Another AEW source stated that the tragic events of the past few weeks, which saw the deaths of both Andy “The Butcher” Williams and Benjamin “Puck” Satterly, could cause any possibility of a delay in talks with Custer and Bowens.
Both took to social media separately today to confirm they are free agents Caster posting a screenshot of Wikipedia’s definition of “free agent”, meanwhile Bowens posted a simple one-sentence message.
Doing my own research 🧐 pic.twitter.com/Xlk0WnHt4K
— “Platinum” Max Caster (@PlatinumMax) October 2, 2026
Move an inch. You will be fine ✌🏽
— Anthony Bowens (@Bowens_Official) October 1, 2026
During their time in AEW as The Acclaimed, Custer and Bowens were at one point considered one of the company’s most popular house acts. They became the AEW World Tag Team Champions in September 2022 and held the titles for five months before fully teaming with “Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn to win the AEW World Trios Championship at AEW All In London 2023 at Wembley Stadium. They would hold the titles for eight months before losing them to The Bang Bang Gang, and would gradually move towards a breakup angle that saw the two men go their separate ways in early 2025.
However, neither of their respective singles assignments went according to plan, and Bowens would ultimately remain a part of The Opps until his contract expired, while Custer was phased out of the company and mostly worked in the independent scene throughout 2026.
