In the early days of AEW, Anthony Bowens and Max Custer were billed together as The Acclaimed, with the trickster Custer doing a different rap for each entrance while Bowens played a more athletic role. At the beginning of last year, Acclaimed broke up (and briefly reunited before breaking up again), and Custer was dropped from television while Bowens continued to appear in a reduced role. By: combat selection, however, both could be leaving AEW soon as their contracts are set to expire.
The paper reports that Bowens and Custer’s AEW contracts are set to expire in early October, and there is no word yet on new deal talks. While it’s not impossible that a deal could be struck at the last minute, the paper indicated that things have been “quiet” between the wrestlers and AEW.
Although he has been active on the independent scene, Custer has not wrestled for AEW since December 2025. Meanwhile, Bowens became a member of The Opps, and his last in-ring appearance was last August at AEW All In at the Buy In pre-show.
Opinion: The Acclaimed should never have split up
While it took me a while to warm to Custer’s early rapping, The Acclaimed ended up being one of the most exciting tag teams to watch in AEW. A long storyline then ensued for their split, with Billy Gunn disappearing from television and Bowens and Custer continuing as singles wrestlers. Both men are undeniably talented, but I think it’s clear at this point that they’re better together than apart.
Although he tends to rub some people the wrong way with his choice of words, Custer has charisma. The problem is that he isn’t very exciting to watch once the match starts, which has become his entire gimmick as a solo performer. As for Bowens, he has the opposite problem. he is reliable in the ring but lacks the great personality required for professional wrestling. That’s why their partnership worked as well as it did; they were extremely successful in making up for what others lacked.
One can speculate about the reasons behind the split, but nothing has been said publicly to shed light on what happened. All I know is that those two were meant to be together. Looking at the tag team landscape in AEW now, it’s hard not to wonder what could have been if The Acclaimed’s reunion had gone ahead, while their futures as individual performers are now up in the air.
