Anthony Bowens spent his early pro wrestling days like many talents do, grinding on the independent circuit. In 2020, though, he received a big break that landed him on global television.During a recent interview with the "Michael Fairman Channel," Bowens looked back on that big break, which centered on him inking a contract with All Elite Wrestling."I think once AEW opened up, I was like this is the place I probably should be," Bowens said. "They were putting the focus on the younger guys. It was a different type of style than WWE. It was an alternative and wrestlers were like more free to perfect their craft and I thought that seems like the place I should go. Then. fortunately, I got a tryout with them in September of 2020, I want to say. One thing led to another and ended up signing in October of 2020, and then had a crazy journey ever since."Bowens made his AEW debut on the October 6, 2020 edition of "AEW Dark" (taped September 25). Weeks later, he and Max Caster officially joined forces to form The Acclaimed, earning their first team victory over Aaron Solow and Angel Fashion on the same brand.The 35-year-old initially agreed to sign with WWE shortly before. After flying down to Florida and meeting with AEW CEO Tony Khan to discuss his potential plans for The Acclaimed, however, he ultimately chose to come aboard AEW instead.
Together, Bowens and Caster became a successful and popular act in AEW, with reigns as World Tag Team and Trios Champions to their names. Surprisingly, they weren't too familiar with one another beforehand, however."I trained in Create A Pro in New Jersey. Caster trained in Create A Pro Long Island. I knew him from training. I would go out there and I would 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 we were going to be paired together, I was like, 'Okay, well, we need to figure this out and quick,' because if the owner has an idea for us and a team name for us, we got to be able to deliver. Also, be cordial to each other and learn about each other because this guy is going to be tethered to me for a long time. So we got to become friends real quick."Tony Khan initially saw the Create A Pro graduates compete separately on "AEW Dark." In his case, Bowens teamed with Lee Johnson; Caster had singles and trios performances under his belt. Upon feeling pressure from WWE, Khan then made an enticing offer for them to join forces and be regularly featured on AEW programming.Six years later, Bowens and Caster are now both free agents once again. The former's post-AEW moves remain unknown. Caster, meanwhile, has taken a step back from in-ring competition in order to undergo therapy.If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Michael Fairman Channel" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
