Anthony Bowens Thought 'What The Hell Is Happening?' During AEW Match

When The Acclaimed's Anthony Bowens and Max Caster were put together on a whim by AEW owner Tony Khan, it was unclear how successful the duo would be. Caster's rapping abilities were always worth tuning in for, but it was rare that an Acclaimed match was must-see. That changed in 2022. The team had to adjust plans early on due to a knee injury to Bowens, but when he returned, Bowens and Caster began putting on some of the best matches of their respective careers. Moreover, their alignment with Hall of Famer Billy Gunn (aka "Daddy Ass") captured the imagination of fans, as proven by the countless signs and deafening chants of "Oh, scissor me, Daddy!"

Bowens noticed how much things have changed since they first started with AEW, but it wasn't until the match between The Acclaimed and AEW Tag Team Champions Swerve in our Glory at All Out this past September 4 that he truly grasped the impact The Acclaimed has made on fans. 

"It was a very, very wild time," Bowens said in an interview with Screen Rant Plus. "Going into All Out, Max and I knew we had a big opportunity to go out there and really show what we can do, especially on our biggest pay-per-view of the year, at All Out in Chicago. [Many] people were like, 'Well, why is this match even on the card? Blah, blah, blah, complaining about things. And we knew once we got out there that we were going to do something special."

The reception from the crowd fueled both teams, and they delivered their best work. With the tandem offense, high-flying stunts, powerhouse moves, and in-ring storytelling, the four men provided viewers with everything one could ask for from the match.

"Did we know it would get as crazy as it did? No. Honestly, no," Bowens said. "We got out there, and they started singing, 'Oh, scissor me, Daddy,' for the first time. And I think there's even a point in the match where I'm trying to wrestle Swerve down to the mat, and the both of us, momentarily, our differences dissipated, and we looked up and went, 'What the hell is happening?'" Unfortunately for The Acclaimed, that special night wouldn't be the occasion when they won AEW tag team gold.

However, it didn't take much longer for their dream to become a reality. On September 21 at the Grand Slam edition of "AEW Dynamite" in New York City, Bowens and Caster finally managed to pull out the victory and show everyone why they are the best tag team in AEW. "We are very good, elite professional wrestlers, and we were able to prove that ... winning the AEW tag teams titles [is] a moment I'll never forget," Bowens said.

In the weeks that followed their milestone victory, Bowens and Caster decisively retained their titles over teams such as The Varsity Athletes (Tony Nese and Josh Woods), FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler), and the combination of Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.