Backstage Notes on The Acclaimed Reunion, AEW’s Original Plan for Max Caster & Anthony Bowens

The Fightful Select Answers Q&A has an update on the recent reunion of the former AEW Tag Team Champions, Anthony Bowens and Max Caster, aka The Acclaimed. Recent editions of AEW Collision have seen Bowens and Caster forced to team with each other again, albeit under begrudging circumstances at the orders of Jerry Lynn.

During their last two matches, Caster and Bowens picked up tag team wins over The Swirl and later Bryan Keith and Big Bill. According to Sean Ross Sapp on the Fightful Weekly Q&A Podcast, the recent reunion for The Acclaimed coming back together was not the original plan for the duo by AEW.

According to Sapp, the plan for both wrestlers was to have them compete in singles matchups. However, after Billy Gunn was written off of television, the decision was later made to put Bowens and Caster back together, albeit with their current dynamic of being reluctant tag team partners.

Additionally, Sapp speculated that AEW likely didn’t expect Max Caster’s open challenge to get over like it ultimately did. Ultimately, it remains to be seen if the angle will lead to a full-on reunion of The Acclaimed.

The tag team, who said they are certainly not The Acclaimed, appeared on last week’s AEW Collision in an interview segment, where Bowens declared that he has no intention of ever teaming with Caster again. During the segment, they both personally begged AEW boss Tony Khan to never make them team up again.

As the two pointed out, Bowens is the Pride of Professional Wrestling, and Max Caster is the Best Wrestler Alive, and they are “not The Acclaimed.”