Anthony Bowens facts for kids

Anthony Bowens (born December 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He works for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). In AEW, he has been a champion multiple times. He was a one-time AEW World Tag Team Champion. He also held the AEW World Trios Championship once, for the longest time. He used to be part of a popular tag team called The Acclaimed.

Early Life and Baseball

Anthony Bowens was born in Nutley, New Jersey. He went to Nutley High School. Later, he studied at Montclair State University. He played baseball for eleven years. He played for Montclair State and Seton Hall University. A professional wrestler named Santino Marella discovered him. Marella asked if he had ever thought about wrestling. Bowens then started training to become a wrestler. His trainer was Pat Buck.

Professional Wrestling Career

Starting Out (2012–2016)

Bowens began his wrestling training in 2012. He made his first official wrestling match in 2013. In November 2016, he got a serious head injury. This happened during a match on WWE NXT.

Independent Matches (2016–2020)

After recovering from his injury, Bowens wrestled a lot. He worked for many wrestling groups. These included Combat Zone Wrestling and Beyond Wrestling. He also appeared for Global Force Wrestling. He won the WrestlePro Heavyweight Championship twice. This was between 2016 and 2017. In January 2017, he challenged Drew Galloway for a world title. This match was the first time that title was defended outside the UK.

All Elite Wrestling (2020–present)

The Acclaimed In November 2020, Anthony Bowens joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He signed a five-year contract. He teamed up with Max Caster. Their tag team was called The Acclaimed. They became known as "heels," which means they played the bad guys.

In May 2022, Bowens had knee surgery. This kept him from wrestling for several months. Even so, he still came to AEW shows. He gave speeches and stayed involved. During this time, Max Caster teamed up with the Gunns.

Bowens returned to wrestling in July 2022. In September 2022, The Acclaimed became "faces." This means they became the good guys. Fans cheered for them a lot.

Billy Gunn, Max Caster and Bowens in 2022 during The Acclaimed's AEW World Tag Team Championship reign

At AEW Grand Slam in 2022, The Acclaimed won the AEW World Tag Team Championship. This was a big moment for Bowens. He became the first openly gay wrestler to win a championship in AEW. They later lost the titles to The Gunn Club.

The Acclaimed then formed a team with Billy Gunn. Billy Gunn is the father of Austin and Colten Gunn. Bowens, Caster, and Billy Gunn won the AEW World Trios Championship. They held these titles for 238 days, which was a record. On April 21, 2024, they lost their titles. They were defeated by Bullet Club Gold. This match combined two different championship titles.

The Acclaimed then started a rivalry with The Young Bucks. They won a match against them in June 2024. This win earned them a future chance at the tag team titles. The Acclaimed also joined Team AEW. They defeated The Elite in a special match in July 2024.

In August 2024, The Acclaimed had another title match. They faced The Young Bucks again. But the match ended in a disqualification. This was due to interference from FTR. At All In on August 25, The Acclaimed tried again. They failed to win the titles in a three-way match.

In November 2024, problems started within The Acclaimed. Max Caster began to act more arrogant. He seemed to put himself before the team. In January 2025, The Acclaimed officially broke up. This happened on an AEW show called Collision.

Personal Life

Anthony Bowens is openly gay. He is a big fan of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. He also used to work for the MLB Network studio. He helped with their TV show production.

Championships and Accomplishments

Bowens (center, back) as AEW World Trios Champion in August 2023.

• All Elite Wrestling
  • AEW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Max Caster
  • AEW World Trios Championship (1 time) – with Max Caster and Billy Gunn
• Battle Club Pro
  • BCP Franchise Championship (1 time)
• Independent Wrestling Federation
  • IWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• New York Post
  • Male Breakout Wrestler of the Year (2022) shared with Max Caster
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 304 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2021
• WrestlePro
  • WrestlePro Gold Championship (3 times, current)
  • Dream 16 (2019)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Most Improved (2022) with Max Caster as The Acclaimed

See Also

In Spanish: Anthony Bowens para niños