These AEW Free Agents Can Shake Up WWE’s Biggest Weakness

At All In, as Adam Copeland and Christian Cage, the Young Bucks, FTR, Motor City Machine Guns, and the New Level all stood in the same ring, AEW showed that they have the best tag team division in all of wrestling. All but one of these teams spent time in WWE, but under TKO and Triple H’s leadership, tag team wrestling has fallen by the wayside. If WWE wants to save it, there could be a way very soon because one of AEW’s most popular tag teams of all-time is set to become free agents soon. If done right, AEW’s loss could be WWE’s huge gain.

Anthony Bowens and Max Caster Are Both Set To Be Free Agents Soon

• Fans love watching wrestlers jump back and forth between WWE and AEW.
• The New Day debuted at AEW All In as the New Level.
• Fightful Select reports that The Acclaimed’s AEW contracts expire on October 1.

There are few things more exciting than watching wrestlers jump ship from one major company to another. At All In, fans lost their minds when the New Day turned into the New Level and became all elite. It was thrilling when Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole showed up in AEW, or when someone from Tony Khan’s promotion, like Ethan Page or Ricky Starks, and most recently, Big Cass, showed up in WWE. Now it could be happening again.

According to Fightful Select:

“Anthony Bowens’ AEW contract is currently set to expire on October 1. As of now, the deal has not been extended and we’ve not yet learned if those talks have started.

“Fightful reported recently that Bowens’ former tag team partner Max Caster sees his contract expire on October 1 as well.”

The Acclaimed Were Fan Favorites in AEW

• The Acclaimed became an AEW tag team in 2020.
• They won their only tag team titles against Swerve in Our Glory.
• The group became Trios Champions with Billy Gunn.

The Acclaimed may no longer be together as a tag team, but few duos have been as popular in AEW as Anthony Bowens and Max Caster. They started tagging together in All Elite Wrestling in 2020, and after a time of ups and downs, they found their groove by letting their funny and silly side thrive. Before every match, as they marched down to the ring, Caster would let it rip on the mic with a fun rap tearing down their opponents. It got even more silly as they talked about scissoring and slid their fingers together. When Billy Gunn joined them, they hit their peak.

The Acclaimed weren’t supposed to be huge tag team stars. Bowens and Caster hadn’t been popular on their own, and their booking wasn’t overly strong. They got over despite it because fans reacted to their natural charisma. Reactions got louder by the week and fans began clamoring for them to win tag team gold. Finally, it happened, and The Acclaimed became AEW World Tag Team Champions when they beat Swerve in Our Glory in 2022.

AEW Forgot The Acclaimed, but WWE Can Use Them To Save Their Tag Team Division

• The Acclaimed split up, but singles careers for Caster and Bowens went nowhere.
• AEW’s tag team scene will now focus on multiple legendary acts.
• WWE’s weak tag team division needs the charisma of The Acclaimed.

The Acclaimed were now at the top, but it wouldn’t last. That first tag team championship would be their only reign. Less than five months later, it was over. Although they initially stayed strong, winning the AEW World Trios Championship with Billy Gunn, they soon lost favor with Tony Khan for whatever reason and were no longer important. Then came what is often doom for the stars of tag teams: the breakup. In late November 2024, the cockiness of Max Caster, who now called himself the “best wrestler alive,” led to Anthony Bowens and Billy Gunn deciding to leave him behind. Rather than having a fun singles feud, Caster kept believing in his own hype even as he got squashed every week, while Bowens was turned into a singles wrestler, complete with a great entrance song by Jane’s Addiction. While there was a tease of them getting back together, it never really came to be. These days, Caster isn’t seen on TV and Bowens is hidden in the background in The Opps. As AEW’s tag team division grows, The Acclaimed are nowhere to be seen.

Just because Caster and Bowens are becoming free agents in a few weeks doesn’t mean they are leaving AEW for WWE. For the sake of their careers, though, they should. To be blunt, Tony Khan has shown that he has moved on from the duo. The focus of his tag team division will now be on the all-time greats and acts like Brodido and the Gunns. There is no longer room for The Acclaimed in AEW.

There is, however, a great need for them in WWE, where tag team wrestling has fallen apart. Gone are the New Day and the Wyatt Sicks. In their place are the likes of the Vision and the new version of MFT. Tag team wrestling in WWE is not given much thought. It can return with The Acclaimed at its center. There, where sports entertainment thrives, their silliness and Caster’s promos will easily get over. Bowens’ look and in-ring talent can take him far. The Acclaimed are great wrestlers. They are even better entertainers. MCMG failed in WWE because Triple H didn’t see the “it” factor. It’s also what hurt Ilja Dragunov. That won’t be the case with The Acclaimed. They can sell a match through their words and actions alone. In no time, they’d have the WWE audience cheering and chanting. They have a little bit of the old school DX spirit that Triple H would recognize and appreciate. AEW forgot what they had. In WWE, The Acclaimed can scissor their way to the top and give a burst of energy to a stale tag team division.