r/SquaredCircle • u/FiveSecondPoses Hurricane for Infinity War • 15h ago
Anthony Bowens Looks Back On AEW Singles Run - Fightful
https://www.fightful.com/wrestling-news/anthony-bowens-looks-back-on-aew-singles-run-says-he-was-supposed-to-turn-heel360
u/DrDevice81 FUCK 15h ago
"The Pride of Pro Wrestling is an ambassador to the company that feels like he’s being overlooked and he will do anything to get his flowers." Was damn good at it, always loved seeing him pop up on red carpets and other media events. Blew my mind when it came out they weren't even trying to negotiate a new deal with him.
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u/SRMort 15h ago
Couldn't get over as a single. It is what it is. Everyone. Loves. The Acclaimed. Not specifically Anthony.
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u/SovFist Back to the drawing board :( 15h ago
You can't get over if your gimmick is "being very good at what you do" but you never score a memorable win
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u/Wolfpac187 14h ago
It was never gonna get over in the same company as guys like Okada, Ospreay and Kenny. Being a boring 8 doesn’t work next to entertaining 10s.
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u/Tormenta263 12h ago
He's not even an 8! He's a solid 7 at best.
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u/Wolfpac187 11h ago
Yeah that’s fair. I don’t think he has any glaring flaws as a worker but he doesn’t really do anything for me apart from Max.
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u/NMarples 11h ago
He said it himself his entire run. He’s a 5.
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u/Cheez-Wheel jobs to /u/CheezGrater 9h ago
Did he get that number after he survived 5 with the best alive?
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u/FiveSecondPoses Hurricane for Infinity War 14h ago edited 7h ago
I know on socials, Bowens has talked about the clear inspiration he took from Kurt Angle's original debut gimmick, but the thing about Kurt Angle's is that it started with a (flukey and often technically broken) win streak that saw him going over a bunch.
I understand the intention, but "I'm gonna purposely lose a lot for the story" gimmicks rarely work unless it's purely a jobber gimmick (like the Curt Hawkins losing streak or even the "Best Wrestler Alive" shtick.)
EDIT: Just remembered that Christian had a great losing streak gimmick in 2001/2002, but that's also because Christian is the GOAT.
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u/RA576 13h ago
It's also ignoring the fact that it was Kurt Fucking Angle, which meant;
1) he was one of the best amateur wrestlers to ever do it, so had the legit credentials to back it up, and
2) he was one of the best pro wrestlers to ever do it, making people buy into the character.
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u/_whatever_wherever Do it with purpose and give a shit 9h ago
- He won a Olympic Gold Medal, WITH A BROKEN FREAKING NECK!
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u/couchesrob I'm a sad man. Write whatever you want about me. 7h ago
I reckon it worked out for Kenta Kobashi
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u/Zanydrop 6h ago
Okada had a gimmick where he came out with balloons and lost a lot more than he usually did in NJPW. It didn't do any long term damage to him. Okada can be so goofy sometimes
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u/llamawithguns 14h ago
And "being very good at what you do" doesnt really work when youre kinda average.
Especially not in a company that has some of the best in the world
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u/cyberpunk_werewolf 10h ago
I like Anthony Bowens, I think he's a solid hand and the Pride of Pro Wrestling was a decent gimmick, but it's not just standing out in AEW where you've got Okada, Omega, Moxley, Danielson, Osprey and continuing list. I don't think he stands out in in the ring in comparison to WWE or TNA either. Well, maybe TNA, but I don't know, they've got Leon Slater, man.
Him talking about being a "Five Tool Player" won't work anywhere because he's not putting on classics in any major territory, period. He's a good hand, and he works great when he's got someone with a lot of charisma to bounce off of, because while Bowens has a lot of charisma it's not pro wrestling character charisma.
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u/Negative_Wish_8291 14h ago
Yeah but look at the mid-card and ask who he should be going over on?
Bandido? Brody King? Jungle Boy? He's just not good enough in ring or on the mic to justify getting pushed over anyone. He and Max never should've broken up; the combined sum of their parts is much better than they are alone.
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u/ThatsARatHat 13h ago
It’s kind of funny they were involved with Billy Gunn because they were almost this generations New Age Outlaws. Two mediocre in ring guys, one could talk, and one was bigger. And they needed each other to actually matter.
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u/SovFist Back to the drawing board :( 14h ago
We're far too obsessed with who "goes over" like losing a match is a death knell, all 3 of those could drop a random match to bowens and it would be fine long term as long as they don't go on just continuous losing streaks for no reason.
Mind you, I enjoy AEW less as of late because it's shifted away from its roots to book more matches for story as opposed to win loss records at the start.
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u/Fun_Neighborhood1767 13h ago
It’s not about “going over” it’s about tv time. They’re asking you who do you think should lose tv time for a strong Bowens push.
It’s cool you’re falling off but this is easily my favorite era of AEW. Only one that comes close is Kenny’s cleaner run as world champ.
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u/QVCDude 13h ago
Professional wrestling is about storylines, not win-loss records. Sorry to break it to you.
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u/SovFist Back to the drawing board :( 13h ago
It's about both, if you focus on one to the extreme I eventually lose interest as the matches don't matter or the promos don't matter
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u/thfsgn 5h ago
I think they've struck a pretty good balance, for my taste at least. The rankings made things more inflexible by nature, which makes it hard to adapt or move with something organically when it makes sense or at its hottest point.
They still loosely adhere to some sort of merit-based system, though I could totally understand if you think earning a title shot by beating Adam Priest on Collision isn't enough (probably a very good match though). And they still have stuff like the Owen and C2 to scratch that sporting itch.
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u/QVCDude 4h ago
I like that the Owen Hart Tournament has basically become AEW's version of King of the Ring, where it's presented as a huge deal and the winner gets a world title shot at All In. I don't care too much for the C2 unless there's storylines involved in the matches, which they've seemed to be doing more of lately. Sorry, I'm an old-school wrestling fan who's more into stories and characters instead of workrate, although I do appreciate the athleticism too.
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u/Fun_Neighborhood1767 13h ago
Naa having Bowens go over other rising talent that was actually liked by fans like Fletcher, Takeshita, Darby, etc would’ve just backfired badly.
He came out with weird football looking super hero gear to start his singles run with promos basically no fans liked. I don’t think this a booking problem
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u/mr_showboat 14h ago
Also when the entire company is kinda based around people "being very good at what they do"... many of whom are better at it than Bowens (who seems like a good person but doesn't really stand out in ring to me among all the good wrestlers in AEW).
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u/LexxxSamson 11h ago
His problem is hes a really solid wrestler but hes in a promotion with guys so far above him he barely registers on the scale and hes doesn't have anything AT ALL as a character or personality.
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u/Infamaniac23 #1 Hokuto fan 3h ago
It's sad because I thought the start of the solo run with the big pop in his return then squashing his former tag partner showed promise. I think there was something to that "pride of pro wrestling" character that could've been really compelling.
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u/VTCruzer 14h ago
He returned as a singles for Max's open challenge to an insane pop, licensed music, and pyro. The next week, he didn't get pyro and then he stopped showing up on TV. People can't get over if the company stops presenting them as a big deal
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u/Mud-Bray 14h ago edited 14h ago
If you need pyro and a specific feud to elicit a pop then the crowd doesn’t actually care about you.
I like Bowens but there’s a lot of guys I’d rather see get booked in singles stuff.
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u/TheGiftOf_Jericho I'm from Winnipeg you idiot! 13h ago
This isn't really the full picture, he had a good pop on his singles debut. But all of his subsequent appearances didn't get as much love.
The consensus from people watching at the time was that people weren't super into the whole "five tool player" thing, it felt forced in promos. Pride or Pro wrestling was always the better the title. His mollywop finisher also didn't go over great.
I'm a Bowens fan, I think the problem with his singles run is that he just tried to change too much, when people did already love Bowens for what he was.
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u/wonderingmarkus 8h ago
People really like to pretend that Bowens got a prolonged opportunity with multiple months of matches and promos and just dropped the ball. There was no ball to drop.
And then when you point this out, it's "well he was never that good anyway".
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u/_whatever_wherever Do it with purpose and give a shit 9h ago
He really should have gone all in with the Pride of Professional Wrestling shtick
The 5 Tool Player not only isolates him from AEW's large international fan base, where nobody gives a fuck about baseball or knows what that means, but works better as more of a secondary catchphrase, to he used in promos
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u/AnfowleaAnima 13h ago
I feel he would have gotten over but the way he was cast just just made him feel less. Let's not just judge the result. He did feel a bit "naked" without Caster though, that's true.
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u/Dayman_ah-uh-ahhh 14h ago edited 14h ago
He never had a chance. The Acclaimed breakup was so rushed, under-planned and generally botched. The big break-up angle is what you use to test each guy as a singles star. There was zero character work in the break-up angle.
How you break up the hottest tag team in pro-wrestling with zero story, zero heat, no no build and no blow-off is astonishing.
Subsequent attempts to present Bowens were done before they even started. They put no effort into building him. A series of nothing matches on Collision. Then they add him to The Opps, and the Opps disappear from TV.
Tony made no effort with Bowens, which is crazy because he's athletic, good looking and has some firey babyface energy.
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u/KumigaGOAT 13h ago
This is extreme revisionist history. The acclaimed weren’t hot when they split, Max was getting in trouble Constantly while being weird on socials. People were literally saying Max was dragging Bowens down when they split.
They also tried with Bowens. He got a handful of promos & some singles matches but the crowd just wasn’t responding at all to him.
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u/Intelligent-Till-678 12h ago
This completely ignores that people were tired of The Acclaimed and were actually calling for them to break up and no one liked Bowen's singles run and that was on him. There is nothing special about him and can make him stand out against more talented people.
Let's repeat. The Acclaimed were not the "hottest team in pro wrestling" when they broke up. They were an act that was doing the same act for a while and people were sick of it and wanted something new. And given neither were good wrestlers, in a company based on work rate, they had to rely entirely on that act.
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u/theandrew13 14h ago
His Pride of Pro Wrestling gimmick would be a winner, but he had to spend almost all his promo/vignette time going on about a stupid baseball 5-tool player gimmick. Tried to do both at the same time and it flopped hard.
He then teased getting back together with The Best Wrestler Alive™️, only for that story to go nowhere and Caster disappear from AEW completely. Bowens and Caster both said they wanted to be singles in interviews and didn’t want to get acclaimed back together. He then joined the Opps which seemed cursed from the start pretty much. Hook is still doing fuckall, Shibata is basically a legendary jobber, and Joe just returned finally.
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u/BritWrestlingUK 13h ago
His Pride of Pro Wrestling gimmick would be a winner,
I never saw much in the gimmick. Seemed very shallow and gave very little character, but I'm interested to know what made you think it could be a winner?
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u/Orange8920 13h ago
The Pride Of Pro Wrestling thing was really just a moniker he didn't utilize enough. His actual gimmick was the 5-Tool Player which is based on his baseball playing past. Basically that he had all the tools as a great wrestler but even that is kind of bland and hard to make stand out.
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u/BritWrestlingUK 13h ago
The Pride Of Pro Wrestling thing was really just a moniker he didn't utilize enough.
I know, that was my issue. It wasn't a gimmick, it was just an allusion to his sexuality.
His actual gimmick was the 5-Tool Player which is based on his baseball playing past. Basically that he had all the tools as a great wrestler but even that is kind of bland and hard to make stand out.
And that didn't work because he isn't a "great" wrestler, compared to the likes of Ospreay, Okada, Omega, etc.
To me, he had little character to speak of at all
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u/Orange8920 13h ago
It's that and Billy Gunn was still paired with Bowens early in his run which further detracted from what he could do. They made Billy disappointed in Bowens losing which didn't help him at all.
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u/Picolator 10h ago
He shouldn't have tried to get the 2 nicknames over at the same time. He should have picked just one at first. Although anything about being great due to being great usually fall flat because those wrestlers are rarely good enough for it to work (and they never get the booking to get over that anyway).
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u/cubemstr Jon Fucking Moxley 12h ago
Bowens clearly got high on his own hype. He's alright. He's an ok promo. He's an ok worker. But he clearly wanted to present himself like he was a top star when he clearly wasn't.
I think if he'd been OK with being a mid card guy and jobber to the stars he'd have a space but I got the feeling he thought he should be a top guy when none of his skills reflected that.
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u/Former_Intern_8271 14h ago
I don't know how valuable the fact that we liked occasionally seeing him on a red carpet while scrolling Reddit actually has to a wrestling promotion
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u/Jasperbeardly11 Al Snow Head 15h ago
He's not good.
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u/no-lead5761 Deaf Riders 15h ago
its disingenuous to say that he's not good, he's fine. he's just not at that level where AEW is at right now. People saying he's been overlooked, he hasn't. Not everyone can just re-sign and that's okay. It ain't the end of the world. yet.
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u/Green_Fox_8864 15h ago
I don't think he's indigenous. Besides, natives can say whatever they want, man.
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u/no-lead5761 Deaf Riders 15h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/K1QnLV1caRpuw
I FIXED IT
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u/HussingtonHat 15h ago
He's fine. Fine is a totally accurate assessment of what he can do.
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u/Jasperbeardly11 Al Snow Head 15h ago
He would have been fine in like 2010. He's below average now.
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u/1980sWrestlingFan 15h ago
I read most of the article and I think heel Bowens and face Caster was so good, and then putting them back together was cursed. It's still mindboggling to me Max somehow went from a guy who had a large amount of fans chanting "lets go Max, You're the best wrestler alive" to not being re-signed and getting fired from TNA in a day lol. It's something that seems like such a work because they had way worse stuff in TNA, but apparently it's not lol.
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u/Spiritual_Meal_6210 15h ago
I’ve known Max since he started on the local Long Island scene in 2015. He’s honestly always been really arrogant and inconsiderate with the way he talks about people and things. Like the type of guy to make a joke trying to be funny, but often at someone’s expense. Not really a bully, just inconsiderate. And that never changed the 5 years I knew him there. I was just a fan but at one particular LI indie I was close enough with the wrestlers where I used to go to the diner with all of them after the shows.
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u/nicebodythere 15h ago
I tried talking to him at a show he wasn't even working but he was hanging out in the ring at intermission. He licked his lips and started pelvic thrusting towards me. Screw off ya creep
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u/Acceptable-Dress7196 12h ago
Ew, how gross of him! He can’t even use the excuse of being young and dumb when he’s pushing 40
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u/CriticalConcept 4h ago
I thought you were exaggerating on the age so I googled and was mindblown that he's 37! I thought late 20s early 30s. He's 4 years older than Osperay and 10 years older than Kyle Fletcher. Crazy
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u/Geistzeit 10h ago
Man that reminds me - during his early appearances on Dark, after beating someone he would rub their hand on his face? wtf was that about
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u/wgsmeister2002 FOREVER FOREVER FOREVER FOREVER FOREVER 12h ago
I trained under him for years at CAP and can confirm what you’re saying 100%. He’s an incredibly callous person.
Some of the more tenured wrestlers used to tell me he & MJF bullied an ex-student named Jared about being suicidal
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u/No-Aioli8621 12h ago
Yeah, I just saw his video on the TNA issue and he was like "I never try to offend people, I just want to entertain." He's either a big fat liar or his emotional/social intelligence is through the cellar.
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u/Egor_Denim 15h ago
I think that AEW just grew up and didn’t have a place for Max anymore
I loved Max’s Best Wrestler bit, but looking around the company now, it’s doesn’t have as much comedic charm as it did when it started and I think Max’s character was just one of the things they outgrew
Bowens got done dirty by not only being slotted into the Oops, but having to plead with Hook instead of Joe. Just made him look ridiculous begging someone of Hook’s stature when Bowens is that big
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u/Tornadoboy156 15h ago
I lmao’d at “The Oops”. Killer typo yo
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u/BigJohnCandyExpress 14h ago
The Oops is what they should be called whenever Joe is away and like, Hook or someone has to be the leader.
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u/Shenanigans80h 14h ago
Yeah, I loved his best wrestler alive shtick, but there really was never a clear end game to it. Once he wins it loses most of its purpose unless they planned on pushing him and frankly idk where he would’ve thrived with a push. It was a fun novelty but I think that’s all Max really is in a bigger promotion
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u/Subrick 69 ME, DON! 15h ago
The logical conclusion to the story was Bowens & Caster succeeding as a team again, eventually getting big wins, but NOT reuniting permanently as The Acclaimed, and now that they’re past being hung up on each other they can peaceably go their separate ways as singles wrestlers. It would have been a neat, unique spin on a common wrestling storyline, but fans (especially Dynamite-only watchers) were not vibing with it at all, and thus it was dropped.
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u/Extension-End8421 13h ago
Not sure why TK bailed on it because that double turn was brewing and Max was starting to get his best wrestler alive thing over. That was a money printing machine he passed up on.
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u/freelifemushroom 11h ago
There might have been backstage reasons that had TK prefer to use others instead of Max
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u/fttxdd666 10h ago
That was a money printing machine he passed up on.
What money? Do you have any evidence that it would have made money? A lower card feud between a jobber and a guy trying to find a spot in the midcard? Because if you are going to say something like that, you have to back it up, otherwise just stick to saying whether you liked it or not.
The reality is the storyline got canned when it got voted by WON as worst feud, because it might have been liked on here (i was hit or miss with it), it was not liked elsewhere. And unlike MJF/Adam Cole, even though they won the award twice in a row, they at least had evidence it made money (All in '23).
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u/DeviantDragon #Axelmania 15h ago
The way he talks about being in/previously in The Opps makes it sound like he might still be in talks with AEW or open to returning at least.
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u/JokerDeSilva10 15h ago
I wouldn't be terribly surprised. He's a great brand ambassador, really likeable, and he's one of those guys I always really wanted to show out if for no other reason than "the pride of pro wrestling" is one of the great possible taglines.
But I'd imagine that, given how his post-Acclaimed run has gone and how he hasn't really "popped", it might be a value gap between where he is (and probably was as one half of a super hot tag team) and is now, and AEW/Tony sees him (as a slightly floundering singles guy).
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u/the_io 15h ago
It'll be a case of finding the right tag team I think.
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u/JokerDeSilva10 15h ago edited 14h ago
Wouldn't be the worst thing. He needs a guy with a big personality to bounce off of, and unfortunately the current Opps with Hook and Shibata, the fun "text to speech" gimmick notwithstanding, is a little short on that.
This is why, honestly, as much as you don't necessarily want to just shove all the black guys together, him being in the Hurt Business as a protege would have really worked with MVP to hype him up.
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u/WrestleSocietyXShill Cero Miedo Since Day One Ish 6h ago
Fuck it, pair him with Ortiz if he's still around
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u/Former_Intern_8271 13h ago
I think people are saying he's a great ambassador based on an assumption, because everyone else says it, because he was sometimes seen on red carpets
He got around a bit, does that mean he was good at it? Idk, I'm not sure how you can have someone be a powerful ambassador for a brand wirhout being a significant recognisable face of the brand.
I'm not sure AEW really lost anything
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u/AirStreet9465 15h ago
Realistically what would the options be?
-Either return to AEW on a similar pay scale or maybe slightly less
-Short TNA stint getting paid a lot less while doing indies dates on the weekends if possible
-Possible NXT deal getting paid peanuts
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u/Former_Intern_8271 13h ago
If he really wants to do the showbiz stuff then taking a chance on NXT would probably be the best bet
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u/wvgeekman 14h ago
I mean, he appeared in a pre-tape on Collision after it was reported that his contract was up. He could be on a per appearance contract at the moment, I suppose.
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u/Sio_V_Reddit 13h ago
Oh definitely, you can tell when Tony is actively trying to keep a talent vs is letting them go with him he books them. Hobbs he used to the end of his contract and only has him job on his literal last night in the company, really gave him his flowers.
Starks? Didn’t show up for 2 years.
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u/cghost495 15h ago
So it was a lot of real emotions balled up and I was trying to bring it to the screen but you know, what happened happened and I don’t like to dwell on anything and I’m with The Opps now and hopefully — well, I was with The Opps — we’ll see how things work out.
Think he may have spoiled it a bit, looking forward to his likely return. Hoping he'll be back soon with a little more focus and the opportunity to do some cool stuff.
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u/filthysize 15h ago
Yeaah that part jumped out at me. I was wondering why since his contract expiration his social media bios still say he's with AEW and he was posting photos of him hanging out with HOOK and Action.
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u/Technicoler 15h ago
Here are my general thoughts, The Acclaimed was amazing, and I miss them. Seeing such a home grown team rise organically over time was what makes AEW great. When they split Castor deserves credit for getting that chant over, and Bowens is a guy I will always root for, but Max faired much better during that separation period. Lastly, JOE is the man, but The Opps is a crap faction full of great wrestlers. Hopefully, Bowens and AEW can work out a new contract, he makes the product better.
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u/BigJohnCandyExpress 14h ago
Shibata is over 45 and already had a serious medical issue shave years off his in-ring career. He deserves better, factually, than being the Wheeler Yuta of the Opps for the real stars to beat.
Every time the man laces up his boots in the big '26 it is a minor miracle. Why are we having him do the job in seven minutes?
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u/YMCA9 14h ago
What would you have Shibata do instead? I don't think you can trust putting a belt on him for example
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u/BritWrestlingUK 13h ago
He's been ROH Pure and AEW Trios Champion
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u/blaqsupaman Big Dick Dudley 12h ago
I mean, that's them doing more with him than just having him job.
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u/BigJohnCandyExpress 12h ago
I'd start by winding down the Opps as a stable and moving him into more singles matches, first off. He doesn't need to beat everybody but he ought to be higher in the pecking order than like, Rush.
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u/blaqsupaman Big Dick Dudley 11h ago
Honestly I think having him primarily be an ROH guy wouldn't be a bad thing. He'd be able to stand out more in a smaller pond and could fill the role of the veteran working the developmental brand in his later years to help build the next generation. I don't really see a spot for him to hold a title in AEW any time soon but any of the men's ROH belts would still fit him like a glove.
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u/apehasreturned DDT Shill 5h ago
Why not? He hasn’t gotten hurt in nine years, it seems like the adapted style is pretty reliable in terms of keeping him safe.
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u/Shenanigans80h 14h ago edited 12h ago
I really like the idea behind the Opps as a faction and I did think the Hobbs-Joe-Shibata version had a lot going for it, but yeah it really is a directionless group rn.
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u/KingGouda 14h ago
That Pride of Pro Wrestling was weak. I've got no problem with him being gay but that can't be your gimmick. That 5 star tool thing was weird too
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u/Stupid-AF_50 12h ago
The 5 tool player is a cool gimmick/nickname/branding thing but you either need someone who's actually all-around great and lives up to that moniker or an obnoxious heel who very clearly doesn't and that's the joke.
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u/jazzisntdead 10h ago
Pride of Pro Wrestling is a great heel gimmick, but I'm a fan of gay rights and especially gay wrongs.
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u/steamboatbridge 12h ago
It didn’t help that Jerry Lynn was used in place of Billy Gunn for no apparent reason.
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u/StewardFlavius 10h ago
That was so damn random. No clue what happened there, but it definitely felt like that was supposed to be Billy.
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u/SpaceGooV 14h ago
I think Bowens should try to bet on himself as a singles. Using TNA as a springboard to build a profile for himself like Santana did to return to AEW with some juice or try his luck in WWE.
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u/toodarkmark 13h ago
I think the real problem was TK let him and Max do whatever they wanted to get over and create interest. But Bowens, even with the heel turn which played out on TV, never really clicked. Yeah I got he was angry, but I just didn't care, even though I'm a fan. TK knew the money for Max and Bowens in AEW was to get the Acclaimed up and running again, but both guys said no. So as a booker, when you have something that works, but someone (who you make like personally) doesn't get on board with that, and wants to do something that doesn't work, do you keep employing them? Max did get over, but obviously his issues were backstage and want to be an edgelord, so he didn't even get booked for this last 6 months.
I would like to see Bowens come back, and do something with Hook and Action, where Hook isnt being weird mean to him (which also never worked), and they're just good looking guys trying to prove they deserve a spot in AEW. I don't think Joe is around enough for them to live off his crumbs, and they have to create something new.
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u/zero_the_clown Sting WCW 12h ago
Him and Caster both were better together, and asuch as they wanted to become singles stars on their own, it just didn't pan out.
My fiance and I absolutely loved The Acclaimed. But once they went their separate ways, the only thing I can even remember about them is Caster's 5 minute challenge, and that went absolutely nowhere, too.
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u/Empty_Fist 13h ago
I don't think AEW really lose anything by letting Bowens go, but he's got a lot if potential still. He hasn't had many real 1 on 1 feuds where he could cut his teeth against other singles guys. Genuinely, another run in the CC could rehab him into a great mid card guy. That and he doesn't need to be in a group, especially not the opps.
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u/FigureFourWoo Ric Flair was still cool when I chose this username. 8h ago
Splitting up a main event level tag team that is mega over to get two midcarders just isn’t a good trade. Max and Bowens should have made it work and made their money. They would be getting really nice new contracts instead of looking for work. They were never going to stand out individually in AEW’s midcard. There’s too much top tier talent. If they would have stayed together, they would be facing teams like Cage & Cope, MCMG, and New Level soon. They would be one of AEW’s best homegrown acts in the tag division and likely the future of it.
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u/Impressive-Poet5694 9h ago
Bowens and Harley as a platonic friendship, only this time Bowens continuously thinks Harley is hitting on him still while she is clearly not. Kind of like he's an arrogant heel and she's the crazy talented funny face and they're still friends or something.
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u/RanchPonyPizza Where else would one hear voices? 4h ago
"Congratulations on that win, Anthony!"
"Yeah, I knew if I dug deep (feet on the ropes, pulled the tights and hair, thumbed the eye), good things would happen. I'm still not going out with you."
"Yeah, you explained that to me in the middle of the ring, surrounded by thousands of people on live TV, and few things have ever been so clear. But we can still be friends, and I can still be proud whenever either of us leaves with a W."
"Because I like guys. Guys, Harley. I'm sure there might be a man who sees you that way, but it's not me."
"Yes, and none of that takes away from how proud of you I am, and how much work you've put in to not just keep up with, but surpass, the competition."
"The longer you cling to this, the harder it will be to move on. Please stop wasting the best years of your life on something thst won't happen."
The only thing I see about this is that Harley has excellent chemistry with about 96% of AEW's talent, and this puts her in a "straight man" my bad role that just about anyone else could fill, while she's got her unique bizarro hypermadness that no one can match.
1
u/Officervito 9h ago
I really think TK dropped the ball with his. Great theme, but a tough gimmick to land when you knee cap him against already established main eventers. Bowens should have gotten over them more than lost
1
u/whyneedaname77 8h ago
Honestly I enjoy him. The Acclaimed was the best spot for him. Put him with a charismatic wrestler that is not as good in the ring. Have the other guy get the crowd going. Carry the match as the worker.
As strange as it sounds I think the Pride of Professional Wrestling can still work. But what if they put him with a very out and out gay wrestler and the out and out carries the gimmick and he carries the Wrestling.
But I don't know if he would want that too.
1
u/TheSilencer6491 6h ago
He’s just a mid card talent without max, let’s be honest we need The Acclaimed back.
-1
u/Ted_Dongelman 13h ago
I still think Bowens could be successful as a singles act. You bring him out to talk about the 5 tool player shtick (which seems to rile a lot of folks up, oddly) and then cheat his ass off to beat people after literally just explaining why he's so much better than everyone else. It just feels like he could take off being a pretentious heel with a month or two of a sustained spotlight.
1
u/Desistance 9h ago
I don't think he'll go anywhere being with the Opps if Joe is constantly out of the picture. The Opps get no play when he's gone.
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