The Acclaimed Hit Free Agency: What’s Next for Max Caster & Anthony Bowens?
One of AEW's most recognizable homegrown tag teams has officially reached free agency. And honestly? I'm all for it, so walk with me on this...
This Friday it was confirmed that former AEW World Tag Team Champions Max Caster and Anthony Bowens are now free agents following the expiration of their contracts. The pair had reportedly been approaching the end of their respective deals without renewal negotiations taking place.
Caster seemingly had a little fun with the news, posting a screenshot defining the term “free agent” alongside the caption, “Doing my own research.”
It is an interesting place to land for two wrestlers whose AEW careers became so closely intertwined. Caster and Bowens formed The Acclaimed in 2020 and went from an unlikely pairing to one of AEW's most organically popular acts. “Scissor Me, Daddy Ass” became something you couldn't escape — and honestly, why would you want to? It's hilarious and that's money in a business like Pro Wrestling. And to be completely transparent here, one specific rap segment of theirs... Well, let's just say I'd waited A LONG TIME for it. I became an instant fan...
The Acclaimed weren't simply getting television time. Fans genuinely connected with them. And again, without sounding too redundant, that's money. That connection eventually carried them to the AEW World Tag Team Championship, followed by a run with the AEW World Trios Championship alongside Billy Gunn.
But wrestling moves quickly... Ask me how I know...
The Acclaimed eventually fractured, sending Caster and Bowens in separate directions. Caster has not wrestled for AEW since December 2025, while Bowens has remained on television as part of The Opps.
Now, both men find themselves with something wrestlers don't always get: options. I cannot stress enough how good a position that is to be in, while also creating its own pitfall. More options means you need to be sure you make the right decision to capitalize on fame, notoriety, buzz, momentum, etc.
Neither Caster nor Bowens has announced where they'll make their home next, and free agency doesn't necessarily close the door on AEW. But after years spent building something together, their next chapters may ultimately be the ones they write separately.
With that said, if I were them, I'd have a whole action plan in place prior to my official AEW exit to capitalize on the moment that's officially here.
1) I'd keep the AEW door friendly and open.
2) I'd send out feelers to my favorite/top promotions pitching us as a tag team.
3) I'd cut our booking price a bit to avoid a common mistake recently exited wrestlers make, so long term we'd make more money by having more work to utilize for social media, connections, opps, etc.
4) I'd get new tag gear, set up a photo shoot, and create some vignettes with a slight reinvention. Not crazy, just an extra edge. Be creative! I've already thought of 3 vignettes for them while writing this piece. They have a lot to work with!
5) I'd circle back to all the promotions I messaged to confirm bookings and start advertising those shows.
6) I'd get to work! Ya'll know that tag team wrestling is my favorite.
I truly believe that if they play this right, they'll be even more popular and sought after than before. There's no reason The Acclaimed cannot reunite and wrestle simultaneously in free agency. Free agency is not the dirty status it used to be. It's a good opportunity to stretch your talent and your reach to make yourself even more valuable as a talent. They could wrestle for TNA a couple times a month, then hit MLW, HOG, Beyond Wrestling, Lucha Patron, EVOLVE, NWA, NJPW, and more. All headed towards WWE if that's what they want.
And in wrestling, sometimes that's where things like this get interesting...