Openly Gay Wrestling Champion Anthony Bowens Is A Real Knockout
On Sunday, August 27, Anthony Bowens took home a championship win from the All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) All-In London event at Wembley Stadium. Bowens is a member of the group The Acclaimed and following his win alongside partners Max Caster and Billy Gunn, he dedicated their win to Gunn and the fans.
Scissors UP For The Triumphant Trio!
One of The Acclaimed’s signature moves includes pumping each other up and interlocking their fingers in a kind of scissoring. It’s become a sign of respect for the trio and a major crowd-pleaser for the audience.
The match on Sunday saw The Acclaimed wrestle against the group House Of Black in a six-man match (three-against-three). House Of Black held the Trios Championship title since March 2023, but after Bowens, Caster and Gunn defeated them at Wembley, the group has claimed the glory and come out on top.
In his victory speech, Bowens ramped the audience up and thanked Gunn for returning after the group’s last defeat to House Of Black in July. Bowens joined Caster to form The Acclaimed back in 2020 with Caster having been a solo act previously. One of their historic wins was the AEW championship win in 2022 which was the first occasion where an openly gay male professional wrestler won gold.
Following that win, Bowens spoke about the significance of his win and The Acclaimed’s presence in AEW. “I never thought I would be able to live my dreams, because there was a time where I was very confused, and I didn’t know how to accept myself, but I fought through that bullshit… and now I cry because I’m a champion,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be about your sexuality, it can be if you’re depressed, if you’re bullied, if life just sucks. Just know that everything gets better. We’re living proof of that.”
