All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has quickly built a reputation for having one of the best tag team divisions in the world today. Established teams such as The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix), The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) are joined by younger teams, such as Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus), The Ass Boys (Austin & Colten Gunn) and 2.0 (Matt Lee & Jeff Parker). These are just a handful of teams in a division bustling with talent. Yet, among them all, the team most likely to have a breakout year in AEW in 2022 is the team of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens, better known as The Acclaimed.
The Team Dynamic Works
In many ways, The Acclaimed are a 21st century New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn). It should never be forgotten that, during the highs of the Attitude Era, the NAO were one of the hottest acts in the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF). The dynamic of a smaller, trash-talking hype man alongside the larger, more physically imposing teammate is a proven success. It worked for Gunn and Road Dogg, just as, decades later, it worked for the former Enzo Amore and “Big Cass” Colin Cassidy who, for a time, were one of the hottest acts in the WWE. Enzo was the trash-talking hype man, Cass was the big guy who got the job done. The Acclaimed, with Caster as the trash-talker (something he does as good as anyone today) with Bowens as the larger athlete, work this dynamic excellently.
In addition to the team dynamic, they have also tapped into a proven-to-work formula which once upon a time made a top professional wrestling star out of one of the world’s hottest actors today: the Art of the Rap. We all know who John Cena is: the former face of the WWE (for over a decade) who is now killing it in Hollywood, most notably (and hilariously) as the DC Universe’s anti-hero, Peacemaker. He is a global, worldwide phenomenon who originally became a star through a hip hop, “Dr. of Thuganomics” type character who trash-talked his opponents in the form of freestyle rap prior to matches. This is a very similar type of gimmick Caster is working today, with the difference being Cena’s was a less than subtle nod to how “white” he is. With Caster doing this gimmick just as well as Cena, and with the fans noticeably more into the gimmick with each passing week, Caster and Bowens are going to be a huge success story both within the AEW tag team division and within the world of professional wrestling as a whole.
The Acclaimed Are Gathering Momentum in AEW
With The Acclaimed being trash-talking heels currently outside of the AEW World Tag Team title picture, they tend to lose quite often. Yes, they win plenty too (their last win on AEW Dynamite came against Bear Country a month ago, which was shortly followed by a loss to Sting & Darby Allin), but that does not necessarily matter; they are in an enviable position where, because of their gimmick, their wins & losses record doesn’t matter… yet. Everyone knows that, when The Acclaimed music hits, we are going to be receiving a new rap which, more often than not, largely pops the attending audience and makes the rounds on social media for how “fire” it is.
This gimmick is still growing; Bowens and Caster are still developing and, by the time 2022 is over, they will be one of the biggest teams in the company and, hopefully, challenging for AEW World Tag Team Championships (if they haven’t already won them). Though their trash-talk has the potential to cause upset among certain corners of the AEW audience, they are without a doubt one of the most entertaining acts in AEW right now and their growing babyface type reactions might possibly lead to them becoming babyfaces themselves in the near-future. Good guys or bad guys, The Acclaimed is going to be a very big deal in AEW and the wrestling world – 2022 is the year they might just become so.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night.
