The Acclaimed, comprised of Anthony Bowens and Max Caster, slowly became one of the most popular tag teams in AEW. Bowens, in particular, has the kind of infectious energy that fans can’t get enough of. Now it appears that Bowens was blown away by the ‘he’s gay’ fan chant during AEW Rampage last week.
As many people are aware by now, Anthony Bowens is a proud member of the LGBTQ community and has been very transparent about that fact since day one. He stands as a symbol of hope and admiration for anyone in the community.
During AEW Rampage last week, a segment featuring The Acclaimed and QTV took place. This included QTV’s female reporter, Harley Cameron. When Cameron did a sexy performance and mentioned that she could tell Bowens was into her, he made it clear he was not because he is gay. This led to a lot of ‘he’s gay’ chants from the crowd.
While speaking to David Dennis Jr. for ESPN Andscape, Anthony Bowens opened up about how he felt about the moment and stated that he was absolutely blown away by the reaction.
“[AEW wrestlers] Billy [Gunn] and Q.T. Marshall came to me and said, “Hey, we’ve got this segment. Would you be comfortable doing this?” And I said, “Absolutely.” Because my type of activism isn’t particularly in your face. I like to go out and just be me, exist as successfully as I can and be as visible as possible and authentic to me as I can. And if there is a time and a place where I feel like it would fit best, let’s go for it. And I felt like this was a really, really fun segment to do it in. I thought it also would be a monumental moment because no one’s ever said it inside of a wrestling ring.
There’s always been, from an athlete perspective, a hint there, maybe a joke that references [someone being gay]. It was never just flat out blunt, like, “Hey, I’m gay.” And I thought, screw it. This would be a great time for it to be done. And also a relatable thing for people who are in the position that I used to be in, who are scared to come out and didn’t have somebody to look towards as a role model, an LGBT role model for them.”
Anthony Bowens also called for proper and respectful approach to LGBTQ representation in pro wrestling. We will have to wait and see how AEW will book The Acclaimed and QTV’s feud in the coming weeks.
What’s your view on this story? Did you enjoy that segment featuring Anthony Bowens? Let us know in the comments!
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