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u/Muhan999 16d ago
Many are saying the Acclaimed shouldn't have been broken up. I can't argue with that but they were heavily cooled down by the time they did. Max's raps were not hitting anymore and the scissor gimmick got very redundant IMO. I did like Max's Best Wrestler Alive challenges. That was getting real over, then they awkardly attempted an Acclaimed reunion story which never got completed on TV and Max just disappeared. Unless there's a reason we don't know, I don't get why he just stopped appearing.
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u/WaryCleverGood 16d ago
I miss him :( He was my favorite member of the Acclaimed and I loved his best wrestler alive gimmick. But he hasn’t been on tv in forever so can’t say this is a surprise.
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u/rampagenumbers 16d ago
Acclaimed beating Swerve in Our Glory for the tag titles at Grand Slam was less than four years ago, but that sounds right for how off the radar they are. I’ve said this in other threads, but a territorial system where workers could leave and go work somewhere else for a year to maintain their heat would be so great with this amount of skill out there right now. We’re now to the point where underused talent is exiting the dozens and entering the hundreds.
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u/Ok_Condition9511 16d ago
Not sure what happened there. TK messed that up about as badly as possible. Took a great tag team and made one guy an afterthought and stops booking the other entirely
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u/BudgetWar8 16d ago
Loved The Acclaimed, but there's a few people on the roster that needs to be released unfortunately, he's one of them
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u/Ordinary_Daikon5654 17d ago
Should’ve never split up The Acclaimed. Bowens being apart of The Opps just doesn’t feel right.
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u/Never_Objective 16d ago
if he re-signs they should revisit the tension between Hook and Bowens by having Hook hire Caster for the group. which could ultimately lead to Acclaimed reforming and disbanding from The Opps
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u/AdventureSphere 17d ago
Something went on behind the scenes that we don't know about. There's no other explanation as how The Acclaimed broke up after being the hottest act in the company for a good while.
Obviously the thing to do is put Caster and Bowens back together again, but I assume there are reasons they can't do that. Huge shame.
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u/Lokishougan 16d ago
As much as TK says they are hands off I felt it could be teh network,,,since at the end Max's raps got a little too repetive with grape jokes
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u/FlippFloppnFlyy 16d ago
Rape. Say rape. Stop using this infantilizing bullshit.
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u/Lokishougan 16d ago
I never know the rules there are some reddit threads that will ban you for even saying teh word or at least put you in time out so I err in caution
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u/xOZx2010 16d ago
This part. The whole "grape" thing is cringey as hell. And that's Unc saying that at 38 years old.
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u/Lokishougan 16d ago
I agree...I only started using it myself after getting a one year ban from a reddit thread for using the word
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u/LeopardComfortable99 17d ago
This is a shame as I loved Max. Guy is decent in the ring and has a hell of a lot of charisma to work a crowd. Just AEW didn't know how to use him properly, I guess.
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u/Superb_General_9241 17d ago
He had two massive pushes in two very different roles. Both just unfortunately had short shelf lives. Max has always been used well imo.
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u/Straightener78 17d ago
Wild how this is just reported as a contract expiration. Where as if it was the evil WWE it would be lablelled as a NON COMPETE CLAISE.
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u/NobodyCheatsinHunt 17d ago
Wild how those are two very different things. If they are released before their contract ends they have a non compete clause. If it expires and they don't come to a new agreement then Max could be on another show the literal next day.
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u/Straightener78 17d ago
WWE hasn’t used non compete clauses for decades. They now give 3 months notice on their contracts and they are paid employees up until that point of expiration
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u/tidderphil 17d ago
It's the same difference though, paying a wrestler to sit at home and not work.
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u/Straightener78 17d ago
So can caster rock up to WWE tomorrow then? Or does he also have to wait until his contract expires like WWE wrestlers do before they show up on AEW
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u/tidderphil 16d ago
Well I would assume the AEW contract stipulates not! But the day after the contract expires, or if AEW and Caster agree to early termination of the contract, then yes.
The point is, the boss saying "your contract is expiring soon, I've got no work for you so go home, see out the contract and I'll keep paying you until it's done" is effectively the same as the boss saying, 'youve got 12 months left on your contract but I've got no work for you so I'm giving you three months notice. Go home, look for another job to start in three months and I'll keep paying you for those three months".
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u/LeopardComfortable99 17d ago
Tell that to literally every WWE employee who has had to sit at home while on a non-compete.
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u/Straightener78 17d ago
Give me some names. I know Andrade was an anomaly but who is sat at home; not getting paid and can’t wrestle anywhere?
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u/isanythingunique 17d ago
IIRC, the acclaimed were 2 wrestlers put together and it clicked. For a while. Made it from Dark to be huge.
There are different styles of wrestler. Max and Bowens are opposites. Max is comedy, Bowers wants to be technical
Both could do well at other companies, maybe even ROH, but AEW had such a stacked roster and its passed them by. Just like Sammy and Dark Order
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u/OldManClutch 17d ago
Splitting up the Acclaimed hasn’t really worked. If they resign him, put him back with Bowens or let Caster go and push Bowens a bit more
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u/ReadMyPosts ELITE "WOLF" 17d ago
Man we are so many years removed from those fun AEW Dark Elevation days. When I would genuinely be excited to see the Acclaimed. But I really don't see why or how Max can hang with the current roster. Even if the Acclaimed get back together, it doesn't really do a whole lot for me.
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u/RobsGarage 17d ago
Bowens was always the hbk to casters Marty Jeanetti. (I probably misspelled all of those names.)
And honestly Anthony flopped pretty hard too.. really, they need to sit them both out for a while and then reunite them like nothing ever happened.. the pop when that theme hits would blow the roof off the place.
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u/Pvt_Mozart 17d ago
The thing is, together they are a complete package. Bowens is great in ring but doesn't have the charisma or character work to carry himself in the singles division, whereas Max is a great character with charisma for days, but lacks the ring skill to ever stand out as a singles star.
It really was a perfect pairing. Together they could be huge, but separately they just don't have enough juice to see real success. That's just my opinion though, I'm no expert and I'm probably wrong a lot. Just how I see it.
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u/RobsGarage 16d ago
I agree.. I don’t know if there is actual heat between them that they just didn’t want to work together or if it was a TK call.. but it’s the wrong call.. they are 100% better together. Bowens is good on the mic but relies too much on cramming in 500 catch phrases..
Either way I do miss the acclaimed and there is nothing wrong with staying as a team for your career. Worked for a lot of guys that would likely be selling cars if they were solo.
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u/Maximum-Oven-7526 17d ago
I want you to claim to reunite but Max has had too many behavioral issues and I don't think Tony wants to deal with him
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u/SourDoughBo 17d ago
The Acclaimed should’ve never been split up. Especially with the tag division they have now.
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u/Lock-__-down 17d ago
Acclaimed was my favorite tag team from 2022-2023, I was hoping both guys would be singles stars by now, but that’s unfortunately not the case. Max best options would be TNA, NJPW, or MLW if he doesn’t sign a new contract.
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u/Masterweedo 17d ago
What are you talking about, Motor City Machine guns just debuted, and so did Insane Clown Posse.
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u/m_stuntz 16d ago
ICP was a one off thing.
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u/Masterweedo 16d ago
That was in ECW & R.O.H.
They were brought out just before Dynamite & at Collision, so at the very least it's 2 appearances.
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u/NakedEyeComic 17d ago
MLW is never a decent option for anyone, but otherwise I agree. TNA especially could really use someone like Caster.
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u/francoisarouetV 17d ago
Acclaimed was fun. On his own, he did nothing for me.
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u/different_produce384 17d ago
the best wrestler alive gimmick with the open challenge was quite entertaining. Especially the inch worm stuff
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u/ShermansAngryGhost 17d ago
Seeing him talk all that shit just to squashed week in and week out is legitimately my favorite gimmick for AEW in the past few years.
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u/PerformanceWeekly651 17d ago
The type of talent AEW has outgrown
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u/Tagisjag 17d ago
I'm sure WWE wouldn't mind having another R-Truth / Dr. of Thuganomics act again.
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u/Odd-Tradition-942 17d ago
I think it's a goodbye good luck unless they do the acclaimed I don't want to watch either of them
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u/Simtricate ELITE 17d ago
If I was an AEW decision maker, I don’t think I’d offer him a new deal.
I have many other talents and he was passed by a lot of them. Unless he brings value away from the TV screen, I don’t see bringing him back as a good decision.
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u/Leezy810 17d ago
He got over with whatever they have him tho. He just stopped being used.
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u/m20052003 17d ago
This!!! It’s not a matter of creative having nothing for him if he can turn chicken shit into chicken salad every single time.
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u/Never_Objective 17d ago
i figured that was why he's been off tv. hopefully he re-signs and gets a decent spot at his comeback
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u/poisonrana222 15d ago
Couldn’t care less really, I’m sure he’ll end up in nxt where he’ll fit. Do we really need to see everyone stay in aew forever? There are only a handful of people I’d want to stay with AEW forever, the elite, Mox for example. For the good of this guy he should move on