Anthony Bowens Opens Up About Struggle To Come Out As Gay

Anthony Bowens is one-half of the current AEW World Tag Team Champions, The Acclaimed. In winning those titles at "AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam," Bowens became the first openly-gay AEW wrestler to win a title in the company. Despite enjoying his success at the moment as one of the most popular acts in wrestling today, Bowens was not always as confident about opening up about his sexuality. Appearing on the "Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend" podcast, Bowens discussed why he struggled to come out and the importance of his position in AEW for the LGBTQ+ community.

"It makes me feel proud because, you know, there was a time, I said that in a promo, I didn't think I'd be able to have a moment like that, ever," Bowens said. "I would sit in my room, in my car, and just cry thinking if I came out, you know, my career is over, fans would hate me, wrestlers would hate me, a national TV company wouldn't take a chance on me," he explained. "So, there was all this fear, you know, all this fear and anxiety that I look back on now ... To be able to be somebody that people can watch on television," he added, "hopefully connect to and relate to, to give them that sense of hope that, I made it through, they can make it through."

The fans have certainly embraced Bowens over the last year — after all, everyone loves The Acclaimed. But his signature "Scissor me, Daddy Ass" catchphrase was responsible for making The Acclaimed's shirt sporting the phrase the hottest-selling piece of merch in AEW recently and has helped see the homegrown AEW tag team rise to great heights in a short time. Bowens will be stepping into the ring on "Dynamite" this week, when he and teammate Max Caster defend their AEW World Tag Team Championships against the ROH World Tag Team Champions FTR.