AEW Star Anthony Bowens Discusses The Beginnings Of His Wrestling Career

As one half of The Acclaimed, Anthony Bowens is a former AEW World Tag Team Champion – something that Bowens is proud of accomplishing after years of hard work in the industry. During a recent conversation with Compas On The Beat, Bowens described the trajectory of his career, leading up to his big break with AEW.

"Way back in 2012, I had stopped playing college baseball and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life," Bowens said. "I was like, 'Maybe pro wrestling,' because I fell in love with it again around then, but I just didn't know where to go, where to start training, how to get that process going."

The next time WWE rolled into Bowens' town, members of the roster were working out at the gym the student attended. Bowens asked for pictures with various wrestlers, including former WWE star Santino Marella.

"As I walked away, [Marella] stopped me and he said, 'Hey, you look like a pro wrestler. Have you ever thought about becoming one?'" Bowens continued. "He gave me the number [of] Pat Buck, who is trainer/owner at Create-A-Pro Wrestling Academy."

Bowens said that he began training under Buck the following week. 12 years later, the two have been reunited as Buck is now a producer at AEW, having trained several stars within the company. In addition to Bowens, former AEW World Champion MJF, former TBS Champion Kris Statlander, and Bowens' tag team partner Max Caster all graduated from Create-A-Pro.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Compas On The Beat with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.