Overview: Inside the Ring with Anthony Bowens
MSR sports columnist Charles Hallman sits down with AEW star Anthony Bowens following his ceremonial first pitch at Target Field. Bowens reflects on his transition from collegiate baseball to professional wrestling, the physical realities of the sport, and AEW's groundbreaking representation.
Credit: Charles Hallman/MSR
Anthony Bowens is among All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW ) leading stars. He was on the five-match card on the July 10 first-ever “Brawl in the Ballpark” after the Twins-Los Angeles Angels game. It also was my first-ever baseball-wrestling doubleheader.
Bowens also is my first-ever pro wrestler interview. We talked at the Twins ballpark after he threw the ceremonial first pitch before the July 9 Twins-Cleveland game, the day before his scheduled match with Hook (Tyler Senerchia) and Action Andretti (Tyler Reber) vs. Komander & Top Flight (brothers Darius and Dante Martin of Minneapolis, and manager Leila Grey, the first Dominican woman to sign with AEW).
AEW is very diverse, says Bowens. He and the Martin brothers are Black.
“I think AEW has one of the most diverse or most elite and diverse rosters in the world,” stressed Bowens. “We have the first Black world heavyweight champion, Swerve Shane Strickland, who won two years ago. He’s won it twice.
“The roster from all types of nationalities from Black to Japanese to Islander. I’m also part of the LGBTQ+ community. The first trans woman to win a women’s title, Sonny Kiss. A melting pot of wrestling styles, and it’s very inclusive. It’s an environment where I’ve never had to worry about anybody.”
From Center Field to the Canvas
The New Jersey-born Bowens first played baseball for 11 years, including two college seasons each at Montclair State and Seton Hall. The 5-foot-10 Bowens was a natural when he threw from the mound: “I was an outfielder. I’ll put myself on the back, one of the best centerfielders in my hometown’s history,” he bragged. He quit college baseball because “a lot of the college experience ruined my love of playing the game. It kind of felt like I was playing more for this coach who wanted a winning record as opposed to me playing.”
“I wanted something to do creatively and athletically. My other passion was pro wrestling,” said Bowens, who ran into a pro wrestler at a gym and asked him whether he ever thought about professional wrestling and went on to train for his new career. He turned pro in 2016.
AEW and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) are competing pro wrestling operations. The latter held its SummerSlam two weekends ago at the Vikings downtown stadium.
“We consider AEW the alternative to WWE,” explained Bowens, who has been with AEW since 2020. “WWE is very much blending as much pop culture and entertainment, and there happens to be some wrestling.”
However, AEW matches are hybrid style, mixing strong style, Lucha libre and technical wrestling. “If you love pro wrestling, and you love the variety of it, if you like technical wrestling,” AEW is for you, urged Bowens.
Confronting the Physical Reality of Pro Wrestling
To the criticism that pro wrestling is mostly fake, Bowens responded, “Yes, it’s entertainment … but at the same time, it’s very hard to do this at a very high level and not be an athlete. You have to be in intense cardiovascular shape. You have to be able to have coordination.
“The physicality is very real. I don’t have an MCL. The right side of my meniscus is torn. I had to clean up my other meniscus. I’ve had multiple diagnosed concussions. Bruised nerves in my lower back. I have chronic neck pain. After a match, I feel like I’m an older gentleman who’s been through it all, and I can’t get out of bed,” Bowens pointed out.
Lastly, is he a good guy or the bad guy when he wrestles?
“I’ve been both,” said Bowens proudly. “There’s been times where I’ve been a bad guy, which I enjoy because I can pretty much do and say whatever I want. And then I’ve been a good guy, one of the biggest good guys in the company, and that’s equally as fun too.
“I’m a guy who brings a lot of energy. I’m also a guy that can bring that very physical, aggressive energy, hop out of the ring, look you in the face, give you a smile, give you a hug and thank you for coming,” concluded Bowens.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses at challman@spokesma-recorder.com.
Copyright © Charles Hallman