For the first time since they formed in late 2020, The Acclaimed teamed together on pay-per-view. Max Caster and Anthony Bowens challenged Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Tag Team Titles at AEW All Out in a 22-minute clinic that many dubbed as match of the night. Despite coming up short, AEW President Tony Khan was so impressed with The Acclaimed’s performance that he suggested the duo run it back with the champions later this month.
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“I personally think, with Grand Slam coming up, I can’t imagine a better match for New York than, hypothetically, a rematch between Keith and Swerve vs. The Acclaimed,” Khan said (h/tย Fightful). He added, “I’m just saying, I think it would be a great match and if people are asking me, I think it would be the best thing we could do at Grand Slam. I need to take some time to think about it, but it would be a great match for Grand Slam and be great for the fans of New York. Tonight was a great milestone, one of the best matches we’ve had.”
Lee was not amused by the suggested rematch, as he pointed to a lack of consistency when it comes to talent booking.
“It’s interesting that in our losses, we had to go down the ladder, but you want to do this rematch,” Lee said. “I’m not going to speak to that. I will admit, I enjoyed the battle, they brought it, they stepped up. However, if they want to bring it properly, I would advise putting away the stereotypes, the silly raps, the jokes.”
Strickland chimed in as well, alluding to a stiffer contest if a rematch were to go down.
“You pay the bills, do what you have to do,” Strickland added. “Don’t be surprised if somebody gets hurt.”
AEW: Grand Slam goes down later this month at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York. This is the second iteration of the supersized television event, as last year’s event drew over 20,000 fans. That show was headlined by Kenny Omega taking on Bryan Danielson in singles action, while other marquee matchups included Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho, Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black, and CM Punk vs. Powerhouse Hobbs.ย
If this All Out rematch does go down at Grand Slam, it could be one of multiple major bouts on the card. MJF has an imminent title shot against AEW World Champion CM Punk, and signs are pointing to Arthur Ashe Stadium hosting that title match.
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on AEW: Grand Slam.
