The Acclaimed's fall from grace is proof of AEW's struggles to develop star talent

"Yeah, The Acclaimed is done," Caster said in a backstage interview. "I’m just trying to grow as a person, and Anthony Bowens, Billy Gunn, they’re not ready to grow, but everyone’s at different stages of their lives, and you gotta understand."

While the split has felt inevitable for months and has been part of the creative process within AEW, that doesn't mean the company has done right by these two talents. At their height, The Acclaimed were a core part of "Dynamite" programming. Their fall-off has been rapid, leading them to become cold with the fan base. 

Talents experience hot and cold spells. Audience fatigue is a genuine issue professional wrestlers must navigate. However, the speed of The Acclaimed's decline is proof of AEW's inability to build stars and keep them near the top. There are storylines in WWE that are older than The Acclaimed's original tag title run. 

Tony Khan should have built them up to become leading tag stars; after all, their originality was refreshing. They could have turned heel. They could have split from Gunn. The company had options to keep things fresh.

AEW is too quick to pivot. As a company, it has been criticized for its inability to generate stars. Yet, when it does unearth something that works, it seems hellbent on moving away from it at light speed. Neither Caster nor Bowens projects to have singles success at the same level as their tag team. We should embrace ourselves for some disappointing bookings. 

Khan must do a better job of sustaining hot talents and storylines. Otherwise, AEW will keep losing ground to other promotions. Bowens and Caster could have led the tag division for years to come. Instead, they might be out of the rotation completely within the next 12 months, and that's a shocking turn of events.