AEW star Anthony Bowens is set to compete in the upcoming Going Yard Home Run Derby on October 5, with a long list of professional athletes and celebrities scheduled to join him. Ahead of the lighthearted competition, Bowens traded jabs with controversial former MLB star Jose Canseco on social media platform X, beginning with the wrestler suggesting that Canseco and the other retired baseball players "sit back in their rocking chairs and watch The Scissor King win" the Derby. The post also included a video showing Bowens hitting a home run.
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Canseco soon replied to the AEW star, asking him to clarify what "The Scissor King" meant while stating that it sounded "gross." In response, Bowens quoted Canseco's reply with a video of The Acclaimed performing at Wembley Stadium, along with the claim that the tag team had 80,000 people shouting their catchphrase. Bowens also referred to Canseco as a "b***h" in the post.
"Your [sic] not an athlete, your [sic] an actor," Canseco responded. "You'll be right back in your spandex after October 5th."
Bowens then corrected Canseco on his grammar before insulting his intelligence and referencing the baseball player's past use of steroids. Following the exchange, Bowens has been on the receiving end of homophobic remarks from various social media users, including the use of a slur, which Bowens responded to on X.
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Since joining AEW in 2020, Bowens has been vocal about his decision to come out as a gay man and how that has affected his career. While it can't be pleasant dealing with hateful comments online, Bowens believes that it's important to serve as a role model, especially for young wrestling fans in the LGBTQ community.
