Summary

Anthony Bowens says joining The Opps has given him a clearer direction in AEW after spending the past few months trying to find his place on television.

Bowens officially joined the group on the April 25 edition of AEW Collision after waiting weeks for an answer. Speaking recently with Mike Jones of DC 101, he said he is eager to learn from both Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata as he settles into the faction.

That follow-up comes just days after Bowens was finally accepted into The Opps on Collision, which moved his current story away from tag team success and toward a more defined singles push.

Quote from Anthony Bowens

"Oh yes, it’s a badass crew of people. I’m excited to learn from Shibata, I’m excited to learn from Samoa Joe. HOOK needs to get in line a little bit because it seems like he’s having a little bit of an issue with me over the past couple of weeks. I don’t know why because he’s one of my good friends, but that’s something we’ll figure out as we go. I am very excited for this, I’ve been a little all over the place the last couple of months trying to find my spot on the programming."

Bowens later went on to say:

"Of course because I want to accomplish it all. I want to accomplish it all. I dominated the tag team division, tag team champion and trios champion. I want to be TNT Champion, Intercontinental Champion, World Champion. Joe, like you said, multiple time AEW World Champion. He’s a guy that I’m going to look towards to give me that advice to guide me on that path straight to the top of the singles division, straight to the top of AEW."

What The Opps Means For Anthony Bowens

Bowens attaching himself to Samoa Joe gives AEW an easy way to frame his next chapter as a singles wrestler instead of treating him as someone still searching for direction after his tag team run. That matters because Bowens is openly talking about championships again, and he specifically pointed to Joe as the veteran who can help guide that climb.

The other piece to watch is HOOK. Bowens described tension with him as something the group will have to sort out, which gives The Opps an immediate internal dynamic even as Bowens tries to establish himself deeper in the singles picture.

Sources

Anthony Bowens while speaking with Mike Jones of DC 101