At his heart, AEW's Max Caster is an NYC guy.

His father played for the New York Jets, he, much like MJF, is billed from Long Island, New York, and before he came to AEW, Caster learned the ropes – literally – at Create-A-Pro Wrestling, the school owned by Impact's Bryan Meyers and AEW producer Pat Buck.

So naturally, as Caster prepares for one of the most important matches of his career in a tag team bout with his The Acclaimed partner, Anthony Bowens, versus current AEW Tag Team Champions Swerve in our Glory for the belts at Grand Slam in Queens, the 33-year-old made his back to his old stomping grounds to wrestle an exhibition match versus Ace Austin of Impact Wrestling at CAP Wildlife in Mellville. Wrestling on the same night that saw his fellow Shook Crew members Bryce Donovan and Bobby Orlando retain his CAP Championship and win the CAP Television Championship, respectively, Caster took down Austin, himself a former X-Division Champion, while the fans cheered on the hometown hero, and gained a ton of momentum heading into Grand Slam, even if most fans won't even know that he wrestled another match in New York a few nights prior.

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Will Caster be able to pull out the win in their home-ish town? Will Bowens be able to become the first openly gay champion in AEW history? And will Swerve in our Glory's new finisher, an elevated curb stomp, be for not as the team goes the way of Team Taz? Needless to say, Grand Slam is going to be a must-watch affair.

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