On the July 22 episode of AEW Collision, The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn were unsuccessful in capturing the World Trios Titles from House of Black.
After Gunn took the pin from Malakai Black and Black whispered something in Billy Gunn’s ear, Gunn unlaced his boots, took them off and left them in the center of the ring. He then walked off leaving The Acclaimed.
During the August 5 episode of AEW Collision in a sit down interview with Tony Schiavone, The Acclaimed said they spoke with Gunn and that he remains firm in his decision to retire. Max Caster and Anthony Bowens also said Gunn believes he has lost his step and blames himself for the losses in the AEW World Trios Title Matches.
The Acclaimed went on to say that they disagreed with Gunn on him losing his step. Caster and Bowens said they want to continue to respect the legacy of Gunn by carrying his boots around. They closed by saying that Gunn helped them find themselves in AEW and brought them to new heights as a team in the company.