Gay AEW star Anthony Bowens has praised Heated Rivalry for what he describes as one of the most authentic portrayals yet of what it can feel like to be a closeted professional athlete.
The All Elite Wrestling star spoke about the hit hockey romance while discussing LGBTQ+ representation in sport, saying the series captures the fear and secrecy that can come with hiding part of yourself while competing at an elite level.
“I think it showed a very authentic side of what it’s like being a closeted athlete,” Bowens said.
“Maybe without all the sex scenes.”
He added that what particularly rang true was “the having to hide yourself, the fear”.
For Bowens, who has built a successful wrestling career while living openly as a gay man, those parts of the story clearly hit close to home.
Why Heated Rivalry Resonated With Bowens
Heated Rivalry follows rival professional hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, played by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, as they navigate a secret romantic and sexual relationship while competing at the highest level of their sport.
The first season became a major queer television hit after launching in 2025, sparking wider conversations about closeted athletes, masculinity and LGBTQ+ visibility in professional sport.
Bowens said some of the show’s emotional beats felt particularly believable.
“There are moments of the show where I’m just like, this clocks!” he said.
“I think it’s probably the most authentic show that’s been out in terms of what it’s like being a closeted athlete.”
That authenticity matters because elite men’s sport remains an environment where openly gay athletes are still relatively uncommon.
While many sports organisations have publicly embraced LGBTQ+ inclusion, individual athletes can still face concerns about teammates, fans, sponsors and media attention when deciding whether to come out.
Heated Rivalry places those pressures at the centre of its love story.
Fans Can Embrace Athletes Who Live Openly
Bowens also pushed back against the idea that sports fans automatically reject LGBTQ+ athletes.
“I think now, fans embrace a lot of people,” he said.
“There’s going to be some opposition, there’s always going to be that niche group of people that hate it.”
But, he added, most fans respond positively to athletes who are able to show up authentically.
“Fans embrace people who are themselves, being themselves and who can just express themselves freely and do the sport that they love.”
Bowens’ own career offers evidence of that.
Since signing with AEW in 2020, he has become one of professional wrestling’s most visible openly gay performers and has repeatedly spoken about the support he receives from fans.
“The AEW fanbase, people in general have been incredible with me,” he said.
Bowens’ Own Coming-Out Journey
Bowens’ path to living openly was gradual.
He first publicly identified as bisexual in 2017 before explaining in 2019 that, as his understanding of his sexuality evolved, gay was the label that felt most accurate.
That personal experience gives his reaction to Heated Rivalry added weight.
For LGBTQ+ athletes, coming out is rarely a single universal experience.
Some people know exactly how they identify from an early age. Others take time to understand the language that feels right for them.
And for athletes operating in traditionally masculine sporting environments, there can also be pressure to weigh personal authenticity against potential professional consequences.
Bowens has increasingly used his own visibility to show that being openly gay and succeeding in professional wrestling are not incompatible.
‘You Can’t Live Your Life Based Upon Miserable People’
Bowens acknowledged that living openly still means dealing with some hostility.
“There’s always going to be a select group of folks that are just always going to be hateful, which is a shame,” he said.
“So you have to prepare yourself for that mentally going into these things.”
But his advice is not to let those people dictate how you live.
“You can’t live your life based upon miserable people who hate themselves and project it onto other people,” he said.
“You just cannot do that.”
For Bowens, the support outweighs the negativity.
“There’s always going to be support for you, and I’m grateful for the support that AEW fans have given.”
One Important Heated Rivalry Warning
Bowens did have one piece of advice for anyone who has not yet watched Heated Rivalry.
Perhaps do not start it on a plane.
“Do not watch it on an airplane, because the flight attendant might think you’re watching something very…” he joked.
“That was horrifying.”
Given the show’s famously steamy scenes, this might be the most practical review of the series yet.
Season Two Is Now In Production
Fans will not have to say goodbye to Shane and Ilya anytime soon.
Production on season two of Heated Rivalry has officially begun, with Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie returning as the central couple.
The new season is expected to continue their relationship while drawing from The Long Game, the later novel in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series.
Several new cast members are also joining the series, including Justice Smith, Charlie Gillespie, Emily Hampshire and Canada’s Drag Race winner Priyanka.
The next season is expected to arrive in 2027.
For Bowens, whatever comes next will have a difficult standard to meet.
As far as portraying the fear, secrecy and eventual freedom experienced by closeted athletes goes, he believes Heated Rivalry has already got a great deal right.
And for queer sports fans who rarely see those experiences given centre stage, that authenticity is part of why the series has connected so strongly.
