Posted in: AEW, Sports, TV | Tagged: Ace Steel, aew, wrestling

Ace Steel Reportedly Released by AEW Following "Brawl Out" Incident

Published Wed, 19 Oct 2022 09:07:11 -0500

Ace Steel is no longer All Elite, or any elite, for that matter. The backstage producer and friend of CM Punk has been released from AEW, according to a report from Dave Meltzer. Steel, unknown to most mainstream wrestling fans before August, played a major role in the angle leading up to CM Punk winning the AEW Championship for the second time at All Out in September. Ace established himself as a friend of Punk by cutting a motivational promo that got Punk to challenge Moxley for the title after losing a unification match the week before. But it was in the aftermath of Punk's victory at All Out that Steel would truly prove he was Punk's "ride or die."

CM Punk feasts during the AEW All Out media scrum while trashing Hangman Adam Page

As everyone is aware of by now, rather than bask in the glory of a successful comeback and title victory, having apparently achieved all he'd ever wanted in wrestling, CM Punk used the post-PPV press conference at All Out to go on an epic 30-minute rant unleashing his grievances against former friend Colt Cabana, former AEW Champion Hangman Adam Page, and AEW EVPs The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Punk believed the latter had spread rumors to the dirt sheets that Punk tried to get Cabana fired from AEW, and took particular issue with a veiled reference Page made on TV to Punk back in June that nobody but Punk still remembered. Still, nobody in wrestling holds a grudge like CM Punk, and as the bloodied champion rammed chocolate muffins and lime seltzers down his face, he maligned his co-workers as incompetent and immature, all the while also belittling AEW owner Tony Khan, who sat next to Punk throughout the rant nodding sheepishly.

After Punk left the press conference, he returned to his dressing room with Steel, where he was reportedly confronted by The Elite (minus Page, who had already left the building). A fight broke out, and during that fight, Ace Steel is reported to have bitten Kenny Omega in the arm and thrown a chair at the Young Bucks. In the aftermath, everyone involved, including bystanders, were suspended. The next week on Dynamite, Punk was stripped of his title, as were Omega and the Young Bucks, who had won the AEW Trios Championships at All Out. Since then, AEW has remained silent on the status of the four men, as the matter is believed to be under investigation with possible legal implications, and Tony Khan has been criticized for reusing to give even the simplest update to fans on the status of some of the company's top stars.

Now, according to Meltzer, Ace Steel has been released, which if true would be the first public action since the title stripping. Hopefully, Steel is able to remain friends with Punk through all of this and does not share a bank account with his mother. Meanwhile, AEW fans are wondering when the Young Bucks will return while grappling with the idea that the long-awaited return of CM Punk to wrestling after seven years away from the business turned out to be a "monkey paw" wish. On the bright side, after the last few months, there can't possibly be any fingers left on the pay, so hopefully, we'll learn more about the status of Punk, Omega, and The Bucks soon, and this is the start of some better luck for the upstart wrestling company.

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