Backstage Update On Ace Steel's AEW Status, Whether He's Been On The Road

The recent banishment of Christopher Daniels from the "AEW Collision" locker room has people asking questions about the status of Ace Steel. Steel's expulsion from AEW events due to his actions after AEW All Out last year, despite his role with the company, was cited as the reason for Daniels's similar fate on Saturday nights, as Daniels reportedly played a role in the post-All Out brawl.

Now, Fightful Select reports that Steel recently met with AEW President Tony Khan about returning to wrestling in some capacity. Steel is still employed with AEW but isn't permitted to attend shows due to being an "insurance risk." Steel is reportedly back in AEW, but is not on the road and is allowed to seek work elsewhere; his contract with AEW is up in 2024. The report mentions –but doesn't outright confirm– that Steel may have received back pay for the time he was out following the altercation. Steel's role is reportedly focused primarily on suggestions for creative regarding CM Punk.

Steel is rumored to have bitten Elite member Kenny Omega in a brawl that included Steel, Punk, Omega, Daniels, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and members of AEW's talent relations team, and witnessed by AEW General Counsel Megha Parek. Punk and The Elite were kept off television for a period of time following the incident, with The Elite returning later that year and Punk returning in July of this year on the debut episode of "AEW Collision." Punk was stripped of the AEW World Championship but is now defending his "real" world title.