Backstage Talk On Suspended AEW Talent And Ace Steel's Release

The first domino has fallen in the investigation into the post-All Out incident involving Ace Steel, CM Punk, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks, with Steel reportedly being released from AEW earlier this week. And following "AEW Dynamite" last evening and a new report on the situation, it's possible more movement towards a resolution may be on the way.

Despite not receiving any official word from AEW, Fightful Select reported Wednesday afternoon that their sources had confirmed Steel's departure, which was originally reported Wednesday morning by Dave Meltzer. According to these sources, the backstage consensus seems to be that Steel would have been fired even sooner if not for pending legal ramifications. Multiple talents in AEW, including one close to Steel, saw the incident as the writing on the wall for him, especially after Steel's bitemarks on Kenny Omega remained visible when Omega was seen in Japan soon after. One source told Fightful that "bringing [Steel] back into the locker room with or without [longtime friend and protege] CM Punk would have caused a ton of frustration," while another simply said, "Biting people bad."

Meanwhile, yesterday's "Dynamite" featured the Elite being mentioned on commentary, the Young Bucks in "AEW Rampage" promotional material, and Punk in a montage of former ROH World Champions. Fightful confirmed there had been movement, and even optimism, regarding the returns of the involved parties, and that Punk, Omega, and the Bucks had been in contact with AEW more than they had in the last month. This suggests a change from a week ago, when it was reported that Punk, Omega, and the Bucks had heard little, if anything, from AEW since being sent home. Fightful was quick to note that their information regarding the return of these four "was left vague," and context was missing regarding any recent communication.