Backstage News On Whether Ricky Steamboat Will Be On AEW Collision, Wrestle At All Out

AEW is in scramble mode heading into a massive two nights at the United Center, with the uncertainty regarding hometown hero CM Punk casting a black cloud over the company's return to Chicago, Illinois. Punk is suspended after a heated backstage incident with Jack Perry last Sunday at Wembley Stadium, potentially sidelining him for both Saturday's "Collision" and AEW All Out in "The Windy City." 

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Punk's absence would leave Ricky Starks without a dance partner for All Out, which has prompted AEW to bring back Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat for an angle with the "Absolute" star. According to a report from PWInsider, the WWE Hall of Famer is slated to appear as advertised on "Collision" to confront Starks, but at this stage, there are no plans for the 70-year-old to compete in a strap match against Starks the following night.

Steamboat appeared recently as a special guest referee for a match between Punk and Starks on "Collision", which saw the latter whip him with a belt after the match and mock the legend in recent weeks, despite being "suspended" by AEW for his on-screen assault.

Instead of placing Steamboat in a major pay-per-view match on short notice, AEW is expected to use his appearance on Saturday to set up a match with a full-time talent for All Out. Whether that match comes against Punk – who has not been definitively ruled out by AEW boss Tony Khan – or another competitor remains to be seen, but it will put Starks in a featured spot after missing out on the opportunity to wrestle in front of 81,000 paying fans at All In.

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