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." 

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.