Report: CM Punk At Odds With AEW Over Potential Ace Steel Return

Everything appeared to be fine between CM Punk and All Elite Wrestling, with the 44-year-old expected to make his return to the promotion next month on the inaugural episode of AEW Collision on June 17, but the situation looks to have descended into farce.

Reports in the past few hours revealed that as of today, there were still plans for CM Punk in All Elite Wrestling, even after Warner Bros. Discovery stated Punk was not affiliated with AEW's new Saturday night show that was made official earlier on May 17. Punk was originally set to be listed as a Collision headliner in the press release announcing the creation of the show but he was pulled from the final document.

PWInsider have since reported that CM Punk and All Elite Wrestling are at odds with each other over a potential AEW return for Ace Steel. The former AEW producer was expected to make his return to the promotion with CM Punk in June but the word backstage at today's Dynamite taping is that it was decided Steel would not be working backstage at tapings of Collision. 

This has left Punk and AEW on opposite sides and led to Punk being pulled from all promotional material for AEW Collision today. While not confirmed, one person within AEW believes MJF replaced CM Punk in the promotional graphic for Collision. 

Ace Steel had been a producer in AEW but he was reportedly fired by the promotion over his involvement in the backstage fight with CM Punk and The Elite at All Out 2022. Steel allegedly bit Kenny Omega and threw a chair at Nick Jackson. IMPACT Wrestling were interested in bringing in Steel for a tryout, according to PWInsider, but he passed on the invitation. IMPACT believed he did so due to being AEW or WWE-bound.