Ace Steel Shares Initial Thoughts After AEW All Out Backstage Fight
CM Punk got into a backstage with Ace Steel against some top AEW stars in 2022 and now Steel is sharing what he thought about it.
Perhaps the biggest story in AEW’s nearly five-year history was the September 2022 backstage fight at the AEW All Out pay-view in Chicago.
AEW All Out 2022 was the night when CM Punk became AEW World Champion for the second time. However, Punk’s actions in the ring were overshadowed by what happened after the fight. Punk went on a tirade during a press conference with wrestling media after the show, which upset a lot of people in the company.
When Punk got back to his locker room, his wrestling trainer and good friend Ace Steel, who happened to be a Producer in AEW at the time, was in the locker room with him. There was also Steel’s wife and Punk’s dog Larry in the room. That’s when The Elite’s Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) and Kenny Omega entered the room to confront Punk for his comments.
There was a backstage fight with Punk (who suffered a torn triceps that night) apparently throwing punches with Matt Jackson while Steel threw an object at Nick to give him a black eye and Steel also bit Omega in the arm at one point. Everybody involved got suspended for their actions while Punk was off for nine months rehabbing his injury and Ace Steel was fired for his actions.
What Did Ace Steel Think About The AEW All Out Fight?
Due to signing legal agreements that prevents them from talking about the AEW All Out 2022 incident, most of the people involved haven’t said a word about it publicly. However, Ace Steel recently told Rip Rogers in an interview that his wife Lucy could speak about in the future.
“I worked with a lot of great people, some great, some not so much. Family still exists in this business, there are things none of us can say, and none of us will, you know, I think my wife’s the only one who could probably tell the story since she was there. Maybe someday.”
“You don’t f**k with family. We came out just fine. You might hear something; I’m sure it’s gonna be on f**king Dark Side of the Ring someday; I laughed at the time, going, ‘All this s**t’s gonna be on Dark Side of the Ring someday,’ you know, someone’s going to want to know.”
Dark Side of the Ring is a documentary series on VICE that covers some of the not-so-celebrated stories involving pro wrestling.
A lot has changed since the AEW All Out 2022 fight. Ace Steel was eventually re-hired at CM Punk’s request, but another CM Punk fight in August 2023 led to Punk getting fired and Steel was let go again. Steel works for IMPACT Wrestling/TNA While CM Punk made his triumphant return “home” to WWE at Survivor Series.