According to a new report, Ace Steel was not in attendance for the first episode of AEW Collision.
Steel is a controversial figure in the company following his involvement in the brawl following CM Punk‘s now-infamous media scrum appearance following All Out back in September.
Punk took aim at several figures in the promotion including Colt Cabana, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks. When The Elite went to confront him backstage, a fight ensued which allegedly saw Steel biting Omega’s arm and throwing a chair at Nick Jackson.
While most of those involved were suspended, Steel was fired for his role in the incident. However, he was later quietly rehired and is reportedly set to be “heavily involved” in the creative direction of Collision alongside Punk.
While Punk made his triumphant return to the promotion on the debut episode of the new Saturday night show, Fightful Select has revealed that Steel did not make an appearance. They went on to say that while he is helping with Punk’s storylines, he is not expected to be at any events in-person in the near future.
CM Punk and FTR victorious in AEW Collision main event
The debut main event for Collision saw Punk team with FTR to take on Samoa Joe, Jay White, and Juice Robinson. The hot Chicago crowd reached a frenzy when Joe and Punk stood face-to-face in the ring for the first time in almost two decades and began laying into each other with heavy strikes.
After a 25-minute war between the six competitors, CMFTR were able to isolate Robinson for punishment, first dropping him with Shatter Machine before Punk hit his first GTS since September for the win.