Controversial ex-AEW name spotted backstage in WWE; he's close friends with CM Punk - Reports

A former AEW personality known for his close friendship with CM Punk is reportedly backstage in WWE. The individual in question, Ace Steel, is currently employed by TNA as a producer.

The Chicago-native began his pro-wrestling journey way back in the 1990s, and has made appearances in numerous promotions over the years, including Ring of Honor, IWA Mid-South, Pro-Wrestling NOAH and even WWE on a few occasions. He also served as a coach in the Stamford-based company for a couple of years, starting in 2019, before his second release from the sports entertainment juggernaut in 2022.

Later that year, it was revealed by AEW head honcho Tony Khan that Steel was serving in a backstage role in All Elite Wrestling. He was notably featured on the August 31, 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite, where he motivated CM Punk to accept Jon Moxley's open contract for a World Title opportunity at All Out. However, more controversially, Steel was involved in the infamous backstage brawl that took place after the pay-per-view between The Best in the World and The Elite owing to Punk's incendiary press-scrum comments.

Ace was released by the Tony Khan-led company following an investigation into the "Brawl Out" incident. Although he was reportedly rehired by AEW a few months later, and worked remotely on the creative team for Collision, he was let go once again in around September, 2023. Last year in February, Steel signed on with TNA to work as a producer. Now, PWInsider has reported that the 52-year-old is at WWE's Performance Center in Orlando this week along with Jazz, serving as a guest coach.

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Jazz and Ace Steel are at the WWE Performance Center this week as Guest Coaches. ​Steel, who is a Producer for TNA, and Jazz have each been at the PC several times earlier this year in a similar capacity.​- PWInsider

The report also claims that Steel had been at the PC several times earlier in 2025.

What Former AEW champion CM Punk is up to in WWE

CM Punk was featured on the October 6 edition of Monday Night RAW earlier this week in Dallas, Texas. The Straight-Edge Superstar discussed successfully teaming with his wife AJ Lee in her comeback bout against Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins in a mixed tag match at WWE Wrestlepalooza. He then vowed to reclaim his World Heavyweight Championship from The Visionary, prompting LA Knight and later Jey Uso to arrive to stake their respective claims on the title. A physical confrontation was eventually triggered by the ensuing war of words, ending with Jey and Jimmy Uso laying out both The Megastar and Punk.

Later, in the main event of WWE RAW, the former AEW World Champion teamed with Knight to battle The Usos. The bout ended with Knight pinning "Main Event" Jey after the latter had been knocked out by Punk's GTS.