AEW veteran weighs in on Tony Khan eventually releasing former WWE Superstar
WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross shared his two cents about AEW President Tony Khan releasing Ace Steel.
October 19th (Wednesday) marked the final day of Steel in All Elite Wrestling as he was officially released from his contract, as first reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The backstage producer is infamously known as the man who launched a chair at Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks during the 'Brawl Out (All Out media scrum backstage fight),' which also featured Matt Jackson and CM Punk.
He reportedly took his aggression to the next level when he bit Kenny Omega and grabbed his hair.
On the latest episode of the Grilling JR podcast, Ross claimed that Steel was a valuable asset in AEW even though they worked indirectly.
"He’s a smart guy. He has a lot of product knowledge. Solid hand. I thought he did a nice job. I didn’t work with him directly a lot. I have seen him at TV and he was always friendly and approachable. I’m sorry to hear that because I thought he was a good hand and did a nice job there. Things have a way of working out, you never say never, but I always thought he did a nice job for us," Ross said.
The legendary announcer added that while the former WWE star was close to Punk, he was saddened by the fact that he lost his livelihood.
"He was very loyal to CM Punk, nothing wrong with that, they were buddies. I’m assuming CM Punk is the guy that got Ace Steel his job. I don’t know where all of that is going. I hate to see anybody lose a job, lose a paycheck. While he was there, he seemed to be a viable asset, but again, I didn’t work with him directly. I didn’t have any issues, pro or con, with him. The bottom line is, another guy lost his job. That’s what’s regrettable," he detailed. [H/T WrestleTalk]
“He (Ace Steel) was officially released yesterday, so that is the first bit of news out of that whole situation in weeks.
But yes, he was released and there’s a lot of other stuff going on,”
- Dave Meltzer
(via WOR) https://t.co/mevJPpAbOP
Backstage reports about the locker room's reaction of former WWE Superstar Ace Steel's release from AEW
After learning that Ace Steel's AEW release was official, members of the locker room weren't surprised by the development. They were also asked by veterans Chris Jericho, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley in a talent meeting not to speak about it.
An unnamed talent, who happened to be close to Steel, stated that after Kenny Omega's bite mark became public, it was an indication that the former WWE star might be done with AEW.
Reportedly, Ace Steel is no longer under contract to All Elite Wrestling.
#AEW #AEWDynamite #AceSteel https://t.co/lL4EEhJBo9
After Steel's release, another report emerged that 'potential returns' could possibly be in the books for The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and former WWE Champion CM Punk.
What are your thoughts on WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross' statements about Ace Steel getting released by Tony Khan and AEW? Sound off in the comments section.