AEW recently introduced Ace Steel to its programming as CM Punk’s longtime friend and coach, but just exactly who is he? Well, let’s find out.
Along with CM Punk, Ace Steel has been making wrestling headlines lately due to his involvement in reported backstage chaos caused by Punk’s post-All Out press conference comments.
After winning the AEW World Championship, Punk went on a rant in which he insulted Scott Colton (Colt Cabana), Adam Hangman Page, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, which allegedly led to physical confrontations.
When not setting the wrestling world on fire, Ace Steel is a backstage producer for AEW. Steel joined Tony Khan’s promotion in February 2022 after being released from WWE as a Performance Center coach.
Steel, aka Chris Guy, is a veteran of the wrestling business with a career as a wrestler, trainer and backstage producer spanning decades. He started his journey in 1991 on the Midwest indie scene breaking in through Windy City Pro Wrestling before working in IWA Mid-South, NWA, TNA, ROH, Pro Wrestling Noah and WWE.
During his time on the indies, he wrestled a who’s who of wrestling talent. He crossed paths with the likes of AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Raven, Go Shiozaki, KENTA, and the legendary Mitsuharu Misawa.
In 1998 he opened his wrestling school, Steel Dominion, alongside his coaches, Danny Dominion and Kevin Quinn. This is where he met, coached and mentored Colt Cabana and future megastar CM Punk.
Steel signed for TNA in 2002 and form a short-lived team with Punk called Hatebreed. Neither lasted long in the promotion and they headed for pastures new in Ring of Honor where they reunited with Cabana to form the Second City Saints.
After his stint in ROH, Steel was signed to a WWE developmental contract in 2007. He made a handful of appearances on WWE television most notably as Donald Trump in a match against Kiley McLean, who was dressed as Rosie O’Donnell.
He was then shipped off to Deep South Wrestling before heading to Ohio Valley Wrestling. A solitary main roster match against Chuck Palumbo on SmackDown followed before his release that same year.
He returned to the Midwest independent scene and would work as a trainer as well as a performer for the legendary Harley Race’s World Wrestling League (WWL) for the remainder of his career.
Ace Steel will be better known for training CM Punk and Colt Cabana than for his own in-ring career, which is not a bad legacy to leave behind.