Trufenix, that's very disingenuous - Ash was cut content and we know this from not only the sheer amount of data related to him in the game but also this specific message that got updated
View attachment 18220
To say nothing of a certain email that had copyright info regarding Ash from Army of Darkness, or the chainsaw sound at the end of the Shang trailer when the words "two more guests" show up (which is followed by a slight music cue resembling the terminator theme)
That's really not fair to compare it to the same leak bullshit of Aftermath 2 - In fact, I find it strange you mention Bruce getting involved about clearing out this "absurd lie" when he literally said this in his drive in Q&A after being asked point blank about him showing up on mk11 as Ash
(18:33): "The jury is still out because look, the truth is very simple. Characters are kinda owned by companies, including Ash. So, sometimes those companies aren't allowed to loan characters between franchises because other companies go, 'WHOA!' then you have to make a deal if you're gonna... it's like loaning out Humphrey Bogart to another studio. You know? The studio makes a deal... it gets weird sometimes, so it might not happen because of legal crap. "
If anything, given all the previous evidence + this, it's pretty clear Ash was planned for KP1 and then dropped due to legal issues.