During its 6th anniversary broadcast on October 1, 2025, AEW Dynamite featured a brief appearance by CM Punk within a historical video montage. The footage showcased a moment from a trios match in December 2021, where Punk, wearing face paint styled after the Chicago flag, teamed with Sting and Darby Allin.
The clip, which showed the trio opposing The Pinnacle, was the only direct visual of the former AEW World Champion in the retrospective. His inclusion is notable as Punk currently performs for WWE, where he recently competed in a mixed tag team match at the Wrestlepalooza event alongside AJ Lee against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.
The appearance comes after Punk’s highly publicized and controversial departure from AEW. His contract was terminated with cause in 2023 following a backstage physical altercation with Jack Perry at the All In event at Wembley Stadium.
AEW owner Tony Khan stated he felt physically threatened during the incident, which later prompted the company to air footage of the altercation on its television programming. The decision to release Punk was reportedly based on a unanimous recommendation from the promotion’s legal counsel and a disciplinary committee.
Since his exit, Punk has publicly criticized AEW’s management and what he described as a lack of authority from Tony Khan. While expressing some regret over how events unfolded, he has also voiced anger regarding what he considers misinformation spread after his departure, leaving his relationship with the company fractured.