CM Punk did indeed start the physicality between himself and Jack Perry at AEW All In, footage aired during the April 10, episode of AEW Dynamite has proved.
During the broadcast, the Young Bucks appeared and discussed their upcoming AEW Dynasty showdown with FTR. The AEW EVPs then showed the much-anticipated backstage footage from last August's event in London's Wembley Stadium.
The footage shows Punk speaking with Perry, presumably after the latter's "Real glass" line during his pre-show match with Hook. Punk proceeds to shove Perry twice and get a choke on Jack before Samoa Joe and others intervene. The two are then kept in opposite corners of the room.
It's unclear if the release of this footage will change anything in the grand scheme of things. After all, during Punk's interview on the MMA Hour, he said that he didn't punch anybody but "choked him a little bit" as the footage shown on AEW Dynamite proves.
In fact, some fans who attended Dynamite chanted for Punk after seeing him attack Jack Perry. There was also a thank you chant near the end of the footage as seen in the video clip from Dynamite below.
These chants did not go unnoticed by Bully Ray, who took to Twitter to respond:
Nevertheless, the footage certainly isn't a favorable look for Punk, a veteran with decades of wrestling to his name who should have known better at the time.
On Instagram, Punk seemingly responded to the footage being aired on AEW Dynamite. Immediately after the segment, Punk shared an image of President George W. Bush with the message "Mission Accomplished."
WWE NXT Superstar and AEW alum Shawn Spears also seemingly responded to the footage, suggesting that the decision to release the video would backfire for the All-Elite promotion.
Ultimately, Punk is gone from AEW and seems much happier in WWE, but the Best in the World proves to be quite the talking point with his former employer.