WWE Champion CM Punk has addressed the topic of retirement ahead of his highly anticipated SummerSlam clash with Cody Rhodes.
Punk defeated Sami Zayn on July 6 episode Raw Ending the latter’s reign at nine days, to become the new WWE Champion. The 47-year-old will defend her title against Rhodes on the opening night of SummerSlam 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday.
The future Hall of Famer will turn 48 in October. To put it in perspective, fellow WWE icons John Cena and AJ Styles retired at the age of 48 after losing their final matches to Gunther. Naturally, some fans are wondering how much longer CM Punk will last.
during an appearance on wwe radio (h/t F4WOnline.com), CM Punk admitted that he is “closer to the end” than the beginning. He did not give any specific time frame on retirement, noting that it depended on his “health” and how his body felt:
Punk said, “Where’s that end? Nobody knows.” “I don’t even know. It’s not measured in contract length. It’s not measured in matches. For me, it’s honestly – it’s measured in health. It’s how I look and it’s more important how I feel.”
“And right now, I’ve never felt better. I’m doubling my recovery on things, which is a thing I’ve never been really good at. And the business now allows you to fit all that in. So I’m just going to keep going until the wheels come off. We’ll see what happens.”
After more than nine years away from WWE, Punk returned at the Survivor Series 2023 pay-per-view following his departure from AEW. In his second WWE tenure, Punk has won three world titles (one WWE, two World Heavyweight Championships).
CM Punk shows no signs of slowing down
(Photo by Melina Pizano WWE via Getty Images)
Many wrestlers (and we know who they are) show tremendous signs of slowing down as they enter their mid-40s. But despite approaching his 48th birthday, Punk is still at the top of his game in the ring.
Following the retirements of Cena, Styles and Goldberg, WWE has been limited to part-time performers to headline its shows. However, Punk is still going strong, and it’s clear he still has many good matches left in him.
