CM Punk isn’t announcing his retirement, but he knows the clock is running. The former WWE Champion said he can still perform at a high level, though he no longer assumes his career will continue through the end of a contract or for a set number of matches.
Punk addressed his future while looking back at his WrestleMania 29 match against The Undertaker on Games with Names. Seeing himself at 34 years old against a 48-year-old Undertaker made Punk realize he has now reached a similar stage of his own career.
“It’s kind of overwhelming looking at it. I don’t take any day or any time I’m in the ring or in front of a crowd for granted, because I’m at the stage now where I know I don’t know when my last match is going to be. It’s not going to be measured in the length of my contract. It’s not going to be measured in events or anything like that. I just know I’m operating still at a very high level, and I’m going to knock on wood and just go until the wheels fall off.”
Punk said his mindset is completely different from the one he had during his first WWE run. When he faced Undertaker at WrestleMania 29, he was so focused on his next opportunity and his position in the company that he struggled to appreciate what was happening in front of him.
“I look back at that—what was I, 34, wrestling The Undertaker?—and I think I was always worried about tomorrow, and I couldn’t enjoy today. Back then, I was constantly still trying. I was bumping my head on the glass ceiling. More likes. Get more of this. Okay, but what about next year? If you don’t put me in the main event this year, where am I going to go?”
Since returning to WWE, Punk has tried to stop looking so far ahead. He admitted he has no idea whether he has another three years left, which is why he has become more emotional and grateful during his current run.
“Since the day I stepped foot back in WWE, which has already been three years ago—which blows my mind, man, time just moves fast—do I have another three years? I don’t know. I can’t say. I know my approach to everything now, and it’s often why I’m always overwhelmed with emotion and being grateful, to a point where people are probably rolling around, ‘Oh, he’s crying again. This guy.’”
Punk is no longer worried about what next week may bring. His focus is on enjoying the matches, the crowds and even the exhausting travel while the job is still part of his life.
“I’m way more present. I’m way more in the right now. Next week? I don’t care about next week. Next week does not exist to me. Dude, waking up in Fresno, because I only drove halfway after Stockton, and just getting out of bed and going, ‘Yeah, this is awesome. This is the job.’ Because I know, man, someday it ain’t going to be there. It’s not going to be there. So, yeah, I’m really loving the run I’m on right now.”
Punk clearly isn’t ready to walk away yet. He still believes he belongs at the top of WWE, but he also understands his final match could come before he expects it, so he plans to keep going and enjoy the ride until his body tells him it is over.
How much longer do you think CM Punk should continue wrestling, and what match do you still want to see before he retires? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
