CM Punk is about to hit one of the biggest milestones of his WWE career—but don’t expect him to start talking about retirement.
With SummerSlam marking nearly 20 years since his WWE debut, the Undisputed WWE Champion says he isn’t looking at the anniversary as the beginning of the end. In fact, Punk admitted the people who think he’s winding down are giving him even more motivation to keep proving them wrong.
Speaking with ESPN ahead of his SummerSlam title defense against Cody Rhodes, Punk reflected on reaching the two-decade mark and couldn’t help but smile at the timing.
“Well, as you say that, I do believe August 1st, Saturday, first night of SummerSlam, the show that I’m wrestling on, will be my 20th anniversary of debuting in the WWE.”
Punk knows exactly what comes with that kind of milestone. For a lot of wrestlers, twenty years is when the retirement questions start piling up. He hears them too—he just doesn’t agree with them.
“What keeps me going is the fact that everyone kind of looks at that like, ‘Oh, you’re finishing up. You’re getting ready to say goodbye.'”
Instead of buying into that narrative, Punk said he looks at athletes who’ve refused to let age define them. He pointed to NBA superstar LeBron James and NFL legend Tom Brady as examples of competitors who kept performing at an elite level long after many people expected them to slow down.
“I look to older athletes that have been in that same position, and I’m talking like, you know, LeBron, Tom Brady, people who are extraordinary at what they do when they necessarily shouldn’t be that good.”
Punk admitted there’s another reason those examples resonate with him. He still enjoys proving people wrong.
“That kind of feeds the drive and the ego a little bit. I like proving people wrong.”
It’s a fitting mindset for someone heading into one of the biggest matches of his career. Rather than treating his 20-year anniversary like a farewell tour, Punk is walking into SummerSlam as Undisputed WWE Champion with every intention of showing he still belongs at the very top of the business.
Do you think CM Punk still has several years left at the top of WWE, or is this championship run the final chapter of his career? Let us know in the comments below.
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