CM Punk Dares WWE’s Next Generation to Step Up and Take His Spot

CM Punk has never been one to hold back, and even at 46, he’s not shying away from a challenge—he’s throwing one down.

The Best in the World made his shocking WWE return at Survivor Series 2023 and has since been in the thick of things, battling top stars like Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre while also mixing it up with younger talent like Dominik Mysterio. But now, Punk is looking for someone to step up and truly take his place.

Speaking with Jackie Redmond, Punk opened up about his approach to mentoring in WWE, making it clear that he’s not here to hoard the spotlight—he wants someone hungry enough to take it from him.

“The air I operate in is pretty rare. Obviously, the guys I’m competing against, they’re not asking me for advice. They don’t care what I think, but there are other people who maybe do,” Punk explained. “There are other people who maybe ask because they think politically that’s the smart thing to do. My time, I used here pretty openly. I’m here to help people. The selfish aspect of it is that I could talk to a 20-year-old track and field athlete from NXT and I’m looking for something I can learn. It’s a two-way street.”

Punk admitted that the business is cutthroat, and he refuses to follow the old-school mentality of keeping young talent down just to stay on top. Instead, he’s daring someone to rise up and prove they belong.

“I don’t like talking about myself because I wind up saying these wildly, what I feel, are egotistical things like I’m tired of pretending that half the locker room didn’t buy a pair of boots because they saw CM Punk wrestle,” he said. “I also think it’s a very powerful responsibility to not be treated the way some veterans who I looked up to maybe treated me. It’s like learned behavior. Oh, I was treated this way and now I’m going to treat the next generation this way. I do the exact opposite and I try to kill that in its tracks. They treated me that way because they were maybe scared I was coming up and I was going to take their spot.”

Punk wants someone with the drive to force him out of the game. “I want somebody to be that hungry. I want somebody to take my spot. Old lions don’t die of old age. They die from the young lions. Eventually, that’s the way I think the book of CM Punk and the final chapter gets written. I just haven’t seen anybody that man enough to do it yet.”

CM Punk has never been one to sugarcoat things, and this time, he’s laying down the ultimate challenge—if someone wants his spot, they’re going to have to take it. With a roster full of hungry talent looking to make a name for themselves, will anyone step up and force Punk to write his final chapter? Or will The Best in the World continue proving why he still runs the show? One thing’s for sure—when Punk talks, people listen. Now it’s up to WWE’s next generation to either answer the call or get left in the dust.