CM Punk Explains Why Facing GUNTHER at 46 Is a Win on Its Own

CM Punk’s road to WWE SummerSlam just got a lot more personal. After surviving a brutal gauntlet match on the July 14 episode of RAW, Punk officially punched his ticket to a showdown with World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER at MetLife Stadium. But while fans are hyped for the battle, Punk has his own perspective on what it all really means.

In an interview with ComicBook.com, Punk opened up about what the upcoming SummerSlam title match represents for him at this stage of his career. Rather than focusing purely on the victory, Punk made it clear that just being in the ring with GUNTHER is a win in itself.

“Just getting to lace up my boots and lock up with Gunther at this stage in my career is more important to me than anything. Winning obviously is the goal — it would be the cherry on top — but I’m surrounded every day by such talented people, and I don’t think I have the time to be able to work with all of them, especially at the extent that I want to.”

Punk isn’t trying to cram in dream matches for the sake of it. He’s approaching each potential opponent with intention—and GUNTHER is right at the top of the list.

“So, I’m not trying to do a speedrun and just share a ring with everybody, but Gunther’s on the top of the list of people that I look at as — like, they’re not only the present, they’re definitely the future of the business.”

He also mentioned a few more names that have sparked his creative energy.

“Bron Breakker, Chad Gable, Damian Priest — there’s all these guys that I look at and I’m like, ‘Oh man, I want to get in there with them.’ And I immediately start cooking up ideas.”

Reflecting on his journey and where he stands today, Punk made it clear he’s grateful for still being in the conversation.

“It means a lot. You know, I know wrestling is very subjective. Everybody has their favorites. They have their people that they hate. I’m kind of high on the list of everybody — for either of those. But I just think that means I’m good at my job. And to be 46 years old and still good at this job, I think is pretty commendable. So sometimes I like to give myself some flowers, you know, so to speak.”

Now the stage is set for SummerSlam, where CM Punk looks to add one more massive moment to an already storied career—this time against one of WWE’s most dominant champions.

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