CM Punk Says New WWE Environment Made Acting Career Possible Without Missing TV

CM Punk is proving that you really can do both — and he credits WWE’s new creative leadership for making it happen.

While promoting his latest horror film Night Patrol on Notsam Wrestling, the reigning World Heavyweight Champion opened up about how different WWE’s culture is in 2026 compared to his first run. Punk made it clear that under Paul Levesque and WWE President Nick Khan, the company is far more open to allowing top talent to pursue outside opportunities — something that wasn’t the case a decade ago.

“I think the industry’s changed enough to where I’m able to do the opportunities that are offered to me, whereas before I couldn’t,” Punk said. “I got offered ‘Night Patrol,’ and it’s just like — brought it to Nick Khan. And he went, ‘Yeah, great. Good. Super duper.’”

Punk’s acting résumé has grown quickly. He landed a voice role in Zootopia 2, appeared in the series Revival, and now headlines Night Patrol — all while maintaining a full-time WWE schedule. Despite the added workload, he’s made it a point to stay present on weekly programming.

“I go out of my way to make sure I don’t miss TVs for WWE and I don’t miss dates, because I think it’s important to do that,” he said. “I’m showing everybody that there’s a path that you can do both.”

His balance of Hollywood and wrestling was on full display when he retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Bron Breakker on the January 5, 2026 edition of Raw from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn — WWE’s one-year Netflix anniversary show.

CM Punk isn’t stepping away from the ring any time soon. Instead, he’s expanding his reach while keeping his boots laced — and doing it with WWE’s full support.

Is this the blueprint for modern champions going forward? And should more WWE stars explore outside projects now that the system allows it? Drop your thoughts below.