CM Punk has heard the retirement talk, and he decided to kill it himself. Despite being 48 years old, Punk says anyone waiting for him to wrap things up might be waiting a very long time.
Following WWE’s NXT live event in Detroit on November 14, Punk addressed speculation that his age means he’s getting close to retirement. Punk usually doesn’t like giving rumors extra attention, but this was one he wanted to shut down immediately.
“There’s a lot of rumors out there that maybe because I’m 48, I’m wrapping shit up. I’m here to tell you guys that I am not. Rumors are always rumors, and I don’t like addressing certain things since it gives them life, but let’s put that to bed right now.”
Punk didn’t stop at simply saying retirement isn’t happening yet. He actually gave fans a pretty wild timeline, declaring that they’re going to be “stuck” with him for at least another five years.
“Y’all are stuck with me for at least five more years, and I will go as hard as I am currently until the wheels fall off.”
If Punk sticks to that timeline, he would still be wrestling at around 53 years old. More importantly, his comments make it pretty clear that he isn’t treating his current WWE run like some farewell lap where every major match could suddenly be his last.
That lines up with what Punk said back in July while speaking with Busted Open Radio ahead of SummerSlam. Even then, Punk acknowledged that he was much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but refused to attach retirement to a contract or a specific number of matches.
“Where that end is, nobody knows. I don’t even know. It’s not measured in the length of a contract. It’s not measured in matches.”
Instead, Punk said his health would ultimately make the decision. As long as his body continues cooperating and he can perform at the level he expects from himself, he sees no reason to call it quits.
“To me, honestly, it’s measured in health. It’s how I look, and more importantly, how I feel. Right now, I’ve never felt better.”
Punk also said at the time that he had become much more serious about recovery and planned to continue wrestling until his body finally told him otherwise.
“I’m just going to go until the wheels fall off. We’ll see what happens.”
Four months later, that “wheels fall off” line hasn’t changed — but now Punk has thrown five more years into the conversation. Whether that number ends up being literal or Punk just wanted to make his point as loudly as possible, he certainly isn’t talking like someone preparing to say goodbye.
Do you think CM Punk will really keep wrestling for at least another five years? Let us know what you think in the comments.
