Add as a preferred source on Google CM Punk has watched a lot of guys from his generation call it a career lately. He’s not planning on joining them anytime soon.
Appearing on the latest episode of What’s Your Story? With Steph McMahon, the current Undisputed WWE Champion addressed the nonstop questions about when he might retire, and he pointed to Sami Zayn as someone who’s dealt with the same kind of obstacles throughout his career.
“We watched [John] Cena retire. We watched AJ Styles retire. And I feel like sometimes, everybody’s now looking at me like, ‘Oh, when are you gonna retire?’
But guys like me and Sami [Zayn], who came up the same way, started on the indies, were told no. We said, ‘Watch this.’ We’re told, ‘You’ll never make it here.’ Made it here. We’re told, ‘Well, you’re never gonna be anything.’ Became something. And then told, ‘You’re never gonna be champion.’ Became champion.
That says a lot. Not just for me, but for him. You’d have to ask him. I’m not putting words in his mouth, but I think he would agree. We’re in a foxhole to some extent. It’s about the guy next to you and it’s about the kids coming up.
I am at the point where I’m watching my contemporaries retire, and it almost keeps me motivated to say, ‘I’m still here.'”
Cena wrestled his final match on December 13, 2025, losing to Gunther by submission. Styles also closed out his in-ring career against the Ring General, at the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2026.
On the July 6 episode of WWE Raw, in Chicago, Punk stepped in for Cody Rhodes, beat Zayn himself, and walked out with the Undisputed WWE Championship — ending the Canadian’s first world title reign after just nine days.
Back in April, Punk had already made clear that retirement wasn’t coming anytime soon.