Retirement has been a hot topic recently as John Cena will be retiring in December, AJ Styles is set to retire in 2026, and Shinsuke Nakamura also recently hinted that he’s getting closer to the end of his in-ring career. CM Punk has been a welcome addition to the WWE roster since he returned to the company in 2023, but even the Second City Saint knows that he can’t wrestle forever.
CM Punk recently praised AJ Styles in a new vlog which focused on WWE’s tour of Japan, and he also acknowledged that he has more matches behind him than he does ahead of him.
“I love it when the fans chant, you know, thank you, AJ. What he means to me is he’s a guy that started around the same time as I did in a different part of the country, paid his dues, did things his way. He’s very influential and he’s a guy that you never thought would be in WWE, let alone make it in WWE. We kind of have that in common. He exceeded his expectations, just like I did.
“So I’m standing here now, towards the end, the end of my career and John Cena’s hanging it up and AJ Styles says he’s going to retire next year. I don’t know how long I got. I’m going to go until the wheels fall off. I just know that that’s sooner than later.”
“It’s important, I think, for all of us, not just myself, to celebrate all the wrestlers as they retire. There’s a whole new crop of people coming up to take our spots and I think we’re anxiously awaiting that to happen in some respects.”
CM Punk will have a chance to win championship gold once again as he’s currently set to face Jey Uso for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday Night’s Main event on November 1st.
Stay tuned for updates.
H/T Fightful