CM Punk shares what will determine WWE retirement timeline
Health is the one factor that will determine when it’s time for CM Punk to hang up his boots.
The 47-year-old Punk has not established a retirement timeline. If anything, seeing peers like John Cena and AJ Styles step away from the ring has motivated Punk to keep going. He enters SummerSlam 2026 as Undisputed WWE Champion and will be defending the title against Cody Rhodes. While appearing on the newly launched WWE Radio ahead of the event, Punk said he plans on wrestling until his body tells him to stop.
“I do, but not much,” Punk responded when Busted Open Radio asked if he thinks about his legacy. “It’s a fleeting moment, you know? Just because I know I’m much closer to the end than I am the beginning. 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. To me, it’s honestly — it’s measured in health. It’s how I look and it’s more importantly how I feel. And right now, I’ve never felt better. I’m double-timing my recovery on things, which is something I’ve never been really great at. And the business now allows you to fit all that in. So I’m just going to go until the wheels fall off. We’ll see what happens.”
Getting in better physical shape has been one of Punk’s biggest goals in 2026. He headlined WrestleMania 42 against Roman Reigns and then took some time off before returning and winning the Undisputed WWE Championship from Sami Zayn.
Punk told Busted Open that he’s “very psyched” to face Rhodes at SummerSlam and is proud of the success Rhodes has had. They’ve taken similar paths, Punk thinks, with both leaving WWE and spending time outside the company before returning. Both were with AEW before making their respective WWE returns in 2022 and 2023.
SummerSlam night one main event —
It was confirmed today that Punk vs. Rhodes will headline night one of SummerSlam this Saturday (August 1). The two-night PLE is taking place in Minneapolis at US Bank Stadium, with Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship main eventing on Sunday.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.