CM Punk Dismisses WWE Retirement Plans, ‘Not Anytime Soon, Stop Freaking Out’

Published: Apr 12, 2026 by Jamie Toolan | Last Updated: Apr 12, 2026 by Jamie Toolan

Jamie has been covering the world of wrestling for four years and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor of WrestleTalk.com. During his time working for WrestleTalk.com he has written and published over 4,000 news and feature articles covering events and happenings from WWE, AEW, TNA and a variety of international and independent wrestling promotions.

CM Punk Dismisses WWE Retirement Plans, ‘Not Anytime Soon, Stop Freaking Out’

CM Punk has dismissed the idea that he could be hanging up his boots in WWE anytime soon.

At the age of 47, CM Punk is set to headline his second-straight WrestleMania in one week’s time, as he defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns.

Having now also made the cover of a WWE video game for the second time with WWE 2K26, Punk is enjoying possibly the most successful period of his career, and perhaps unsurprisingly is not thinking about calling it quits..

Speaking with SHAK Wrestling, Punk was asked about the achievement of making the cover of WWE 2K26, over a decade after doing so the first time with WWE 13, with Punk saying it “solidifies the consistency” of his career, which won’t be coming to a close “any time soon.”

Punk said:

“I think (WWE 2K26) Showcase (Mode) with CM Punk, it encompasses my entire career. The beginning, the middle and obviously we’re creeping towards the end. Not any time soon, everybody stop asking me, stop freaking out.

“But to me it just solidifies the consistency I’ve had over my career. As a top talent, as a huge draw, as somebody with great hair.”

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Although CM Punk has no plans to wrap up his career, he’s recently been forced to watch two of his closest contemporaries bow out of WWE in John Cena and AJ Styles.

Both retiring following losses to “The Ring General” GUNTHER, Cena and Styles will however, still be present for WrestleMania 42 weekend, as Cena hosts the two-night event in Las Vegas, and Styles gets inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday, April 17.

CM Punk Dealing With Conflict On WWE Raw & SmackDown Heading Into WrestleMania 42

In a “pipe bomb” promo that has been lauded by fans and former WWE stars alike, CM Punk put Pat McAfee and the TKO higher-ups on blast, referring to the former NFL punter as “Pat MAGAfee” and calling on WWE to lower ticket prices for WrestleMania 42.

This led to a response from McAfee on the Friday, April 10 episode of SmackDown, in which he called out Punk for being a fraud and referenced the World Heavyweight Champion’s apology to Saudi Arabia last year.

While it is Cody Rhodes who’s actually at war with McAfee and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42, the heated nature of Punk and McAfee’s back-and-forth could potentially lead to some kind of storyline between them after “The Showcase of the Immortals.”

Pat McAfee is reportedly planned to compete at WWE Backlash on May 9, with he and Randy Orton set to take on Jelly Roll and Cody Rhodes in tag team action, so it appears as if Pat may be sticking around in this new role, meaning a Punk feud is a possibility for 2026.

For now, however, CM Punk has got Roman Reigns to contend with, and following his absence from last Monday’s WWE Raw, “The OTC” will be back for the go-home episode of WWE’s flagship show in Sacramento, CA.