CM Punk Addresses Potential WWE Retirement, Talks With John Cena & AJ Styles

With John Cena and AJ Styles bringing an end to their WWE in-ring careers recently, CM Punk has shared an insight into his own mindset surrounding retirement.

John Cena completed his retirement tour in December of last year, with AJ Styles going on to compete in his last match at this past Saturday’s Royal Rumble 2026 PLE, losing to GUNTHER.

With CM Punk having previously made it clear that he’s “not going anywhere anytime soon“, the WWE star has now provided an update about his own retirement.

During a new interview with GQ, Punk shared an insight into the conversations he’d had with Cena and Styles while exploring their respective careers and what factors play into retirement, saying:

“I think it’s just the amount of stories that are left to tell. Talking to John, talking to AJ Styles, these are guys that are my contemporaries. We all started around the same time—late ’90s, early 2000s. We’ve all reached the pinnacle of our careers.

“We’ve all reached pinnacles of our business throughout our careers, in different organizations and everything. So it’s interesting to get their take on things. And John saying that he slowed down and felt like he couldn’t be that John Cena anymore? I completely disagree. I watch everything he does, I watch everything AJ does. I don’t think those guys are slowing down at all.”

Punk would go on to look back at Cena’s final match against GUNTHER, commenting on the role of a storyteller and how age plays a factor, stating:

“Even though society will put term limits on whatever you are or whatever you do based on their own feelings, I don’t feel old.

“Maybe there’s some gray in my beard, but I think it’s more impressive that I’m able to operate at this level, at this age, at this late stage in my career than it is a hindrance.

“And I just think that it gives me an edge and it helps me tell stories in a more sophisticated way. Am I 20? No, I’m not. Can I do the things that I could do when I was 20? No. But I can also do things at 47 that I could never do even if I was 45.

“There’s just so many different things that you can do and explore now. Everybody loves Wolverine, and what’s recently been the more impressive Wolverine story is Old Man Logan.”

Asked about big goals left in his WWE career, Punk would reveal he wants to main event Night 2 of WrestleMania, although he doesn’t “differentiate between the two nights”.

With the interview taking place before Roman Reigns won the men’s Royal Rumble match, Punk may get that opportunity at WrestleMania 42 in April.