CM Punk has never shied away from blunt honesty, and he offered another sharp reminder of that during a recent appearance on GQ’s Actually Me series. When a fan questioned how much longer he plans to stay in the ring, the multi-time world champion delivered an unfiltered response that left no room for debate.
Looking straight into the camera, Punk fired back: “I’ll f—king retire whenever I want to. There’s work to be done, okay? And you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone, so shut the f—k up.”
The defiance of that message stands in contrast to more measured comments Punk made elsewhere. On the Pardon My Take podcast, the 46-year-old acknowledged that retirement is “looming,” though he emphasized that his focus is on living “in the now” and making the most of his current run.
That work continues tomorrow night at the inaugural Wrestlepalooza premium live event, where Punk is scheduled for one of the card’s most high-profile matches. He will team with his wife, AJ Lee, who returns to in-ring competition for the first time since her 2015 retirement. Together, they will face World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch in a mixed tag team bout that has been central to WWE programming in recent months.
Whether reflecting on the future or pushing back against critics, Punk has made one thing clear: the decision of when to close the book on his career rests entirely in his hands.