CM Punk has made clear he has no plans to follow John Cena’s path with a year-long retirement tour. Speaking on the Pardon My Take podcast, Punk said he feels that kind of farewell has already been done, noting that while his career mirrors Cena’s in many ways, he won’t make a public declaration about it.
He referenced a past promo exchange with Cena to emphasize his point. “I think you can’t [do a year-long tour] because he did it,” Punk said. “I said this on the microphone with Cena, one of the segments we did, I said ‘We are on the same path. I’m just not egotistical enough to announce it.’ Honestly, it’s the truth.”
The topic of retirement has been on Punk’s mind since suffering a torn tricep shortly after his WWE return. He admitted the setback made him question his future. “When I came back to WWE and I blew my tricep right away, there was part of me that was like, ‘Oh, is this it? This sucks.’” Punk added that he recovered in six months and believes he is now performing the best work of his career.
He also reflected on the mental and physical toll of wrestling. “Do I want to bust my ass and work impossibly hard and it’s not recognized because all the hard work goes on when people aren’t watching? Am I setting myself up to hurt something else? But we’re all banged up.” (h/t Wrestling Inc)
Cena, 48, is expected to have his final match on December 13 at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington D.C. His farewell tour has been central to WWE programming in 2025, highlighted by a feud with Punk that inverted their 2011 rivalry. The storyline concluded at Night of Champions on June 28, where Cena defeated Punk to retain the WWE Championship.
Punk, who turns 47 next month, continues as an active competitor. Most recently, he teamed with AJ Lee to defeat Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch at Wrestlepalooza. On the same card, Cena was defeated in minutes by Brock Lesnar.