After John Cena's Last Match, CM Punk Got Candid About When He Thinks He'll Retire

CM Punk has long claimed he's the "Best In The World," and after watching him for decades in pro wrestling, it's hard to deny his greatness. That said, time comes for us all, and just like John Cena did recently, he's going to have to decide when it's time to say goodbye to the WWE and retire from the profession.

Punk recently said he had no plans to hang it up anytime soon, but if not now, then when? I decided to ask when interviewing him ahead of the release of Night Patrol, in which he plays a vampire cop working the night shift and targeting a local gang. We've seen a lot of wrestlers transition out of wrestling to become full-time actors, so is this a sign that Punk is retiring soon? Here's what he had to say:

CM Punk confirmed he's not trying to have a match in his 70s like the late Terry Funk, and said age 50 is a good goal for when he could end his pro wrestling career.

He also pointed out, however, that injuries can always shorten careers, as wrestling fans know. It's a factor he understands too, as he has had some issues with injuries in recent years, having missed a large chunk of time following the 2024 Royal Rumble.

The wrestler continued and brought up his longtime rival, and occasional ally, John Cena. He talked about how rare it was to witness what fans just saw over the past year, and while not everyone was happy with Cena's final match, he laid out what made it special:

So, until he can't anymore, he'll be "operating at a high level." Speaking of that, CM Punk operates at a high level in Night Patrol, too, showing off some more of his acting chops alongside others like Justin Long, Jermaine Fowler, and Dermot Mulroney. As mentioned, the movie centers on a night patrol gang task force that is secretly vampires, and a neighborhood's attempt to stop them.

Punk told CinemaBlend he relished the opportunity to play a racist cop, noting that it was "pure acting" in the sense that it was so far removed from who he is as a person. As someone who watched the movie and thoroughly enjoyed the action and premise, I think he deserves his flowers for this one, and maybe even a chance to be in a Marvel movie like his "buddy" Seth Rollins. I'd love to see him have a cameo where he meets up with Ben Grimm and makes a reference to "It's clobberin' time."

As for wrestling, I think the work CM Punk is doing right now is some of the best of his career. It's certainly better than what he was up to when he walked out on the WWE years ago. I'd also put it above his work before he was fired from AEW, though he was injured for a large chunk of his tenure there. In any case, when it comes to retirement from pro wrestling, it seems the time is "not" now for "The Best In The World."

Catch CM Punk on Monday Night Raw on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET with a Netflix subscription. The WWE is in the midst of a European tour as it prepares for the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, so keep an eye out for earlier start times for episodes, depending on where they're at.