At 46 years old, CM Punk knows his in-ring career will not last forever, but he is open to staying involved in the wrestling business in a variety of different capacities once he hangs up his boots. During a recent interview with Pardon My Take, the WWE star discussed his future, stating that he views himself as a “five-tool player” who could contribute to the industry from behind the scenes. While Punk admitted that retirement is “looming,” he also noted that there are times he feels great and could continue wrestling for another decade.
When asked about his plans after he’s done competing, Punk listed several potential roles he could fill. “Yeah,” he responded. “Going back to sports, I’m like the five-tool player, you know? You can put me on commentary. I could ref — that probably wouldn’t work, I’d probably take some attention away from whoever’s in the ring. I mean, there’s so many behind-the-scenes roles. We call them producers now, but in my day we called them agents. There’s people who put shows together. There’s writers, obviously, now. Creative people. I love all aspects of the business. There’s like a thousand hats that I could wear once I’m crippled and I can’t go anymore”.
For now, however, Punk’s focus is on enjoying the present moment of his current run rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the end of his career. He explained that his mindset has shifted to being more in-the-now. “I am more present. I’m more, like, in the now. Not worried about yesterday, not worried about what the hell we’re doing tomorrow. And I can enjoy it, because I know this ain’t going to last forever,” Punk said. He also added that whenever he does decide to retire, he does not plan to have a long, drawn-out retirement tour in the vein of John Cena’s recent run.
Punk’s immediate focus is on his mixed tag team match at WWE Wrestlepalooza this Saturday. He will team with his wife, AJ Lee, to face the duo of Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch in what will be Lee’s first match since her retirement in 2015.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Pardon My Take with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
