By Andrew Ravens is a Newsweek reporter. He is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His focus is reporting on wrestling news. He has in-depth knowledge of pro wrestling and has covered the industry extensively. Andrew joined Newsweek in 2025 from WrestlingNews.co and had previously worked at GiveMe Sport. You can get in touch with Andrew by emailing a.ravens@newsweek.com. You can find him on X @andrew_ravens.
Contributing Sports Writer
Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member
🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
CM Punk's journey to the main event of WrestleMania 41 is a culmination of a career spanning nearly three decades. He's worked for all of the major promotions in the world including WWE, AEW, TNA, and ROH.
On April 19th, Punk will finally realize this long-awaited dream that goes back a decade after his departure in 2014. That is to headline a WrestleMania. Now, at 46, Punk is arguably closer to the end of his in-ring career than the beginning.
However, in a conversation with Alistair McGeorge of Metro.co.uk, Punk reveals his approach to his future in professional wrestling. Punk admits he hasn't dedicated much thought to retirement, unlike some performers who plan their exit strategies. His reasoning stems from the wrestling world's inherent unpredictability and the evolution of its demands on performers.
"No, because you never know what's going to happen. If you would ask me when I was 26 if I would be wrestling when I was 46, I would have been like, 'No way.' The business has changed so much, the miles that we put on our bodies for years and years and years, and now we're here, and we're wrestling maybe once a month, we're doing one show a week."
More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation
Punk's perspective highlights a key shift in the professional wrestling landscape. The grueling schedules of previous eras, with frequent house shows and constant travel, are gone. The schedule has never been more relaxed and easier. In Punk's view, this change has potentially extended the longevity of wrestlers' careers by reducing the physical toll on their bodies.
Punk is slated to work a triple-threat match with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 41. WrestleMania 29 (2013) was CM Punk's last WrestleMania appearance before his return to WWE, where he faced The Undertaker in a notable match that was part of The Undertaker's legendary WrestleMania streak.
The previous year, at WrestleMania 28 (2012), Punk defended his WWE Championship against Chris Jericho. For many years, Punk expressed his frustration regarding not being able to get the WrestleMania main event. Now that WWE has expanded the event into two nights, he will get to do so in Las Vegas.
More WWE News:
- WWE Superstar Reveals He Was Asked To Change Physical Appearance
- WWE Has Big Plans for Alexa Bliss: Report
- WWE Hall Of Famer Returns In Backstage Role
For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
\
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
\\
\';uncommonKnowledgeItems[0].insertAdjacentHTML('afterend',uncommonKnowledgeContainerHtml);let uncommonKnowledgeContainerElement=document.getElementsByClassName('uncommon-knowledge');let itemsContainerElement=document.getElementById('uncommon-knowledge-items-container');uncommonKnowledgeContainerElement[0].style.display='block';uncommonKnowledgeItems.forEach((itemUncommon)=>{document.getElementById('uncommon-knowledge-items-container').insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend','
'+itemUncommon.innerHTML+'
');itemUncommon.remove()});jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')}if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
