CM Punk's wrestling career began in 1997, and while he took a lengthy break after leaving WWE in 2014, he's back now and arguably as good as he's ever been.
As WWE World Heavyweight Champion, he's living up to his "Best in the World" moniker, but as John Cena's recent retirement proves, there comes a time when a professional wrestler realises it's time to hang up their boots.
Talking to CinemaBlend, Punk weighed in on how much gas he believes he has left in the tank. "When I was 15, if you asked me if I’d be wrestling when I was 40, I would tell you 'No, that’s crazy. 40 is so old,'" he admitted. "I’m 47, and I don’t feel old yet. Terry Funk wrestled for a long time, Ric Flair wrestled for a long time. I mean, there’s luchadors that are like in their 70s that are still doing it."
"Do I want to be doing that? Probably not," Punk continued. "I would estimate probably the big 50 is when I should maybe gracefully bow out. Knock on wood, if nothing else horrible happens."
Explaining that he's all too aware that an injury can derail a wrestler's career, the Second City Saint pointed to Cena as someone who bowed out from the business in the right way.
"A lot of the times you don’t get a choice. That’s why it was special to watch John retire," Punk shared. "To me, it was a perfect retirement. We’re celebrating a guy who isn’t dead and can still walk. I tell people all the time none of us are getting out alive. He got out at the right time. He showed us a way to exit with dignity and grace, and I don’t know if mine will look that way."
"I don’t know what mine’s going to look like. I do know it’s coming sooner than later. I’m still having fun operating at a high level, no matter what anybody says, and until I can’t contribute, I still will."
Coming off the back of a successful title defence against Bron Breakker during last week's RAW, Punk will next face Finn Balor in Belfast, Ireland, this coming Monday. He clearly plans on being a fighting champion and is bound to be a huge part of WWE's WrestleMania plans.
We recently spoke with Punk about his role in the new horror movie Night Patrol. Check that out in the player below.