CM Punk: Watching My Contemporaries Retire Keeps Me Motivated To Say, ‘Well, You Know What, I’m Still Here’
CM Punk remains motivated.
The world of professional wrestling has dealt with plenty of retirements over the past year, with names like John Cena, AJ Styles, and Bill Goldberg all saying goodbye to the squared circle.
CM Punk, who trails Cena and Styles by just two years in age, has been bombarded with questions about his feelings on retirement. Speaking with WWE’s YouTube channel after his recent WWE Championship win, Punk said that he will continue to “pay the price” until the wallet is empty.
“I feel alive. This is why human beings do stupid things. This is why we ride roller coasters, this is why we bungee jump, skydive, do all that kind of stuff. I live for moments like this. I feel alive. I just took some time away after a big loss at WrestleMania and just spent some time with my wife, you know? It’s a beautiful thing to be able to have the currency with the audience, to be able to kind of come right back and pick up where we left off. I don’t believe in luck, I’m not religious, I’m just fortunate. But, it’s also because I pay the price everyday. I will pay that price until the wallet’s empty.”
Continuing on, the ‘Best In The World’ said he feels motivated when he sees his contemporaries decide to hang up the boots.
“Every situation is different and like I said, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme. It’s a testament to a guy like Sami Zayn. Prior to this, the opponent was John Cena. We watched Cena retire, we watched AJ Styles retire. It’s almost like, I feel like everybody’s now looking at me like, ‘Oh, when are you going to retire?’ But guys like me and Sami, who came up the same way and started on the indies and were told no said, ‘Watch this.’ We were told, ‘You’ll never it make it here.’ Made it here. We were told, ‘Well, you’re never going to be anything.’ Became something. Then told, ‘You’re never going to be champion.’ Became champion. That says a lot, not just for me but for him. You’d have to ask him, I’m not putting words in his mouth but I think he would agree that it’s about — we’re in a foxhole to some extent. It’s about the guy next to you and it’s about the kids coming up. I am at the point where I’m watching my contemporaries retire and it almost keeps me motivated to say, ‘Well, you know what, I’m still here.’ I feel like I’m operating on that high level. I feel like I’ve never been better. Why would I step away? People talk about it, but it brings it back to, people like to talk about CM Punk because CM Punk is money and that’s a fact. CM Punk is the champion of the universe now, apparently. That’s a fact.”
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