CM Punk Talks Retirement After Cena, Randy Orton Eyes Return, WWE Rumors on LA Knight

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

CM Punk Dismisses Retirement Notion

With John Cena now officially retired, WWE fans will question which of his contemporaries is next. We can remove CM Punk from that discussion, at least for now.

"When I make allusions to the end of whatever my career is going to look like it's not because I feel like I'm there, it's because I look back at the entirety of my career and there is a lot more road behind me than there is in front of me," he said on the Saturday Night's Main Event post-show (via WrestleTalk).

"Trust me, I am the champion for a reason and I'm here to stay and nobody's going to change that. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

At 47, Punk is only a year younger than Cena. Back in October, The Straight-Edge Superstar also said he's "near the end of my career" and referenced the impending exits of Cena and AJ Styles.

Punk and Cena couldn't be at much different stages in their wrestling careers, though.

Cena ceased being a full-time wrestler years ago. Aside from his farewell tour and the 2021 "Summer of Cena," the 17-time world champion hasn't been a regular weekly presence on WWE programming since early 2018.

Punk, by contrast, holds the World Heavyweight Championship and continues to be a fixture on Raw. He's not slowing down in a way that hints at retirement in the near future.

Orton Teases WWE Return

Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, shared a video Saturday of Randy Orton hyping up the 2026 Royal Rumble in Riyadh.

The Viper closed by saying, "I will see you at the Royal Rumble, or I will see you at SmackDown" on the Friday before. He's included in the promotional poster for the go-home episode of SmackDown.

Orton hasn't stepped inside the ring since the Oct. 3 episode of SmackDown. He teamed with Cody Rhodes in a loss to Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed.

Like Punk, retirement is broadly far from Orton's mind. He told Complex's Raj Prashad in April he re-signed with WWE on a five-year deal.

"I'd love to sign another five-year contract after that," he said. "I know realistically there's gonna be a day when I gotta stop. But it's like, I don't even think about that because I'm having so much f--king fun right now."

Orton may, however, be selective about when he competes considering he'll turn 46 in April. His days as a full-time performer who's hitting the road every day might be behind him.

The Royal Rumble is still one of the biggest shows on WWE's calendar. If he isn't already back by then, it will be an easy way to work Orton back into a storyline and position him for a WrestleMania match.

LA Knight Worked Through Unspecified Illness

LA Knight had a busy night during the last installment of Raw. He interrupted Logan Paul's attack on Rey Mysterio, wrestled Paul in a singles match, and then suffered a brutal beatdown backstage.

Fightful Select (via Felix Upton of Ringside News) reported Knight was also working through an undisclosed illness. Perhaps the assault was a way to give him a week or two off to recuperate.

In the bigger picture, the two-time United States champion remains on an upward trajectory. The WWE creative team is reportedly positioning him to be a top babyface in 2026.