CM Punk Addresses Retirement, Cody Rhodes Rips Pat McAfee and New WWE Rumors on NXT Call-Ups

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

Punk Has No Immediate Plans to Retire

Despite being 47 years of age, CM Punk suggested this week that he isn't making any concrete plans for retiring from in-ring action.

During an appearance Tuesday on All The Smoke with former NBA player Matt Barnes (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Punk noted that he doesn't want to plan for a specific end date due to the uncertainty of pro wrestling:

"No, I don't put a timetable on it because I know it could end like that any day," Punk said. … "I don't want to say, like, 'Hey, I'm really pushing for XYZ and that I'm going to make it.'"

Punk added, "I don't know how many of these I have left in me. … It is an honor. To me, I'm going until the wheels fall off."

After departing WWE in January 2014, it was unclear if Punk would ever return to the wrestling business.

He did after more than seven years away when he signed with AEW, but when AEW terminated his contract in 2023, it was fair to wonder if his career was over.

However, Punk reconciled with WWE, returned in his hometown of Chicago in November 2023, and he has been among the top stars in the company ever since.

Last year, Punk competed in his first WrestleMania main event when he faced Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 41, but this time around he is going to close out the entire show.

On Sunday, Punk will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Reigns in the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 42, marking arguably the most highly anticipated match of his career.

Punk is at the top of his game and doing some of the best work of his career in the biggest spots, so it is understandable why retirement isn't on his mind yet.

Cody Bashes McAfee After WWE Championship Heist

WWE champion Cody Rhodes continued his recent string of critical comments against Pat McAfee on Tuesday, following McAfee's theft of the WWE title belt.

During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Rhodes expressed his disgust over seeing McAfee with his belt:

"Yeah. Pat… the most offensive image probably in wrestling history," Rhodes said. "And there's been a few along the way, and this is not a knock on any of these. The Gobbledy Gooker when they did that. David Arquette winning the [WCW] world championship always upset fans."

Cody went on to vent about McAfee holding up the title on SmackDown and during an episode of the Pat McAfee Show, saying, "I think the most offensive image in wrestling history is probably Pat McAfee holding up the WWE Championship while standing next to Randy Orton, the actual guy, yes, that I'm wrestling at WrestleMania. And it's even worse because he's over there in the Thunderdome and it's just sitting there. The richest prize in our game."

Those comments were a precursor to Rhodes taking matters into his own hands Wednesday, as he entered McAfee's Thunderdome, took back the title belt and destroyed part of McAfee's set with a baseball bat:

McAfee shockingly joined forces with Randy Orton a couple of weeks ago on SmackDown by hitting Cody with a low blow and then running him and the company down on the microphone.

The rivalry continued last week with McAfee and Orton both attacking Rhodes and stealing his WWE Championship belt. McAfee showed it off on the Pat McAfee Show this week before Rhodes took it back.

On Saturday, Rhodes and Orton will headline Night 1 of WrestleMania 42 with the WWE Championship hanging in the balance, and McAfee figures to play a role in the result.

Fans haven't yet been receptive to his involvement, but based on McAfee and Rhodes going the extra mile by adding to their rivalry outside the confines of WWE programming, it is clear that they are committed to making it work.

WWE Reportedly Considering Multiple NXT Call-Ups

As WrestleMania 42 approaches, WWE is reportedly considering bringing several top NXT stars to the main roster in the near future.

According to BodySlam.net (h/t Carrier), WWE's decision-makers have "heavily discussed" calling up Jacy Jayne, Ethan Page, Joe Hendry and Sol Ruca.

The revelation doesn't come as much of a surprise since all of the aforementioned Superstars have spent significant time in NXT and established themselves as faces of the brand.

All of them have held championships recently, but they are no longer tied down to NXT by being in possession of those championships.

Jayne and Page lost championship matches on this week's episode of NXT, which was perhaps a precursor to both of them getting elevated to the main roster.

Meanwhile, Hendry lost the NXT Championship in the Fatal 4-Way main event of Stand & Deliver, and he was attacked this week by Keanu Carver, which could prove to be his final rivalry before a call-up.

As for Ruca, she beat former friend Zaria in a match at Stand & Deliver, but they are set for a rematch next week, and if Zaria wins, that could possibly pave the way for a Ruca call-up as well.

It wasn't long ago that WWE called up the likes of Oba Femi, Trick Williams, Je'Von Evans and Jordynne Grace from NXT, and there could be another infusion of talent in the near future, which speaks to NXT's ability to prepare the stars of tomorrow.