STAMFORD, Conn. -- A familiar smile came across CM Punk’s face when he recently walked into WWE headquarters in Stamford, Conn., and saw a giant photo of himself on the cover of WWE 2K26 displayed in the oversized lobby.
It’s a grin Punk has flashed time and time again since he returned to WWE in 2023. It's the look of a man soaking in every moment of a second chance he once thought he would never get.
“Everything that I've done since I've come back, I like to say is kind of like extra credit,” Punk told The Sporting Tribune. “It's nothing that I thought would happen. When I left in 2014, I thought I was done. I didn't think about, ‘Oh, maybe I'll go back, and maybe in the future I’ll do this.’ No. So being in the thick of it now, being this busy, being the champ, having all this responsibility and being on the cover and all these great things happening — it's just …”
Punk paused, searching for the right word before shaking his head.
“Man, I’m just fortunate.”
Punk appearing on the cover of WWE 2K26 isn’t simply a byproduct of being the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It’s a full-circle moment for someone in the midst of one of the greatest redemption stories in wrestling history.
He left WWE in 2014 persona non grata before being welcomed back in 2023 with open arms by a company that had evolved almost as much as Punk had over the decade they spent apart.
The last time Punk appeared on the cover of a WWE 2K game was 2013. At the time, it seemed like an honor he might earn many times over. Instead, more than a decade passed before he returned.
He is now only the second wrestler to appear on the cover of WWE 2K twice as a solo star, joining John Cena. Punk called the honor "humbling" and something he didn’t believe was possible just a few years ago.
“I mean, gratitude would be the word,” Punk said. “I never thought this would happen to me again. If I were a baseball player, I never thought I'd be in the batter’s box again. And to still have a fastball, see a fastball coming and be able to hit it out of the park. I’m so grateful.
“I’m firing on all cylinders. I think I’m better than I’ve ever been. And I think saying that at this stage of my career is pretty incredible. I think of guys like Terry Funk or athletes in other sports who defied what society told them was ‘too old’ and still found a way to perform at a super high level. I’m kind of that guy now. It makes me smile.”
Punk isn’t just on the cover of WWE 2K26, which is available Thursday night for early access in North America. The game also pays homage to his career with several “what if” scenarios, including one imagining what might have happened if Punk had never left WWE.
While it’s a question Punk had to consider while working on the game, he says he’s having too much fun living in the moment to regret the years he spent away.
Instead, he’s focused on helping the next generation of WWE superstars, who might have to make similar decisions about their careers.
Since returning, Punk has embraced being what he calls a “player-coach” role, working with young talent in NXT and on the main roster.
“I’m just paying it forward,” Punk said. “I’ve been on both sides of the road, and I’ve had people treat me poorly. A lot of what I do and say is based on that. I don’t want to be that guy. It’s more important to talk about the positive ones. The Harley Races, the Tracy Smothers, the Eddie Guerreros — the people who took their time to help me. I’m just paying it forward. That’s what you’re supposed to do.”
What you’re not supposed to do, at least historically speaking, is have arguably the best run of your Hall of Fame career at 47, when many of your peers are retiring.
Punk will turn 48 later this year, the same age John Cena and AJ Styles were when they announced their retirements.
“I have this newfound appreciation for what LeBron James is doing at 41 or what Tom Brady did at 45,” Punk said. “I think it’s based on the individual, but society is always going to say, ‘Oh, you’re too old.’ Since the first time I put boots on, people told me, ‘You can’t do this. You’re too small. You’re too this or that. You don’t look the part.’
“And they’re still doing it now and I’m still proving them wrong.”
Punk will try to prove them wrong again when he faces Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship next month.
Could it be his last WrestleMania main event? Has he thought about retirement in the middle of this unlikely second act?
“I’ve thought about it because I just watched John Cena retire and I just watched AJ Styles retire,” Punk said. “But there’s no mapped-out plan. I’ve thought about it, but not in depth. Not yet.”