WrestleMania 28: Why CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho Will Be Match of the Night

For the past year, the build toward WrestleMania XXVIII has been all about the dream match between The Rock and John Cena. While all signs point to that match being a great one, the true gem promises to be the WWE championship match between CM Punk and Chris Jericho.

As soon as Jericho returned to the WWE, the hope of almost every wrestling fan was that Jericho would feud with Punk. Not only are they two of the best promo men the business has seen over the past 15 years or so, but they are both beyond excellent in the ring as well.

The dreams of many fans were realized when Jericho attacked Punk on RAW, thus starting what has been the most entertaining feuds in the lead up toward April 1. Jericho has been gold on the microphone over the past couple weeks as he has brought up the addictions of Punk's father and sister, but where he will truly shine is in the squared circle.

Jericho has had several classic WrestleMania matches over the course of his career and I consider him to be one of the best in-ring workers that I have ever seen. He may be getting up there in years, but based on his performances on RAW, as well as at a recent house, it is quite clear that he can still put on a fantastic show between the ropes.

There isn't any question regarding what Punk brings to the table, as he is in a tight battle with Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan in terms of being the best pure wrestler in the company today. When you pit two talents like Jericho and Punk against each other, it's almost impossible to envision a bad match coming from it.

Punk vs. Jericho obviously won't be the main event and it may not even go on second last with The Undertaker vs. Triple H looming, but there is a long history of matches stealing the show from a lower position on the card. It all started at WrestleMania III when Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Randy "Macho Man" Savage rocked the Silverdome, and it has happened plenty of times since.

Perhaps there isn't as much excitement surround Punk vs. Jericho as there is for Rock vs. Cena or Taker vs. Triple H, but it's a dream come true for wrestling purists. Every aspect of the Punk vs. Jericho feud has been entertaining, but the true magic is going to happen in the ring, and that is why they will steal the show.

With the way things have gone over the past couple weeks, there seems to be a genuine hatred developing between Punk and Jericho. Obviously, that is only happening in a storyline sense as Punk and Jericho don't have any true heat to my knowledge, but feuds and matches are always better when there is the illusion of genuine dislike between the competitors.

When you combine that factor with the notion of two of the most creative and diverse in-ring competitors going at it, Punk vs. Jericho simply can't miss. WrestleMania XXVIII has the potential to be one of the best in recent memory, and Punk vs. Jericho is a huge reason for that.