WrestleMania 28: 10 Things to Know About Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk

With just under a week before the greatest spectacle in professional wrestling that is WrestleMania, we look forward to a number of hyped-up and very intriguing matches.

Obviously, the headlines are about current Hollywood star and WWE icon The Rock taking on the current ultimate WWE star John Cena.  We also get to see three legends in one ring, as Shawn Michaels referees a Hell in a Cell match pitting Triple H against Undertaker in an "End of an Era"-type match.

Beyond those, however, we have one match that has gotten personal on more than one level. 

Since Chris Jericho first left the WWE, he started to bag on other Superstars for copying his style, stating that they are all just Jericho wannabes.  CM Punk has been one of Jericho's greatest marks, especially after Punk began referring to himself as the best wrestler in the world.

Jericho dug even deeper to get to Punk, bringing up his father's past with alcoholism and his sister's drug abuse problems, both of which have only infuriated Punk even more. 

Both men possess a skill set that is rarely seen in the WWE anymore: pure wrestling ability.  Combined, Punk and Jericho have been in a number of high-quality matches, many of which have been in numerous lists of the greatest of all-time.  That alone makes this match worth watching.

However, Jericho and Punk have a number of other qualities that make the back story to this match even greater.

Here are 10 things that you need to know about this epic WWE Championship match, before it takes place this Sunday. 

Triple Crown Winners

Chris Jericho became the first ever Undisputed WWE Champion in company history by defeating The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night in 2001. 

Jericho became the fourth WWE Triple Crown in history, having won the World Championship six times, the Intercontinental Championship a record nine times and the Tag Team Championship five times.

CM Punk became the 19th Triple Crown winner in WWE history, becoming the fastest to do so, accomplishing the feat in just 203 days.  Punk is a five-time World Champion, a one-time Intercontinental Champion and a one-time Tag Team Champion.  Punk also has an ECW Championship reign to his credit as well, as well as the only two-time Money in the Bank winner, winning back-to-back in 2008 and 2009. 

Together, these two have totaled 30 championships.  That's a lot of accomplishments between two men and one match. 

Similar Backgrounds

Neither of these two had the easiest path to the WWE. 

Jericho trained at the famous Hart Brothers School of Wrestling, while Punk took to the backyard federations of Lunatic Wrestling Federation. 

Both took their time before they were given opportunities in the big shows, often traveling around the world to gain a paying wrestling gig. 

Punk and Jericho are more alike than you might think.  Their humble beginnings are one thing, but so is this.....

They're Both Paul Heyman Guys

During Punk's famous shoot promo in June, he was quoted in saying, "Yeah, that's right.  I'm a Paul Heyman guy." 

Well, so was Chris Jericho. 

Actually, Jericho was a Heyman guy before Punk made it cool to be a Heyman guy.  Jericho was in ECW in 1996 before jumping ship to WCW.  ECW still had guys like Rob Van Dam, Taz and Sabu around during Jericho's time in Philadelphia, giving him the spotlight matches that he needed to be pursued by WCW.

Punk spent time in ECW from 2006 to 2008, 10 years after Jericho had left the company.  During his stint in ECW, however, Punk was technically property of the WWE, as they controlled ECW as well as the talent on its show, meaning that Punk was a WWE Superstar during his time in ECW, and Jericho was not. 

Figuring in that Jericho and Punk were both head hunted by Paul Heyman shows the great eye for talent that he has, and establishes a middle ground of sorts between the two Superstars. 

Opposite Personal Lives

While this may not necessarily play into the match itself, it has come up during the storyline, so it is worthy to note some of the highlights of each man's personal life. 

As we all know, and has been well documented, CM Punk lives the straight edge lifestyle, staying away from alcohol, drugs and other behavior that could be considered detrimental to one's character.  His first gimmick in the WWE was somewhat of a cult leader role, preaching that the straight edge life is the way to live, even recruiting Luke Gallows and Serena as followers. 

The number of romantic relationships Punk has had with divas are no secret.  This list includes Daffney (Shannon Spruill), Traci Brooks (Tracy Brookshed), Maria Kanellis, Lita (Amy Dumas) and Beth Phoenix (Elizabeth Carolen). 

Jericho, on the other hand, has a DUI on his record from the past year, meaning he doesn't do the straight edge lifestyle like Punk does.  Being a rock star who travels on the road with his band Fozzy when he's not doing wrestling, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise. 

Chris also has a lovely wife, Jessica, and three children. 

For what it's worth, they are as opposite in real life as they are alike inside the ring.

Memorable Returns to Action

Chris Jericho has entered the WWE three different times, twice as a return to action and once as a debut.  In each instance, Jericho has been hyped up for his returns with different video packages. 

First, it was a countdown clock that resembled the timing to the Y2K crisis the world was worried about.  Instead of Y2K, though, Jericho came out as Y2J, somewhat mocking the fictional breakdown of the world.

Then, it was a mysterious code that continued to ask the question, "Can you break the code?" Upon this arrival, Jericho introduced a fitting new finishing move, The Code Breaker.

Finally, we have the strange videos of a little boy and girl in an abandoned school, talking about taking back what is rightfully his.  Without a doubt, Jericho has had some of the more interesting returns in WWE history. 

But of all those videos and the hype surrounding them, none could match up to the magnitude of Punk's return, two weeks after walking out with the WWE Championship after his contract expired in July. 

One main reason Punk's return triumphs over any of Jericho's is because there was a strong sense of reality in it.  For months we had heard rumors of Punk's potential departure from the business and he even went so far as to say I am leaving the company and I'm walking out with the WWE Championship.

Then, the famous shoot promo.  Whether it was a shoot or not is irrelevant at this point.  It's what Punk said, how he said it and how it impacted the company at the time that made it so memorable. 

After his famous speech and subsequent brilliant match with John Cena at Money in the Bank in his home town of Chicago, Punk literally walked out of the company as the WWE Champion.  There was speculation that his leaving the business was, in fact, legitimate, and that it would dawn a new era of the WWE. 

Two weeks later, after Cena re-won the WWE title Punk walked out with, Punk returned to new music, new attire and a new attitude, sparking the conclusion of two of the craziest weeks in WWE history. 

Jericho may have the clever video packages to boost his returns, but Punk changed the WWE in just two weeks, no advertisement needed. 

Prior History

Upon further review, it is quite clear that other than some occasional matches against each other, Jericho and Punk have never really crossed paths before this feud began. 

These two have feuded with some of the greatest the company has had to offer, such as Triple H, The Rock, Rey Mysterio, John Cena and the Undertaker—but never have they feuded with each other. 

The reason why that is so significant is because unlike Triple H vs. Undertaker, it has something we haven't seen before, or seen in recent memory, anyway.  It makes for a better buildup knowing that it has been years since they have crossed each others' eye and done battle in the squared circle. 

Based on all accounts of their match history, Jericho and Punk are going to make sweet love with their wrestling abilities on Sunday.

Who Is "She"?

During the recent string of videos that hyped Jericho's latest return to action, there was much speculation as to who "she" is. 

"She", to this point, has merely been a metaphor for the WWE Championship, something Jericho has been trying to regain since his return.  But, calling "she" a metaphor seems too easy.

Had there been no girl in the videos, and only the boy speaking about "her," then, yes, it very well could be a metaphor.  It seems too cut and dry to be plausible, however. 

In the beginning, there was talk of it possibly being Stephanie McMahon, who would team up with Jericho in one huge conspiracy to overthrow Punk and Triple H and have her run the show, sparking an epic feud between the three of them.  While that is still a possibility, it remains to be seen who "she" is or what role she has in the bigger picture of Jericho's latest run.

Until we find out who "she" really is, it will remain one of professional wrestling's great unsolved mysteries.

Men with Golden Tongues

Two men, one microphone: the verbal war to end all verbal wars.

Well, not exactly.  For the most part, Punk and Jericho have been fairly quiet in their feud, with the exception of Jericho bringing to light some of Punk's personal family history. 

Actually, Jericho has been fairly quiet since his return to the WWE all together.  He spent the first month gloating around the ring, toying with the emotions of the fans, making himself the heel in the process. 

Punk has also been decently quiet during this stretch.  Sure he's had his own time on the mic, but for the most part, two of the best talkers in WWE history haven't been given the time to speak their minds like we were hoping. 

With that being said, maybe it's for the better. 

We all know that these two can cause verbal whiplash if they wanted to, but the feud has been held to physical altercations and tag team matches.  While that may not be what we expected it to be, it somehow adds to the suspense of the match if we get a little sample of what they can do in the ring rather than arguing their way through the feud. 

Best in the World

Best wrestler in the world vs. best in the world at what he does.  That sums up why Jericho has targeted Punk and why this match has the makings of an instant classic.

Two men with great self-confidence and even more swagger. Jericho has set out to prove, once again, that he is indeed the best in the world.

Punk is out to prove that he doesn't say he's the best wrestler in the world as a marketing tool. He's out to prove that he is what he says he is. 

Only one man can be the best.  It's not a matter of when will we find out, it's a matter of who will reign supreme. 

Ultimate Prize in the WWE

With all that's been said and all that has transpired to this point, there is one thing that has really gotten lost in all the hoopla of Punk vs. Jericho, Best in the World vs. Best in the World.

The WWE Championship.

Punk is the current WWE Champion, making Jericho the challenger, obviously.  Jericho wants what he's already held six times before, while Punk wants to hold on to what he's worked so hard to achieve. 

Current fans love CM Punk for all he's done in the last year.  Older fans love Chris Jericho because of all that he's done throughout his career.  Both fan bases will come together for one epic battle to settle the WWE Championship. 

The WWE Championship is the grandest prize in the company.  It's something that each and every Superstar works their entire career to achieve. Punk and Jericho have done it all. 

Now, it comes down to one battle to determine who will walk out of Miami as the WWE Champion, adding their latest WrestleMania triumph to add to their already impressive resume.