CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho: WWE Title Bout Is Most Crucial WrestleMania 28 Match

Even though CM Punk and Chris Jericho have been overshadowed by the other marquee matches on the WrestleMania 28 card, their battle for the WWE championship will be the most crucial match at this year's biggest wrestling event.

The Rock and John Cena have hogged the spotlight recently, which isn't a major surprise. Their match has been billed as the biggest of all time, so the buildup needed to match the hype. That meant both guys received massive amounts of air time.

Punk and Jericho also took a backseat to Undertaker's match against Triple H. Shawn Michaels was added as a special guest referee, which was a great idea by the WWE, but nevertheless stole even more time from the WWE title match.

After WrestleMania, however, four out of the five stars in those two matches will likely be written off television for a while. The Rock will go back to shooting moves, while everybody in the Hell in a Cell match will also fade into the background.

That means Punk and Jericho, who have utilized their limited television time to perfection in a terrific verbal war, are expected to pick up the slack. They need to lay a foundation on Sunday night that will cause casual fans to keep tuning in even though the other big names are gone.

Both men are among the best in the world—which is the unofficial title they are fighting for at WrestleMania—in the ring. They are creative with their spots, and anything less than a show-stealing performance would be a disappointment.

Don't be shocked if their match gets chosen to lead off the show. It would help get the crowd involved right away and would allow them to set the standard for the night. That's a much better option than allowing them to get lost in the mid-show shuffle.

The storyline has been so entertaining that it's hard to imagine the WWE ending it after Sunday's match. They might infuse somebody else into it like Cena, should he defeat Rocky, but Punk and Jericho have been killing it lately.

Those type of performances, both in the ring and on the mic, are what the WWE needs to thrive following WrestleMania. In reality, Punk and Jericho are among the only superstars in the company capable of handling that burden.

So, while a large portion of the audience will be tuning in to see The Rock vs. John Cena or Triple H vs. Undertaker, the WWE Championship match holds a lot more long-term consequences.

At least Vince McMahon can rest easy knowing the match sits in very capable hands. Punk and Jericho should put on an awesome show.