WrestleMania 28 CM Punk v Chris Jericho

During his rise to WWE Champion, CM Punk blasted the WWE establishment every step of the way. Even the very McMahon family name was not safe from his verbal barbs. His blistering and often shocking criticisms created a buzz that had not been seen in the WWE Universe in quite some time. The Second City Saint proved he could achieve success by doing things his way.

But is The Straightedge Superstar really the best in the world at what he does? Not if you ask Chris Jericho, who will face Punk on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Certainly Jericho presents one of Punk’s greatest challenges to date. The recently returned Superstar has 22 championships to his credit – 30 if you include his title wins in WCW and ECW.

On top of his accomplished resume, Jericho brings a fire within that perhaps Punk has yet to encounter while defending the coveted WWE Championship. Not only is Jericho back in WWE, he’s angry.

In the Raw Elimination Chamber Match, Punk knocked Jericho out with a kick to the back of the head, rendering him unable to compete any further in the match. (PHOTOS | RESULTS) And at the end of the night, Jericho delivered a scathing account of what went down in an exclusive backstage interview.

One day later – still seething after what happened at Elimination Chamber – Jericho earned the right to challenge Punk at WrestleMania after winning a 10-Man No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal on the Feb. 20 edition of Raw SuperShow. The match was arranged by none other than Punk’s favorite nemesis – WWE EVP of Talent Relations and Interim Raw General Manger John Laurinaitis.

Will this latest power play by Laurinaitis finally be the one that helps dethrone Punk? Or, will The Second City Saint manage to yet again thwart Mr. Excitement’s best laid plans.

With both Punk and Jericho claiming to be the best in the world, they’ll now get a chance to prove it at WrestleMania XXVIII. Regardless of who wins, the WWE Universe is sure to witness an epic confrontation on The Grandest Stage of Them All.