Chris Jericho has been here before – three times, in fact. The aches, pains, bruises and welts a Superstar has to cope with following a Money in the Bank Ladder Match is just commonplace at this point for the creator behind this monstrosity of a contest.

This time, however, Jericho is expecting his fiercest battle yet in one of these types of matches when he steps into the ring against John Cena, Big Show and Kane on Sunday. What makes it feel so very different than his previous ventures? As Jericho pointed out to WWE.com in an exclusive interview, it's not about the extraordinary risk-taking involved, but rather the pedigree of his distinguished opponents – all of them former WWE Champions – and their intense desire to grasp that coveted contract. ( MATCH PREVIEW)

"Money in the Bank Ladder Matches can be almost like stunt shows in a lot of ways,” Jericho said. “But this is not going to be like that. Sometimes there are guys trying to make a name for themselves, so they're going to take more and more risks. We've already all made names for ourselves, already have WWE Hall of Fame careers. We're not taking risks to prove anything. We have nothing to prove, but we have everything to gain."

What can be gained at Money in the Bank is one heck of a prize. Dangling so tantalizingly close above the ring is a contract for a guaranteed WWE Championship Match. It's a unique bout that Jericho first conceived in early 2005 and participated in at WrestleMania 21 against five other Superstars, including Edge and this year's returning "Bank" combatants, Kane and Christian.

Arguably, no one grasps the full significance of what's at stake this Sunday more than those who have held the illustrious title and so vigorously want to get it back. And for Jericho, that makes each competitor all the more threatening.

"I'm sure there are still going to be dangerous moments – there always are," the six-time World Champion predicted. "But I think you're going to see more intensity, more brutality, with the ladder used more as a weapon, at least that's the way that I see it. That's my strategy."

The WWE Universe got a glimpse of that ominous forecast on Raw SuperShow when Big Show trapped Jericho, his former tag team partner, between a ladder before Cena plowed over The World's Largest Athlete with a ladder of his own. The Mental Mastermind surely isn't taking his bigger foes for granted after such a brawl, especially having witnessed their destruction over the many years.

"I've never forgotten how powerful and bull-strong Big Show is. And smart, too," Jericho said of the giant he won the WWE Tag Team Championship with in 2009. "You can joke about whether there's a ladder that can support Big Show, but I never joke about Big Show. He can probably jump and grab the briefcase if he wanted to."

And what of Kane? Is The Devil's Favorite Demon a bigger threat because he won a Money in the Bank Ladder Match in 2010? Jericho noted that every Superstar in this match has won something and have been in similar types of situations before as Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match veterans, which means they're all equally formidable. On Sunday, it'll just be a matter of which former champion craves the championship gold more and the lengths they're willing to go to get what they want.

"I think you're going to see four guys that come out of there feeling every moment of the match, and feeling every moment of our careers," Jericho said. "After doing this for 22 years, I get into a match like this knowing that I'll feel every match I've had in those 22 years."

At Money in the Bank, you can bet that Jericho, who hasn't won the WWE Championship since 2001, will be 100 percent ready to endure whatever it takes to get the opportunity to capture it again.