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Telling your boss, “what the fuck was I suppose to do,” can get you fired, but for Chris Jericho he ended up the first ever World Wrestling Entertainment Undisputed World Champion.
In his second memoirs, Jericho picks up where he left off in A Lion’s Tale, as he made his WWE debut in 1999. This book focuses on Jericho’s WWE run until 2005 and the rise to fame for his rock band Fozzy. In the later chapters, Jericho recalls his acting career that blossomed into live theatre, an appearance on FOX’s Celebrity Duets, and getting snubbed by “fabricated fuckface” Joan Rivers.
Wrestling fans that enjoy backstage stories will not be disappointed with this read. Jericho openly talks about his problems with HHH and DX when he first started in WWE. The heat against Jericho was so bad that it led to Vince McMahon yelling, “What the fuck is your problem? You don’t have a fucking clue what you’re doing out there.” Jericho sought wisdom throughout the locker room to improve his standing in the company. In the end, it was his time with Montrealer Pat Patterson that guided Jericho to main event status.
Metalheads will enjoy the amount of indepth adventures Jericho has had as a musician. Hanging out with Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden, having Sharon Osbourne call him “stupid twats” with Zakk Wylde, and threats of bodily harm to a member of American Head Charge, are just a few of the hilarious tales Jericho has from the music scene. His time as Drunkicho really adds some excitement to the stories, one that saw him go to prison and regret his drinking ways.
The humour and sadness from the first book continue on in this sequel. What makes this one even better than the first is Jericho ending grudges with old enemies Eric Bischoff, Bill Goldberg and Danny, the one who destroyed his mother’s life. The passing of Jericho’s mom is a heartwrenching chapter, the emotions Jericho was feeling during that time are so powerful that it is hard to ever hate such a caring son again. The chapter on Chris Benoit is thankfully one Jericho did not ignore. His insight on Benoit before and after the murders was so important to mention considering the influence Benoit has had on his life.
Jericho did make a few factual errors; he wrote that he wrestled William Regal at WrestleMania X8 but it was WrestleMania X7, he won the Undisputed Championship at Vengeance not Armageddon, and at Fully Loaded 2000 Perry Saturn wrestled Eddie Guerrero with Chyna at ringside instead of Chyna versus Saturn.
As far as wrestling books go this one has it all. Controversy, triumph, tragedies, drunken escapades, a wedding, and a setup for a possible third book. Jericho has led an incredible life and met some of the most famous people in the world. From Wayne Gretzky to Ricky Gervais, Jericho admits he was and is still a fanboy when meeting a lot of his heroes. Having to tell Paul McCartney that he is “a fookin wanker” is one of many reasons why this is a must read.
Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps
By Chris Jericho and Peter Thomas Fornatale
Grand Central Publishing
Releases on Feb. 16, 2011
448 pp.
$30.99
