BOOK REVIEW: A LION'S TALE

A Lion's Tale
Around the World in Spandex
Chris Jericho
Grand Central Publishing
$32.99 Canada

It certainly appears that the Canadians are making a sweep this year when it comes to wrestling related books. We had Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson's comprehensive book on the heels of pro wrestling. We also had Heath McCoy updating and releasing one of the best books ever with his history of Stampede Wrestling, Pain and Passion. Then came Bret Hart and his mammoth Hitman autobiograpy, condensed down from three original volumes into one power-packed tome that kept you turning pages whether you wanted to or not.

Now, to finish the year off strong, yet another Canuck offering that will have you laughing, crying and literally shaking your head at the insanity of it all. Chris Jericho's A Lion's Tale sits right at the peak of the mountain with Hart's and these other Canadian treasures of the last year.

Anyone who has been a fan of Jericho will not be surprised that his book flows effortlessly from his early days at the Hart Brothers Camp (where he meets a very stoic Lance Storm) to his time in Mexico, Japan, ECW, Smoky Mountain and WCW. The same sort of humour we've loved for years in all of Jericho's promos and vignettes literally jumps off every page. Instead of taking the Foley route and using his humour to take potshots at bad wrestlers, Jericho just makes it a part of everything he writes about, with references from all forms of pop culture. This is a genuinely funny book, not a collection of stale one liners.

Even though Jericho's wrestling persona has always been that of the cocky megastar, he is anything but in his book, constantly showing his vulnerable side and letting us all laugh along with him at things like the Jericho Curse (his debut match in every promotion is always a stinker) or his inability to come up with anything substantial to say when meeting his fave wrestlers (both as a fan and later as co-workers).

Of all the different eras covered, North American fans will learn quite abit about how different wrestling is in both Japan and Mexico and how Jericho dealt with being a young man in a foreign land. But of all the sections, it is the chapter on WCW that will leave your jaw hanging on the floor. Even after reading The Death of WCW, which covered the promotion's demise on a grander scale, you still can't really get a grasp for it until you read the exploits of someone who was trapped there and trying to get ahead, but constantly getting knocked two squares back.

The book ends with Jericho's entry into the WWE the first time, so it is obvious that there will be another book to tell the rest of the story. In fact, Jericho revealed on our show that he has already signed a deal to do a second one. Will it open with his return as we saw it on TV last night? Only time will tell.

One thing is for sure, though. A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex should be on the Christmas list of anyone that calls themselves a wrestling fan in 2007. As Bill Cosby used to say on the old Fat Albert cartoon: "We got lots of laughs and fun, and if you're not careful, you might learn something before we're done." That describes this one to a tee.

Hey, hey, hey, Chris Jericho is here to stay.

Dan "Mush Mouth" Lovranski
Live Audio Wrestling


Thanks to: Live Audio Wrestling.com.