The Y2J Problem decoded in Chris Jericho's A Lion's Tale
Jonathan Ore
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: Arts and Culture

Chris Jericho's re-debut on Monday Night Raw last week was spectacular homage to his first appearance with the then-World Wrestling Federation eight years prior, as a "millennium clock" counted down on an August 1999 broadcast of Raw. Jericho burst onto the scene, and the WWF would never, eeeeevar be the same again.

Jericho's recently released autobiography, however, ends at the very moment that just about everyone reading it already knows. A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex chronicles Jericho's eclectic journey to wrestling superstardom around the world in the 1990s, and is quite unlike any other. Mick Foley's Have a Nice Day was the high-watermark against which all other wrestling biographies have been compared (and often failed miserably), but A Lion's Tale has set the new standard.

Jericho (born Chris Irvine, son of NHL player Ted Irvine,) begins his story as a typical high school kid living in Winnipeg Manitoba. In fact, it's surprising just how normal his life was - rocking out after class with his friends in the garage to gain the attention of the female passersby, pretending to wrestle in the main event with his best friend in the school gymnasium, and idolizing the larger-than-life Hulk Hogan.

A Lion's Tale quickly takes the reader to wrestling schools, obscure local wrestling territories, and camps around the world as Irvine pursued his dream of becoming a WWF Superstar. It begins in Winnipeg and Calgary, where he met lifetime friend and tag team partner, Lance Storm. The odd-couple friendship is colourfully detailed and was obviously an anchor for both men while they trained (read: beaten the crap out of) with surly instructors, wrestled in front of crowds in bowling alleys, often to be swindled out of their money by seedy promoters, and slowly gained experience in this physical craft.

Wrestling fans will be both educated and highly entertained by Jericho's prose. Learning about the differences between wrestling styles and cultures around the world, from Mexico to Germany to Atlanta, isn't any clearer or more vivid than in Jericho's words as he chronicles his varied and often unbelievable adventures across four continents.

Jericho's direct dealings with people in front of and behind the wrestling scenes give the reader insight into people known exclusively by their on-screen characters. Some, like promoter Jim Cornette, are startlingly similar representations of their real selves.

The egos and politicking of the top stars in World Championship Wrestling during the late 1990s are highlighted by his difficulties with Bill Goldberg. Opposite is a compelling portrait of Paul Heyman, the mastermind behind the hardcore independent promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling, due to the fact that he apparently was as motivating and charismatic as everyone who has worked for him has claimed.

Despite all the colourful personalities and locations, Jericho's humility and humanity shine through the gimmicks and Tokyo beer-vending machines. The agony of travelling on the road, receiving the phone call telling him that his mother had suffered paralysis at the hands of a former boyfriend, and the first meeting of his wife-to-be (thanks to wrestler Disco Inferno, of all people) help the reader realize that this is the journey of a young Canadian who followed his dreams, yet never fell under the weight of his own success.

The book ends at the Millennium Countdown before his monumental confrontation with The Rock, and the entirety of A Lion's Tale builds up fantastically to this point, leaving his readers begging for a second volume.


Thanks to: The Strand.