Chris Jericho

He's no Mick Foley, but Chris Jericho can definitely write (and wrestle, I suppose). A wide-ranging biography — from a geographic and emotional perspective — you get a front-row seat to the rise, rise, rise, plateau (WCW) and rise of Jericho up until the time he his the WWF(E).

He's lead an interesting life, and though a bit over-fond of poop jokes and the like, knows how to tell his story in a compelling way. It's not exactly one of those "so good you'll like it regardless of your show more background" bios, but if you're into (or were into) wrestling at all, this is definitely worth a read. show less

This 425-page-long book is approximately 400 pages of Chris Jericho wearing the juice. Boy does Chris Jericho ever wear the juice. Athletes thinking they can be musicians thinking they can be actors thinking they can be athletes thinking they can be musicians is nothing new in the entertainment business, but Jericho's strident insistence that he is all of these things, and better at being them than any of the names he drops like hurricanes on the gulf, wears thin...especially because Jericho show more remains blissfully unaware of how his own narrative contradicts his claims to greatness again, and again, and again.

Unfortunately, the wry amusement at the absurd that made A Lion's Tale fun to read is by and large absent from this volume, and what's left is Chris Jericho alternately acting like an asshole and then wondering what a cool guy like him ever did to be treated like such an asshole by everyone around him. The opening chapters when he isn't taking himself too seriously and the pensive final chapters (which deal with the death of his mother and Benoit's murder/suicide) are highlights and almost seem to have come from a different book entirely. One only wishes the rest of the book could have followed more closely in their mold. As it is, this book is an easy and engaging read, provided one doesn't mind their entertainment cut with an equal portion of annoyance. show less

This is an outstanding wrestling autobiography, among the top two that I've read. (Behind only Mick Foley's first.) Jericho's wide ranging sense of humor lifts the book well above the average sports autobiography. My favorite reference, explaining his difficulty in adjusting to Japan: "I was the bizarro Long Duck Dong", citing both John Hughes' "Sixteen Candles" and D.C. Comics. There are dozens of little comments like that made me laugh. Additionally, Jericho's path to the WWE was so show more meandering, the reader learns about the wrestling business in Mexico, Japan, Europe, Canada, the American regional territories, ECW, WCW and others. This outstanding book is recommended for every wrestling fan. show less

For the longest time, Foley was the undisputed "king" of pro wrestling memoirs and deservedly so, until Chris Jericho's [b:A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex|1300234|A Lion's Tale Around the World in Spandex|Chris Jericho|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266767087s/1300234.jpg|1289411] was released in 2007 - Jericho began giving Foley a run for his money. Now, in 2011, Chris Jericho gives us his follow up, [b:Undisputed|8610510|Undisputed|Chris show more Jericho|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PTzzIx+SL._SL75_.jpg|13480851].

In the 2nd part of what appears to be at minimum, a 3 part memoir, Jericho shares some backstage stories, his ventures into Hollywood, touring with Fozzy and tales of fatherhood. All of which, are just as entertaining as anything he's written about the wrestling business.

Picking up where A Lion's Tale finishes, Jericho is about to walk through the curtain debuting in WWE. What follows are his trials and tribulations having to basically "start over" in a new company, earning the respect of the boys in the back while establishing his character in a new market. Upon reading about his early days in WWE, I had no idea he had to work so hard to move through the political waters. Popular consensus was that WCW was a wasteland of backstage politics and scheduling as most workers often say the WWE experience isn't even comparable.

For some reason, I expected to want to skim over the other aspects of his life (i.e. those not involving wrestling). I can't say why I thought this but I can tell you without HYPERBOLE, that would be a huge mistake. Jericho writes with such passion in regards to all aspects of his life that it's all entertaining - every bit of it.

Keeping this rather short, if you're a fan of pro wrestling, both this and Jericho's first memoir should be considered required reading. You would be doing yourself a great disservice by not picking this up. show less