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A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex

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Overview

Foreword by Jim Ross.

Chris Jericho is the first undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the WWE and WCW, and has been called one of the fifty greatest wrestlers of all time.

Now retired, he is writing his memoir, telling the story of his journey from wrestling school in Canada to his time in leagues in Mexico and Japan to his big break in the WCW. He'll dish the dirt on how he worked his way through the ranks alongside major wrestling stars like Chris Benoit and Lance Storm to become a major superstar.

Editorial Reviews

This funny, insightful and compulsively readable autobiography by professional wrestling superstar Lion Heart Jericho matches fellow wrestler Mick Foley's bestselling Have a Nice Day! Jericho reached international stardom after joining the media juggernaut World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly WWF) in 1999, but this book neglects his many accomplishments since then, such as his legendary same-night defeat of wrestling powerhouses the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin to become the WWE's first undisputed heavyweight champion. Instead, Jericho recounts the fascinating story of his early years--in effect, a short history of world wrestling trends since 1960--from his brutal early training in his native Canada through finally being invited to join the WWE. Jericho ignores or glosses over controversial topics like steroid use, preferring to keep things light and cheery. His hilarious and detailed descriptions of his many bouts, especially his 1995 calling card match in Japan before 10,000 fans, will leave readers hoping for a sequel. (Oct. 25)
Copyright (c) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
-- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Author Information

Bio of Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho, a talented actor, television personality, radio host, and rock star, has established himself as a multifaceted performer. His unique ability to display such talent and charm in each outlet contributes to his successes across the board. Most recently Chris completed his first book, A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex in which he chronicles, with a witty and humorous narrative, his rise in the wrestling business and the pitfalls of the industry. This memoir is set to drop on October 25, 2007. Recently he made the cross over to film with his lead roles in the features, Android Apocalypse and Albino Farm. Jericho also appeared on stage before sold-out crowds and received standing ovations when he starred in the hilarious Norm Foster play Opening Night at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. In addition, Chris has been invited to appear as a regular guest performer with the legendary comedy troupe, The Groundlings in the all-improv show, Cookin' with Gas. He also starred in the comedy pilot, Ebaum's World for the USA Network. Chris' knack for comedy is obvious in his regular appearances on VH-1 and E! Networks. Lending his talent as a panelist or guest, Chris has appeared on over a dozen shows including G4TV's Attack of the Show, Filter (G4TV) Biggest Celebrity Oops (E! Networks), Best Week Ever and the I Love The 70's, 80's and 90's and soon to be released 00's series (VH-1). Other recent guest appearances include Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Howard Stern Show, The Late, Late Show and Larry King Live. Chris also guest hosted The Best Damn Sports Show Period, MadTV and Headbanger's Ball on MTV2. Jericho began wrestling at age 19 and is considered one of the most popular wrestling champions in history. In 2001 he was the first ever Undisputed Champion of the WWE and is the only performer to have held six different titles in the 44-year history of World Wrestling Entertainment. Chris hosted his own show on XM Satellite Radio (Channel 41 Da Boneyard) entitled "The Rock of Jericho" airing Sunday nights for over 100 episodes. The show allowed Chris to display his wide and unique range of knowledge of the music world. As lead singer of the rock band Fozzy, Chris proves that his knowledge of music spans beyond just facts. Their third CD, All That Remains was released in 2005, via Chris' own record label Ash Records. Fozzy's first three records sold over 150,000 units and the band played sold out shows worldwide, including the US, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia. Jericho's talent extends beyond the camera as he also wrote and directed a short comedy film for MTV about the band entitled, Unleashed, Uncensored, Unknown. In addition Chris directed music videos for Fozzy's tracks "Eat The Rich," "With The Fire," and "Enemy," all of which enjoyed rotation on MTV, MTV2, FUSE and Much Music. Chris grew up in Winnipeg, Canada and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA and Tampa, FL. I became obsessed with reading at a young age with Gordon Korman, Franklin W. Dixon and Beverly Cleary being my early favorites. Once I became enthralled with an author's work, I decided I had to read everything published by them...a trend which continues to this day. Then I graduated to the world of Stephen King and became a fanatic at 10 years old (maybe that explains why I'm a little warped). King is still one of my favorites along with John Grisham, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child and Tim LaHaye. I'm also a fan of biographies and anything written about Rock n Roll, especially The Beatles.

Customer Reviews

  • 5 stars out of 5Funny, yet informing.

    Posted November 29, 2008 by MLN, Syraucse NY

    This book was recommended to me by someone who is in the wrestling business. Once I started to read it, I knew why. The book had me laughing out loud at the adventures of Jericho. He tells his stories on the road and his life climbing the ropes in the world of pro wrestling. But he does so, without being afraid to laugh at himself yet always shows respect for his business. A great read.

  • 5 stars out of 5One of the great wrestling books

    Posted January 12, 2009 by Temo, Mendoza

    I have read countless books on wrestlers lives, and this has to be one of my favorites. There were many times when I was laughing out loud at some of Jericho's Stories. Along with a great tale of his life, Jericho also gives descriptive accounts on others he has worked with in the wrestling business. I have to say I enjoyed this book much more than Mick Foley's. It is also nice to know that the WWE didn't have any saying in what was printed into Jericho's book, making it a truthful account of life in wrestling.

Additional Info

Imprint

Hachette Book Group USA

Filesize

1.23 MB

Number of Pages

432

eBook ISBN

0446408921

Excerpt from: A Lion's Tale by Chris Jericho

Chapter 1

Shut Up, Kid, Or I'll Slap Your Face

The first time I ever watched pro wrestling was with my grandma in her basement in Winnipeg when I was seven. She was a quiet lady but whenever the AWA was on TV, she would freak out and start yelling and screaming. AWA stood for American Wrestling Association and was one of three major wrestling companies in North America, along with the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and NWA (National Wrestling Alliance).
My grandma's name was Jesse and the wrestler who most drew her ire was a do-ragged-sporting, Elton John-sunglasses-wearing bad guy named Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Ventura, who sported a fashionable jewel in the dimple of his chin, was part of a tag team with the biker-looking Adrian Adonis. Jesse was a flamboyant loudmouth and I couldn't get enough of him. My grandma couldn't stand the Body or his antics.
My family went to my grandparents' house every Saturday night to watch the Holy Trinity of Childhood Television(tm), which began with the Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner Hour at five, followed by the AWA at six, and ending with Hockey Night in Canada at seven. My dad's name was Ted Irvine, and he played hockey in the NHL for ten years with the Los Angeles Kings (where he assisted on the very first power play goal in Kings history), the New York Rangers (where he went all the way to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final in 1972, only to lose to Bobby Orr and his Boston Bruins), and the St. Louis Blues (where he ended his career in 1977). He was known as the Baby-Faced Assassin and was one of the most feared players in the league. Legendary tough guys like Dave Shultz and Keith Magnuson would challenge him to try and make a name for themselves. But he could also score and ended up with a total of 170 NHL goals and with his combination of skill and strength he was one of the original power forwards. So hockey was a big part of our family, but pro wrestling was beginning to become an even bigger part.
My grandma smoked a lot, which gave her a raspy voice which got raspier when she yelled at the TV, "Come on! Hit him!" I wholeheartedly joined my grandma in cheering our favorites and jeering the guys we hated...although I stayed neutral when the Body was on. Whenever my aunts or my dad said anything to her about wrestling being staged, she refused to acknowledge it. She also refused to acknowledge it years earlier when my dad had his first ever close-up on the nationally televised Hockey Night in Canada after missing a breakaway and greeting the nation with a resounding "FUCK!" "He never said that," she said. "He would never say that."
The first wrestler to become my hero was Hulk Hogan. The Hulkster was in the AWA before he became a national star with the World Wrestling Federation, and I loved his huge mustache and long blond hair. He had the biggest muscles I'd ever seen and his charisma was off the charts. To me, the combination of all these qualities made him cooler than the Fonz. He was also the first wrestler that I became emotionally attached to because of a story line, when champion Nick Bockwinkel and his evil goons injured Hulk's arm and put him out of action. I couldn't wait for him to return and exact his revenge.
Eventually, my dad took me to the matches at the Winnipeg Arena. The old barn was big and dark and I was so excited when we got to our seats. All of my eight-year-old dreams and thoughts of what seeing wrestling would be like in person were about to be realized! Only the lights above the ring were illuminated, creating a mystical atmosphere, accentuated by the thick clouds of cigarette smoke that hung in the air underneath the lights. The place was packed. I had never before experienced such a range of emotions from a group of people watching the same event. There was cheering, booing, taunting, happiness, anger, elation, and disappointment.
All of the wrestlers seemed larger than life and I had a list of favorites. The High Flyers: a good-guy tag team made up of Jumpin' Jimmy Brunzell and Greg Gagne, who was AWA promoter Verne Gagne's son. I watched their match with intense concentration, cheering them on, begging for Greg to make the tag to Jimmy after being beaten on for what seemed like an hour and absolutely exploding off my seat when he finally did. King Tonga, a 300-pound Islander, who had a huge scar on his arm that was apparently caused by a shark attack on his native island...a shark that the King was forced to kill with his bare hands! Jerry Blackwell was a short, disgustingly obese guy the crowd tortured by chanting "Fatwell" during his match. After he threatened to "slap the shit out" of me when I yelled at him timidly as he passed by me on his way to the ring, I joined in the chant with extra vim and vigor (what the hell does vim mean anyway?).