"A Lion's Tale," Chris Jericho's 2007 autobiography, is my favorite pro wrestling memoir, so when I heard that Jericho was writing a sequel, I was excited, but I also wondered if he had set the bar too high with his first book.
After all, don't sequels in most forms of entertainment usually fail to measure up to the original? Every once in a while, however, the follow-up actually equals or exceeds the first piece of work.
To use a movie analogy, Jericho's just-released second autobiography, "Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps," is definitely more "Godfather II" than it is "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo."
"Undisputed" picks up where "A Lion's Tale" left off, with Jericho's first night in WWE in 1999, and it ends with his first night back in WWE in 2007.
Once again, Jericho proves to be a talented storyteller who can have you laughing so hard that you'll cry in one chapter, and then make you get a lump in your throat in the next. The fact that the book is littered with obscure references to the rock group KISS only makes the reading experience that much more pleasurable (well, it did for me, at least).
Jericho takes readers behind the curtain in WWE and chronicles his rocky relationship with WWE chairman Vince McMahon, as well as his struggle to fit in backstage and live up to the hype that surrounded his debut.
For a number of wrestling fans (myself included), Jericho's first appearance on Raw – when he interrupted The Rock's promo and the two had an entertaining verbal exchange that had the crowd hanging on their every word – is one of the most memorable moments in the history of WWE television. Yet Jericho says that watching it now makes him cringe because he made the wrong choice in how he reacted to an insult from The Rock, and that miscue derailed his big push before it even got started.
Having always viewed Jericho as a very talented performer who is confident in his abilities and a genuinely good guy, it was surprising to learn just how much trouble he had making the transition from WCW to WWE.
Shortly after arriving in the company, Jericho was labeled as someone who didn't know how to work and was "as green as grass," in the words of McMahon. Humbled by the criticism, Jericho began to doubt himself, and to make matters worse, he had massive heat backstage because – according to what Triple H told him – he gave off the impression that he was a huge star and knew everything.
Much of Jericho's story is told in a humorous tone, but he also delves into sobering subjects such as the Chris Benoit murder-suicide and the death of his mother, the latter of which will hit home for anyone who has lost a parent. The chapter on Benoit – the man Jericho once considered his best friend in wrestling – is a fascinating and insightful look at a complex and obviously troubled individual.
While Jericho's initial six-year run in WWE is the main focus of the book, he also writes in detail about his band, Fozzy, as well as the other projects he was involved in during his 27-month hiatus from WWE. I suppose some wrestling fans may not be all that interested in the non-wrestling chapters in the book, but I enjoyed reading about Jericho's experiences in other forms of entertainment.
In conclusion, I think it's safe to say that anyone who liked "A Lion's Tale" won't be disappointed with "Undisputed." In fact, when it comes to wrestlers writing their autobiographies, Jericho just may be the best in the world at what he does.
NOTE: Jericho will be signing copies of "Undisputed" tonight at the Enoch Pratt Free Library on Cathedral Street in Baltimore. The signing begins at 7 p.m. For more information, click here.