Wrestler offers amusing twists

The same thing that makes Chris Jericho’s book “A Lion’s Tale” a great success story also makes it a bit of a disappointment.

As a young kid, Jericho dreamed of one day wrestling in the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE). At the end of the book, he finally realizes that dream, as he debuts in the WWF in 1999.

But that’s where the story stops. There are no real tales of his WWF/WWE career, which he recently resumed after a two-year hiatus.

That aside, the rest of the book is a great mixture of humor and wrestling tales on par with or surpassing fellow wrestler Mick Foley’s first effort, “Have a Nice Day,” which basically launched pro wrestling into book publishing.

Chris Irvine’s long journey to becoming “Y2J” Chris Jericho included various levels of wrestling success during stops in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Japan and a number of U.S. promotions. He tells of life on the road and interactions with other wrestlers (including the story of a wrestler who ate sandwiches and stuffed the bread crusts under his mattress, with the end result straight out of a horror movie).

Especially notable is Jericho’s relationship with wrestler Chris Benoit, who had a large influence on Jericho’s career. As the book was being prepared for publication, Benoit killed himself after allegedly killing his wife and son.

As Jericho says in an author’s note, “The man that I knew and loved exists within these pages, not the man that existed during the final days of his life.” Jericho gives some insight into why so many wrestlers admired Benoit, helping illustrate why the tragedy cut so deeply in the wrestling community.

Overall, “A Lion’s Tale” is insightful, funny and a bit salty in the language department as it details what it took for one man to make it in pro wrestling. And to counter the “disappointment” mentioned earlier, fans can probably expect a sequel. After all, Foley has written three books on wrestling — so far.