MEDIA: Lion's prize: Wrestler Chris Jericho hopes to inspire kids

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Lion's prize: Wrestler Chris Jericho hopes to inspire kids

Updated Fri. Oct. 26 2007 10:34 AM ET

Constance Droganes, entertainment writer, CTV.ca

WWE wrestler Chris Jericho For millions of wrestling fans Chris Jericho is the golden-haired hunk who trounces gargantuan opponents with tongue-in-cheek style. But in an entertainment biz filled with more bad guys than good, this 36-year-old legend thinks he's the Bruce Springsteen of the ring.

"My life story focuses of the more positive sides of wrestling," says Jericho, author of the new autobiography, "A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex" (Grand Central/H.B. Fenn and Company).

"Is there a seedier side to wrestling? Yes, just like there's a seedy side to politics or being a lawyer or doctor. Is there partying? Hey man, I had a few drinks. I met people. I travelled the world and did all those things when I wrestled overseas. Everybody does it when you're a young guy. But I never took it to excess," says Jericho. "I never let it get in the way of what I wanted to do which was wrestle."

The Springsteen reference is as much a tribute to the rocker's character as it is to the similarities between the music and wrestling worlds.

Jericho didn't wrestle just to pick up girls

"Rock and roll is filled with glamour and bigger than life personalities, just like wrestling," says Jericho. "But then you get a guy like Bruce Springsteen who has got integrity. It's not about excess. It's about a hard working guy who built a fan base from day one. That's how I see myself. I didn't wrestle just to pick up girls. It was my passion. It's always been that way."

Growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Jericho's wrestling dream seemed as far lodged as Dorothy was from Kansas.

"Music and wrestling were my passions," says Jericho. "Whether it was Hulk Hogan or Paul Stanley from KISS, I thought these big personalities were the coolest thing. I always tried to emulate them."

Being big in stature, however, which Jericho was not 17 years ago, was a problem the aspiring star wrassled with.

"Back in those days wrestlers were 6" 8' or 6" 9' - I wasn't anywhere near that," says Jericho, who at 5" 10' and 231 lb (105 kg), wasn't exactly the big catch of the day.

Yet size, or lack of it, didn't keep this Canadian boy from fulfilling this giant dream.

Size didn't matter
"A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex" (Grand Central/H.B. Fenn and Company).

In writing "A Lion's Tale," which Jericho did himself, he recounts countless obstacles that stood in the way of achieving international wrestling stardom. In fact, this "no guts, no glory" athlete wrestled in Japan, Europe and Mexico before ever setting foot in a major American ring.

"I went to places where it didn't matter how big you were. It mattered how good you were," says Jericho.

It's that underdog story readers will most enjoy, even if they know nothing of Jericho's adventurous past. "I didn't really write this for wrestling fans. I knew they'd enjoy it no matter what," says Jericho. "My goal was to reach out to more people because the real story is about a kid who followed his dream."

As Jericho says, "There were millions of times that I should have just given up. Giving up was never an option for me."

Jericho's message: dream big and work for it

"In this day and age all you need is a blog address or to pop yourself on YouTube to get your 15 minutes of fame. It took many years and a lot of sacrifice to get where I wanted to be in the wrestling business. That's why after 17 years I have such loyal fans. They follow me no matter what because I became a part of my life," says Jericho.

"I guess I'm like Metallica," he laughs. "I bought their first album in 1983 when they were just kids and so was I. I feel like I've grown up with them and they'll always be one of my favourite bands because of that. That's how fans feel about me."

Leaving the WWE in 2005, Jericho says it was time to move on.

"I was mentally burnt out and had achieved everything I'd ever dreamed of in this business," says Jericho, who has acted, had a radio show and played with his own band. "

Soon to be the main attraction at Indigo in Toronto's Eaton Centre on November 14th and McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg on November 15, the fledgling author doesn't rule out a return to the ring.

"There's always the chance I might come back," says Jericho. "Then again, I could start writing a sequel to my book. Who knows? I just hope people will take to heart the real message I want to get out there. If a boy next door like me can make a dream happen they can too."

Original article/CTA.ca

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