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41 reviews for:
Undisputed: How To Become World Champion In 1,372 Easy Steps. Chris Jericho
Peter T. Fornatale, Chris Jericho
4.03 AVERAGE
41 reviews for:
Undisputed: How To Become World Champion In 1,372 Easy Steps. Chris Jericho
Peter T. Fornatale, Chris Jericho
4.03 AVERAGE
Part of the holy trinity of world class wrestling books. I wasn’t too interested in the fozzy stuff in the book but overall it’s as great a read as you’d expect.
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Even better than the first book!
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
The wrestling industry is one of the most fascinating industries in the world. It's full of backstabbing, ego and a code of conduct that out of context looks entirely mental. Undisputed captures how crazy the business can be, as well as giving an relatively interesting look into the world of rock with Jericho's band Fozzy.
It's these passages that slow the book down somewhat. Indeed, half the book is dedicated to Fozzy's career and whilst there are some good anecdotes buried within these chapters it isn't what you want from the book. The rock music world is well documented in all mediums but the wrestling world is rarely captured in any form, so any time spent away from spandex tights and steel chairs feels wasted.
Jericho's description of the WWE seems pretty honest, considering he was still a WWE employee at the time of writing. He's pretty brutal at times, especially about Chyna, and when he's talking about the likes of Vince McMahon and HHH he does it with balance but doesn't hold back when he thinks they've done wrong.
It doesn't quite live up to 'A Lion's Tale', Jericho's first book, nor the other great wrestling autobiography Mick Foley's 'Have a Nice Day', but this is still an excellent read.
'Have a Nice Day' is still the granddaddy of them all and is a stunning read whether you're a wrestling fan or not. Jericho doesn't quite live up to that level but he's as close as anyone ever will be.
It's these passages that slow the book down somewhat. Indeed, half the book is dedicated to Fozzy's career and whilst there are some good anecdotes buried within these chapters it isn't what you want from the book. The rock music world is well documented in all mediums but the wrestling world is rarely captured in any form, so any time spent away from spandex tights and steel chairs feels wasted.
Jericho's description of the WWE seems pretty honest, considering he was still a WWE employee at the time of writing. He's pretty brutal at times, especially about Chyna, and when he's talking about the likes of Vince McMahon and HHH he does it with balance but doesn't hold back when he thinks they've done wrong.
It doesn't quite live up to 'A Lion's Tale', Jericho's first book, nor the other great wrestling autobiography Mick Foley's 'Have a Nice Day', but this is still an excellent read.
'Have a Nice Day' is still the granddaddy of them all and is a stunning read whether you're a wrestling fan or not. Jericho doesn't quite live up to that level but he's as close as anyone ever will be.
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Like Jericho's previous memoir, there is a lot of cringey and out of date references littered throughout this book. However he humanized himself immensely by the end with his emotional reflections on the passing of his mother/close friends, and his journey as a new father.
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
funny
informative
I love professional wrestling and professional wrestling memoirs for an almost-anthropological glimpse into a world very foreign to me. The world of wrestling is a bastion of old-fashioned masculine status and dominance rituals, and Chris Jericho details those hierarchy struggles with hilarious gusto. The testosterone-laced narrative, however, falls away at intriguing points to reveal a deep melancholy: the pro wrestling business is a dangerous one in many different ways, and the ghosts of Owen Hart (killed by a fall during a stunt), Eddie Guerrero (heart failure from years of battering and steroids), and Chris Benoit (murder-suicide of his wife and son) haunt the pages of this story. Add to that the death of Jericho's mother, her life shortened by an assault by her boyfriend when Jericho was 19, and some of this is pretty somber reading. Jericho keeps things from getting too grim with an engaging mix of braggadocio and self-deprecation, and he writes intelligently about various parts of the life and craft of wrestling (I was impressed by his respect for Japan and Japanese wrestling fans, for example).
My only gripe (and I almost feel guilty saying it) is that Jericho also has a band, and it's clear that he's always really, really, really wanted to be a rock star. He spends a lot of time talking about life in his band, and because he takes that part of his life more seriously than wrestling, the pace drags a surprising amount during those chapters. It's like reading Julia Child's memoirs and finding out what she really wanted to do with her life was compose haiku, so you get chapter after chapter of her poetry and earnest discussion of her persona as a poet, while you're groaning, "Get back to the food, Julia!" Jericho comes across as such a likable guy I want his band to succeed, but I'm not that interested in reading about it.
My only gripe (and I almost feel guilty saying it) is that Jericho also has a band, and it's clear that he's always really, really, really wanted to be a rock star. He spends a lot of time talking about life in his band, and because he takes that part of his life more seriously than wrestling, the pace drags a surprising amount during those chapters. It's like reading Julia Child's memoirs and finding out what she really wanted to do with her life was compose haiku, so you get chapter after chapter of her poetry and earnest discussion of her persona as a poet, while you're groaning, "Get back to the food, Julia!" Jericho comes across as such a likable guy I want his band to succeed, but I'm not that interested in reading about it.