Thanks to Brian Washington for passing along the following report:
Chris Jericho on the Joe McDonnell Experience
Former undisputed WWE World Champion Chris Jericho called into the Joe McDonnell Experience on KLAC AM 570 on Monday night to promote his book âA Lionâs Tale: Around the World in Spandexâ as well as to talk about several other topics. The interview is available for download for podcasting at http://www.am570radio.com. These are some of the highlights from the interview.
– In the opening, Joe and Chris talked about Chrisâ new hairstyle and he admitted that for years he was wearing a wig in the ring. Joe, in a joking manner, pointed out that it was definitely one of the ways that wrestlers protected each other in the ring. This also gave Chris a chance to relate a very funny anecdote relating to his other favorite sport, hockey. Chris said that one night he was at a hockey game and saw Bobby Hull get into a fight. During the fight the other player ripped a piece of Hullâs weave out of his hair and the next thing he knew Hull was beating the crap out of the other guy.
– Chris said that the book, which is currently number-two on the Amazon.com non-fiction sales list, covered his career up to his arrival in WWE. He said that he wanted to tell the story about how his travels throughout the various promotions in Mexico, Japan, Germany and America helped give him valuable experience that would help him later in his career and that the book ends with his arrival in WWE.
– Chris also talked about a rather scary experience he had with some members of the Yakuza during some drunken mischief that involved a flower pot that he threw up in the air and broke.
– He also brought up a rather embarrassing moment that occurred when he was a kid. He said that one Sunday when he was about ten he went to church and the minister brought him up in front of church and when he announced that Chris wanted to be a wrestler that the whole congregation laughed at him.
– Jericho also said that he was still somewhat âold schoolâ in his approach to the business due to the fact that he never used the book to bury anyone but to talk about what brought him to the top of the business.
– When the conversation turned to Chris Benoit, Jericho said that everything that happened in regards to that is still with him to this day. He talked about the fact that Benoit pretty much was not just a mentor to him, but that he was also like a big brother. In fact, early in Jerichoâs career he was nearly booked as Benoitâs brother and was going to form a tag team with him and he was going to be called Rob Benoit. In fact, Jericho said that he finished the book a month before the tragedy happened and was torn about whether or not to delete any references to Benoit. However, he kept it in because he was able to separate the Benoit that did those horrific things from the one that was his friend. Also, he dedicated a special forward to the âRabid Wolverineâ.
– Joe then asked Chris whether or not he was coming back to WWE. All Jericho said was that when he quit the business a few years ago that he pretty much had been burned out, but that his time away has rejuvenated his batteries and that when, and if, he returns it will be on his own terms.
There also was a lot of talk about an incident that happened between Chris and a Dave Samenko (who Joe also had a run in with) and Chris promoted his appearances Wednesday night at Borders in Torrance and Thursday night at Book Soup in West Hollywood and his careers in movies, music and comedy. This definitely was a great interview.
