Latest book review on Chris Jericho's "Undisputed." You don't know what you are missing, Scott. Outstanding memoirs. http://marianosaves.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/full-book-review-chris-jericho-undisputed-how-to-become-world-champion-in-1372-easy-steps/
I'm sure I'll get around to them sometime, fear not.
"Yeah, yeah, I know its been the “in” thing to do since about 2002. Blame everything on ole Trips."
ReplyDeleteHell, I've been blaming Trips ever since the fake title switch in 2000. The sight of Jericho forced to *hand over* the WWF title, having done absolutely nothing wrong or illegal in winning it, still makes my blood boil to this day. Everyone says that moment gave him the rub, but it's complete BS, especially since after Jericho handed back the title it was back into midcard hell for the rest of the year. Giving him the rub would've entailed a rematch between Jericho and Trips with Jericho wearing the belt to the ring as he'd rightfully earned and Trips cheating to steal it back. To this day, Jericho hasn't gotten over on Trips in a meaningful way a single time.
Maybe Jericho hasnt gotten over on HHH in the ring but Id say in the opinion of the fans, they certainly look more fondly on Chris and his accomplishments and that is pretty damn meaningful...
ReplyDeleteBeing that Jericho is my favourite wrestler, HHH's treatment of him has always rankled. Jericho is quite diplomatic in how he writes about Hunter in the book - there's enough in there that you can read between the lines but he never outright says "HHH was threatened that I'd take his position so he politicked me into jobberdom and a shitty feud with Chyna right off the bat."
ReplyDeleteTo his credit, Jericho blames himself for a lot of his early problems and while I'm sure he wasn't blameless (much as I love him, he does seem quite egotistical, so I could imagine him rubbing people the wrong way, coming across as a know-it-all) it's quite clear that HHH and Chyna were in Vince's ear, burying Jericho from the get-go.
Jericho's had an amazing career, obviously, but that early political BS along with the fact that he got super-over in a year where Rock and HHH were in their prime and locked on top meant that he never got the rocket strapped to him the way he could have.
On the bright side for Jericho, at least he didnt have to job to Chyna in her porn like most of the other legends....
ReplyDeleteGood point.
ReplyDeleteI remember being so happy when he became undisputed champion, remarking that at least they can never take just accomplishing that away from him .
Say what you will about how the reign turned out, I enjoyed it myself, but being the first undisputed champ is a cool accolade and brings his legacy up a notch or two in fans eyes.
I thought that the angle itself was great - Trips abusing his authority to just yank the title back from the favourite. The heat on that was molten, and I think that it did, or could have, elevated Jericho from a promising mid card guy to a main event guy.
ReplyDeleteThe follow up was the issue. Jericho needed to win the title clean as a sheet to avenge the screwjob, and that obviously didn't happen
This is the one Triple H burial that I always really felt was unfair. Booker and RVD were not worthy of the big belt, IMO, and Trips should have gone over both. But Jericho was just petty. He was ready to carry the strap.
Yet another reason why Rock is one of the best ever and HHH isn't. The Rock made Jericho look like a star, hell I think he jobbed to him 3 times in 01/02.
ReplyDeleteJericho giving the belt back was stupid, but having him job later that night in a six-man tag was dumber.
ReplyDeleteI love this book but dear god the Fozzy chapters just kill the flow of it. I get that his band is a big part of Jericho's life but I feel it would've been better if he'd just condensed the bits about them down into one or two chapters.
ReplyDeleteTriple H comes off as the most insecure douchebag ever in it too. Shooting down the Jericho/Stephanie affair because he's 'too smart' not to know his wife is cheating on him is ridiculous. Because in his mind I'm sure, the idea that Jericho could do anything better than him is insane.
Amen on Booker and RVD. The week before the switch, Nitro featured Russo coming back and a bunch of wild shit happening. The Jericho title change was just a way to pop ratngs and keep people from tuning into Nitro.
ReplyDeleteI was more pissed Jericho didn't get a ppv match Goldberg in WCW. Jericho was poised to become the Shawn Michaels of WCW.
Jericho and Chyna were feuding before Triple H and Stephanie were an official couple. Jericho got knocked for not knowing "WWF style".
ReplyDeleteI felt bad for him when he writes about the Undisputed Title win. He said he wasn't even sure until the night of that he was winning the belts, so he didn't bother flying in his wife and father.
ReplyDeleteUndisputed...the book of 1,004 name-drops
ReplyDeleteTriple H was best buddies with Vince long before he ever went south on Stephanie.
ReplyDeleteJericho is happy with his career (as he should be), and seems to get offended if anyone suggests this, but I do believe he was capable of being a bigger star than he was. He was really over in 2000, and in this book mentions he trailed only Austin and Rock in merchandise sales. He also got 50/50 reactions when he went against The Rock. He could have been the top face for a while if they let it happen.
ReplyDeleteIt also sucks that despite holding the title a few times he really hasn't gotten that one great run with it. It sounds like his Undisputed Championship reign was shitty due to Vince not being fully behind him and turning it into HHH vs Stephanie, and his world title reigns were nothing memorable. I think he won it in September, lost it in October, won it back in October, lost it in November, won it again a couple of years later in February, lost it in April...Yeah, he held the title, but they were "Swagger" reigns.
I do enjoy the part of the book where he tells Vince to go fuck himself.
That's debatable.
ReplyDeletenot really. seeing as how he was on the booking committee and best buds with HBK, who Vince had a more than healthy attachment to...
ReplyDeleteHHH was already in the inner circle before Stephanie
I wish he wouldve saved the Fozzy stuff for another book that focused only on his music career. There was some decent stuff but for the most part, it did kill the flow.
ReplyDeleteNot at all. He was already on the booking committee as early as 1997.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have had a problem with HHH going over Booker if not for the racism stuff.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was tasteless, agreed.
ReplyDeleteFor the sake of the feud, Booker needed to go over (or they could have just avoided that nonsense completely), but I wasn't upset that he didn't get the title at the time.
I am the author of the book review. Everything involving Trips with Jericho is ri-god-damn-diculous. Jericho should have been a much bigger star than he became...a transcendent star, one that could have drawn HUGE money. But HHH made him his bitch, and, as much as I actually respect HHH, that was his greatest downfall. He became sensitive about losing his #1 heel status to Jericho, hell his #1 any status to Jericho, and he had him unceremoniously buried. That flack Jericho talks about in the book about not knowing "WWF Style?" Bull. Jericho came in at a time when WWF wrestling just plain sucked. It was pure entertainment, pure Russo. Jericho actually upped the wrestling quotient of the program, and was actively punished for it.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Mr. Levesque, the Booker T WM XIX thing was unforgivable. If they don't include the racial angle, I have no problem with Mr. Steph going over there. But they went down that racial road and made Booker look inept. Booker NEEDED that win. HHH could have lost and been none worse for the wear. Terrible booking, HHH at the height of his egomania.
The great thing about Jericho's 2nd book is that it is almost a continuation, in WWF, of Bret Hart's book. HHH is a key figure in Bret and Jericho's books, a source of nothing but bad intent. Then again, HHH doesn't list either of Jericho's or Bret Hart's memoir in his top 1000. Yeah, I went there.
ReplyDeleteWriter of said review here. The College Park angle was well done, as it established Jericho as a main eventer, and solidified HHH and Steph as evil overseers. It was the later shit that was indefensible for Trips, namely the angle leading into WM 18 and, especially, Jericho losing the IC title to HHH after WM 17. The passage in the book regarding that is PRICELESS.
ReplyDeleteIf nothing else, it gave him the chance to talk about being the only guy to beat Stone Cold and the Rock in the same night for years.
ReplyDeleteNobody will ever be able to say they beat the best of their generation in the same night.
ReplyDeleteOh, thats where you are wrong. HHH loves any book where he is getting a mention. And if he is the heel in the book, he is even happier. He couldnt care any less if these guys dont like him.
ReplyDeleteTrips & Steph didn't need to be solidified as evil overseers. They'd been running amok for months prior to this and Trips had just become the FIRST HEEL EVER to successfully defend the WWF title at Wrestlemania. And Jericho didn't need to be established as a main eventer because the fans already KNEW he was main event quality. The fake title switch was nothing more than Trips humiliating Jericho by letting him grab the brass ring and then forcefully snatching it away from him for Trips' own amusement. That's my opinion and I'm stickin' to it.
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