Last year Wrestling World published an article on a tremendously capable, young blond athlete known as "Sudden Impact" Chris Jericho. This powerful and extremely energetic wrestler, it was predicted, would rapidly be climbing to the top of the ratings and the fans would take him into their hearts in no time at all. And that is exactly what happened!
On his way to becoming an international superstar, Chris Jericho has gained a reputation as a capable, high-flying, energetic wrestler and fans are turning out wherever he appears. The fact that he is only 24 years old doesn't force the Canadian-born powerhouse to hold back at all--quite the contrary.
"I have strength, energy, and lots of stamina; I think my youth is to my advantage," Jericho said during a recent interview with Wrestling World. "I have wrestled matches in the ring for as long as 22 minutes, much of the time being in the air, up and over my opponent, and it truly didn't wear me down at all.
"Besides that, the few extra pounds that I put on, which I really need, haven't slowed me down a bit. I utilize the extra strength and power during every moment in the ring. And I think I've picked up a great amount of knowledge this last year; I'm ready to take anyone who will accept my challenge."
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Chris was always using his athletic abilities as a youngster, excelling in football, wrestling and hockey during his high school days. The coaches were always after him to join the team because they were well aware that Jericho was a capable, determined athlete with plenty of extra ability to contribute.
"My favorite was football," he recalls. "I liked the competitiveness, the hard workouts, and that's when I began building size and bulk, because in high school I wasn't overly big or muscular. It was the first major opportunity I had to be introduced to the whole concept of major weight training and bodybuilding. Within about six or eight months I saw myself obtain some incredible gains and I had a few good coaches who helped contribute to my daily routine.
"Those days were, to me, a good introduction to the weight training-regimen which I took a real interest and liking to."
After two years of football, Jericho was suddenly referred to the local wrestling team but his sights and priorities had been on football.
"I didn't know too much about wrestling, and frankly, at the time, I didn't have too much interest, mainly I guess because I liked the idea of a whole team, an outdoor stadium, big crowds. But then I took a serious interest in wrestling--mainly at the coach's suggestion--and I discovered a whole new world. I had watched the matches on television, but I knew that was professional wrestling, which was somewhat different from amateur wrestling. But after practicing and being instructed on the mat, I realized how much I really liked it.
"This was something completelynew to me. I liked the one on one competitiveness of it as opposed to the teammate approach; I knew instantly that I wanted to learn all I could about this new sport."
Jericho gained quite a bit of knowledge then, which he feels is helping him with his professional career today. He says, "the professionals are bigger--much bigger--and much rougher. They break the rules much more, sometimes they get away with it, sometimes not. The rules are completely different, and of course, the fans are different. But I love every minute of it!"
The high-flying Jericho has found tremendous success on the international wrestling scene, as he has recently become quite a star in Mexico. Jericho, known as Lionheart Chris Jericho south of the border, has found tremendous popularity in a fairly short time.
In just eight months, Lionheart has appeared on the cover of three different wrestling magazines published in Mexico; has never, to date, lost a match, and in a controversial hair-versus-hair match against The Cromagnon, a highly-rated and extremely vicious wrestler, Lionheart won the match.
"I wasn't about to lose my hair, let's put it that way," he said with a laugh, "and although he didn't want to either, it was either him or me. I caught him off guard a few times, then finally propelled off of the top rope and won the bout. The fans were yelling and clapping as they held him down and shaved his head completely."
Jericho discovered another capable wrestler and the two became friends and successful tag team partners. El Dundy and Jericho have formed quite a combination and added to their list of accomplishments is their recent exciting victory over Texano and The Silver King. (This team wrestled for the WCW as The Silver Kings last year.)
The bout was held before a huge crowd of 15,000 excited fans in Arena Mexico and was quite an exciting bout.
"We were worried for a while there. I think it was the toughest tag match we've ever experienced," Chris explained. "They used a lot of double-teaming and illegal moves, but we used our own psychology on them and we came out ahead. I'm looking forward to many other tag bouts in the months ahead. I think we are ready to take on just about any team."
Jericho explained that when he first became interested in wrestling, and after a bit of experience, he preferred single matches--one-on-one compeition, as opposed to tag bouts--but now he says that with the right partner he much prefers tag bouts.
"But having the right partner is the key," he added. "I discovered a good partner in El Dundy because he is behind me all the way, and me for him, too. We practice together, work out together, study wrestling videos constantly, and we create new holds, new moves and ideas all the time. That's what makes a good, competitive team.
"I like a strong, fast, acrobatic team like, say, The Steiner Brothers, Scott and Rick. They work extremely well together, and they use a lot of high-flying moves on their opponents. That's the way I think a team should wrestle, and that's how I want to be."
Jericho has teamed successfully with other well known superstars, including Atlantis, Japanese superstar Ultimo Dragon, and King Haku. Lionheart's current rival in Mexico is against the Mexican wrestling sensation Master Negro Casas.
"Although Casas is a rule-breaker who would like to defeat me, then send me to the hospital, I am learning a lot every time I wrestle him," Lionheart said. "He has inflicted pain on me, I admit, but I think I've surprised him quite a bit, too. He has much more experience than I do, which simply means that every time we meet up, I pick up on a few new holds."
Seeing Jericho in the ring is like nothing else. He runs down the aisles to the applause of the fans, and they try to shake his hand or slap him on the back, and he suddenly jumps into the ring and leaps over the top rope onto the mat and waves to the fans. He is all smiles and positive energy, which is another reason for his success and popularity with the fans wherever he travels.
He uses a variety of exciting moves, such as dropkicks, takedowns, reversals, headlocks, flying mares, tackels, suplexes and clotheslines, but perhaps the most thrilling is when he climbs to the top rope and leaps off onto his opponent.
"I've put quite a few opponents out of commission for a few weeks," he says with a smile. The good-looking athelete's favorite move is an extremely controversial one, a finishing hold that he has researched and copyrighted, that is similar to a moonsault maneuver. In Mexico, fans have begun calling it "The Lionsault." Jericho picks up his opponent high in the air, then he slams him mat with all his power (which is quite a bit!) then quickly climbs to the top rope, then leaps off, flipping backwards in the air, landing on top of his fallen foe. To date, this incredible maneuver has never let him down.
At such a tender age, Jericho has won and held his share of championships. In his home country, he has held the Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling Heaviweigh championship, which he won from big Biff Wellington before a sell-out crowd.
The high-flying blond has also wrestled in Germany, Japan, and many parts of the United States. He has had a few televised bouts for Bay Area Wrestling, televised in Northern California, and he had some exciting matches against Hawkeye Shane Kody and The Mask.
As of this writing, he is scheduled for another tour of Mexico, which will take him through to Thanksgiving, then is scheduled for eight weeks of wrestling throughout Germany.
Jericho now has the size, strength and experience to land a job in a major United States promotion. Two smaller independents, as well as one of the Big Two, has already been in touch with Jericho regarding his signing a contract with them.
"I'm going to wait until I return from my two tours, then by the end of the year I will have something concrete--which means 1995 will be the year for Lionheart Chris Jericho. And there's no question that I will be perfecting my each and every move in the meantime."
The 235-pounder currently spends four to five days per week, for at least two hours per day, training with heavy weights at the gym. In addition, he enjoys running and jogging for about a mile a day, three days a week. He wrestles an average of three nights per week--more when he's on a heavy tour such as the upcoming one--and he watches televised matches and videos so he can learn from what other wrestlers are doing. Jeircho's eyes are always open.
He recently had a lucrative offer to do some jeans, swim wear and tank top clothing modeling-- because of his good looks and strong physical build--but his schedule is imply too busy to allow any time for extra jobs and activities.
"Wrestling is my true love, and I want to devote all of my strength and attention to this sport, nothing else," Jericho said.
And The Lionheart, Chris Jericho, certainly has chosen the right sport. The wrestling fans seem to be behind him all the way, and we certainly predict that he will become one of the great superstars of the New Year!
