Hey Lionheads!

Welcome back to another chapter of the truth.

Another unit of actuality.

Another unadulterated view into the real behind the scenes world of pro wrestling written by your hero, your role model, your party host… me, CJ!

In the business of pro wrestling, there are some legendary success stories. Much reveled tales of fame, money and dreams realized. But on the other side of the coin, there are the horrible tales told of men who have had it all, only to lose it all in the blink of an eye. Men who sell their proverbial souls and end up holding the empty bag.

Men like Rey Mysterio, Jr.

It was a short time ago (no pun intended) that Rey's career was put in jeopardy. Mysterio suffered an injury that could ultimately end his career on January 24th 1998 in Dayton, Ohio, due to a combination of my own recklessness (many say his own ineptness). Rey couldn't stand up to the responsibilities of being Cruiserweight Champ and he, like his knee, buckled under the pressure. After turning his back on the fans with horrible displays of sportsmanship, temper tantrums and roguish behavior, he was now left with nothing.

Instead of admitting that he was matched against a competitor with superior ability, strength, charisma and legions of fans on his side, Jr. tried to cheat his way through the match and ended up without a career. Let's look at the history of the little luchador.

Rey was born a simple child, heir to the Mysterio family scrape making business, but he decided at a young age that he wanted to dive up into the exciting world of pro wrestling. So he packed his paper bag, saddled up his burro and moved to the big city of Pachuca, Mexico. His first big splash in wrestling was selling tortas at the arena, due to his less than matinee idol looks, he wore his now famous mask at all times. He made his wrestling debut at the tender age of 12, and made his WCW debut at 15. Contrary to popular belief, Mysterio is only 17, not 23 as he claims, more proof of his non-stop lies. Even though his career has been cut short, he must he lauded for taking mediocre skills and size and going as far as he has. Just the fact that he stepped into the ring with a polished superstar such as myself shows that he made it.

But now that it's all over and Mysterio has to move on. I know that myself along with all of you dedicated Jericho disciples wish him the best and I hope we can learn from this horribly twisted tale.

I know you're all asking the most important question ... how am I doing?

Well of course I feel terrible that the injury occurred during my match. I knew that Rey's knee was bad and intentionally stayed away from trying to hurt it, as I would never, ever try to use something like that to gain an unfair advantage. But even my careful efforts to protect his knee couldn't save Rey from himself. As I carried Mysterio back to the dressing room after the match, he praised and applauded my efforts and thanked my for taking care of him and apologized for hurting himself.

I know it's hard, but please try to find it in your heart to forgive Jr., and let's all hope he can put his life back together. Let's learn from it as well and try to make sure that it never, ever happens again!

I'm quite happy with the response I've received regarding this column and I've received thousands of letters from all of you wonderful fans, patting me on the back for a great job in the ring and in the magazine. Check out www.chrisjericho.com for more info on your paragon of virtue. I couldn't do this without you and I accept the crown that you've bestowed upon me.

You are the wind beneath my wings.

CJ