 EXPLAINING Y2J By: Billy Banks After weeks of speculation on the Internet, Chris Jericho finally made his World Wrestling Federation debut on RAW this past Monday. Despite his cocky and annoying attitude, no one doubts he can make good on his promise to lead sports-entertainment into the next Millennium. However, amidst the spectacular of his first appearance on WWF Television, there are surely some viewers who are unaware of the credentials of this superstar. Millions of "Jerichoholics" circle the globe, the but fact remains that some fans have yet to become addicts to his talent. Courtesy of his official website, www.chrisjericho.com, this is your chance to learn about the man behind Chris Jericho. Jericho is a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, but spent a good deal of his youth in the 70s in New York City watching his father Ted Irvine play for the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden. Hockey was always an important part of Chris’ life, and the superstar was ready to follow in dad’s footsteps until he discovered his love for wrestling. In fact, Jericho was so profoundly influenced by Madison Square Garden and his dream to wrestle in it that, years later, he claims it was one of his reasons for signing with the Federation. According to Jericho, after graduating from college with a degree in journalism he traveled to Calgary to train with the Hart family. After three months, he made his professional debut in October of 1990 in Canada. In the years that followed, Jericho would wrestle all over the world, but eventually concentrated his efforts in Mexico and Japan where he developed his high-flying style. It was in Mexico where Jericho got his nickname of "Lionheart," but not for his golden locks. According to the superstar, when he first went to Mexico, promoters wanted him to competed under a different name than Jericho. They came up with "He-Man," but the superstar shot it down and instead offered up "Lionheart." The nickname stuck, and his career was soon on the rise. During his time competing in Canada, Jericho was a great influence on many of the young Canadian stars currently in the business. For example, Edge and Christian (both natives of Toronto) employed a similar style used by Jericho from witnessing so many of his matches. Keeping his ties to Japan, Jericho briefly competed in ECW in 1996 before moving on to WCW. There, he not only became the promotion’s cruiserweight champion on five occasions, but amassed a huge fan following as well. Seeking a greater opportunity in the industry than the company offered him, Jericho left WCW earlier this year and signed a multi-year contract with the WWF. With his mix of youth, talent and Attitude, Jericho is an athlete that fits perfectly into sports-entertainment.  LET THE COUNTDOWN TO THE "NEW" MILLENNIUM BEGIN: © a billcue creation http://billcue.wildspices.com |
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