While this lacks the charm of A Lion’s Tale, it’s entertaining enough and in some ways more insightful.

The second volume from Jericho deals with his initial WWE run from 1999 to 2005 and his subsequent break from wrestling before returning in late 2007. That means it doesn’t have the sheer breadth of settings of its predecessor, but it does give it a very focused look at the reality of life behind the scenes in WWE.

The big strength is the book’s honesty. It’s not a WWE publication and it feels as if Jericho is giving his genuine recollections and opinions without fear of breaching protocol. It doesn’t descend into bitterness and thus makes for a well-rounded and balanced look at the unconventional workings of the company. For example, there’s plenty of the criticism that you might expect of issues such as the booking of Jericho during his Undisputed title run into WrestleMania (along with a genuinely shocking story about his payoff for the show), but also plenty of self-awareness about his struggles to adjust to the “WWE style.”

The book is also particularly strong on giving an insight into Vince McMahon’s strengths, weaknesses and unique character, as well as addressing the way Jericho remembered Chris Benoit as a close friend and struggled to mesh those memories with the horrific reality of his final days.

For some readers, the drawback of the book will be that a large proportion of it deals with Jericho’s non-wrestling activities, particularly his part in the band Fozzy. That’s not to say these sections aren’t entertaining, but they may be a weakness for those who think of themselves as WWE fans rather than Jerichoholics.

All in all though, it’s a great mix of informative and entertaining and well worth picking up.

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