Review: The Complete List of Jericho by Chris Jericho

The Complete List of Jericho by Chris Jericho

Recommended: yes!
For folks who are interested in wrestling, for stories from Jericho in his usual genuine, funny style, for interesting insights into other wrestlers Jericho has gotten to know over his years

Summary

The Complete List of Jericho is a one-of-a-kind pro wrestling book, compiled in a way that has never been done before and will never be done again.
Throughout his illustrious 30-year career, Chris Jericho has documented EVERY ONE of his 2,722 matches from around the world in a handwritten journal.
That artifact provides the backbone of this unique book, which also includes dozens of never-before-seen photos from Chris’s personal collection, infographics, and a collection of top-ten lists compiled by some of the biggest names in pro wrestling history AND Le Champion himself! Want to discover his best and worst matches (there were plenty), his favorite tag partners, or his favorite ring music? All these answers – and more – are in this book!
If you think you know everything about Chris Jericho from reading his four previous New York Times best-selling books, think again. The Complete List of Jericho is the definitive chronicle of the career of one of the greatest, most charismatic wrestlers of all time.

Thoughts:

First of all: it is like 70% a giant list, living up to the name of the book. Based on Jericho’s personal notebook recording and rating all of his matches ever, that content makes up the bulk of this. If you’re interested in data and patterns, like myself, then that can be pretty interesting. How much money did he make on his Japan stints compared to Mexico? What did he rate that iconic match with Kenny Omega?

Besides that though, there are some matches he gives commentary for, and sometimes other wrestlers will provide their own notes on their match with Jericho. Jericho himself has lists of tops and favorites and worsts and mosts. Plenty of other names I recognized pitched in as well with lists of their own about Jericho, matches, locations, and everything else related to wrestling.

I’m a relative newcomer to the world of wrestling, only having dove in during the past few years, but WOW did I ever quickly respect Jericho once he started in AEW and I got to know him. This book is such a fun piece of insight from him into so much more about what life wrestling is like. My favorite parts were when he commented on SOMEONE ELSE’S comments, saying that he had never known that fact about a match he was in, or that some aspect was even new to him!

I also now have my own list of matches that I will have to find recordings of to watch because reading about so many people reminiscing about how deeply they impacted them was genuinely moving and exciting, and I want to have my own little piece of that!