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Without question, there are three biographies today's wrestling fan should read. The first is "Have A Nice Day," by Mick Foley. The second is "To Be The Man," by Ric Flair. The third is new in bookstores right now. It's "A Lion's Tale: Around The World In Spandex," by Chris Jericho.

Podcast: Chris Jericho Interview

Jericho? In the same literary league with Foley and Flair? Believe it, junior. In fact, Y2J's book -- which chronicles match-by-match how he broke into the big time -- might even be the best of the bunch. Jericho, who returned to WWE programming this past Monday night after a two-year break, said he's extremely happy with his tale.

"It's more of a follow-your-dreams, stranger-in-a-strange-land coming-of-age story, with wrestling as a backdrop," Jericho said. "I'm a journalism major and I've always enjoyed to write. Toward the end of my (first) tenure at WWE, when I was getting burned out, I wanted to take a step back and work on a few different things. One of the things that struck me the most was that I wanted to write a book."

The book basically takes the reader on Jericho's journey from an 8-year-old boy in Winnipeg to the first night he appeared on a WWE show. The wild, uncertain ride along the way -- with his stops in Germany, Mexico and Japan, as well as his work with ECW and WCW -- is a story Jericho figures might never be replicated.

"I think it could be possibly the last book written by a guy who got into the business this way," Jericho said. "Especially nowadays when all you have to do is open up a blog or put yourself up on YouTube and you achieve some level of fame. This is the real deal, old- school way of doing things.

"Nowadays, guys come into the business a lot quicker. You might go and train in one of the developmental territories for six months to a year and suddenly you're on TV making 100 grand a year.

"I didn't make 100 grand until I was in the business for six or seven years, but I had worked all around the world. I was a top star in Mexico. I was a top star in Japan. Even though nobody was giving me the time of day in my own country, I was still forging a name for myself in these other places.

"By the time I finally made it to WWE, I had all these different experiences to draw from, and all these different colors to paint my pictures with -- and I think that's why I was always able to think outside of the box."

Jericho said he's already considering a sequel to "A Lion's Tale," which would cover his first run in WWE (he's the only person in wrestling history to hold the WWE and WCW titles at the same time) as well his forays into acting and music. Of the latter, he said his heavy metal band Fozzy is making great strides in the United Kingdom. Don't be surprised if the band finds big success in the U.S. as well. If anything, Jericho is driven to be the best.

"I was played for the fool many, many times, but I kept coming back," he said. "The only reason I didn't give up is because it wasn't an option for me. I never thought about giving up. Never even considered it. No matter how many ridiculous things happened to me, I still kept forging on -- to my credit.

"I wrestled just 39 times in my first year. That was it. But I would take every match that I had and use it to my advantage. If I wasn't working a match, I'd be working out or thinking of match things and thinking of spots and ideas and characters -- so that when I finally got my opportunity, I was ready as much as I possibly could have been. I never gave up and I never stopped putting all of my energies into it."

And he still hasn't. On the Nov. 19 edition of WWE's "Raw," Jericho was the star attraction, returning to Vince McMahon's circus the way he came -- interrupting a huge superstar in the middle of an in-ring rant. Back in '99 it was The Rock. This time Y2J came out of nowhere to shut up Randy Orton. It was one of the best segments the show has seen in months, and Jericho was at the center of it all. But the former champ takes it all in stride.

"It's good to know that people are really interested in what I'm doing," Jericho said. "It's much better than people saying, 'You suck, we never want to see you again.'

"I'm still a fan, and I've always remained a fan. I honestly believe that I'm 99 percent the same guy that I was 17 years ago when this was just all a big fantasy and a big dream.

"It's not like I ever became a prima donna or a jerk or anything like that. And if I ever turn that way, my wife will tell me to take out the garbage and clean up the dog poop. It will put you right back in your place again."

Professor Wrestling is a masked employee of Internet Broadcasting. He also has a weekly podcast called "Old School, New School." Download EPISODE 55 (An interview with Chris Jericho) right here. Write a letter to the Professor right here. )