When asked for his thoughts on Chris Jericho’s forthcoming autobiography, Mick Foley commented that he was enjoying reading the book, but “suddenly, all that enjoyment stopped as a wave of momentary panic crashed right into my literary ego. ‘Oh no,’ I thought. ‘What if this book is better than mine?’ ”

With all due respect to the hardcore legend and New York Times best-selling author, I recently finished reading an advanced copy of Jericho’s A Lion’s Tale: Around the World in Spandex, and I think it is better than Foley’s Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks, which has been the measuring stick for wrestling books since it’s 1999 release.

I’m a big fan of Foley’s work, but I think the reason I enjoyed Jericho’s memoir a little more is because I identify more with him. Unlike Foley, jumping off of a roof and having part of my ear severed and my two front teeth knocked out never appealed to me. Jericho and I, however, are around the same age and share similar interests, such as an affinity for metal music – especially Kiss, Rush and Saxon (all this time I thought my best friend from childhood and I were the only people who knew about this 1980s British band) – pop culture trivia and, of course, pro wrestling. Like Jericho, I dreamed of growing up to become a pro wrestler as a kid. The big difference is that he had the courage and determination to pursue his dream, and I didn’t.

A Lion’s Tale, which is scheduled to be released Oct. 25, chronicles Jericho’s journey from his days as a wrestling-obsessed youth in Winnipeg to the night he made his WWE debut by appearing on Monday Night Raw and interrupting The Rock’s promo. That journey included stops in Mexico, Germany and Japan in addition to his stints in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, ECW and WCW. After reading the book, you can’t help but have a deep appreciation for Jericho’s perseverance, his passion for the business, the pride he takes in his work and the hardships he endured to become a wrestling superstar.

As much as I talked about wanting to be a wrestler when I was a boy, there were several stories in the book that made me glad that I chose a different path than Jericho. Like the time he was robbed at gunpoint on a barren road in Mexico, and when Keith Hart stretched him at a wrestling camp in Calgary. There also was the time he was nearly paralyzed after landing on his head during a match. I certainly wasn’t envious of his living conditions in Hamburg, Germany, either, as he called a tiny, roach-infested hotel room with no bathroom home for six weeks.

What makes A Lion’s Tale such a good read is that Jericho has some great stories to tell and he proves to be a great storyteller. Jericho did have a co-author, but it is definitely not an “as-told-to” book, and I could hear Jericho’s voice while reading it. The book is full of pop culture references, witty punch lines and hilariously bizarre tales. I laughed out loud several times, especially while reading a chapter titled “Strange Kentucky People.” I also enjoyed his take on some of wrestling’s colorful characters. Having crossed paths with a few of those mentioned in the book – namely Vampiro, Paul Heyman, Balls Mahoney, Goldberg and Lance Storm – I think his observations were dead-on.

While A Lion’s Tale is written mostly in a humorous vein, there also are some serious matters covered, such as the incident that left Jericho’s mother a paraplegic, and the deaths of close friends Art Barr and Eddie Guerrero and his hero, Owen Hart. Obviously, the late Chris Benoit, who was Jericho’s friend and mentor, is featured prominently. There is no mention of the Benoit family deaths, however, as the book was completed a month before the killings. When I interviewed Jericho last month, he said that he was going to “subtract a couple things” in regard to Benoit before the book is published. “I had to write an author’s note explaining that this is the guy from these years and not the guy [who did these terrible, horrible crimes],” Jericho said.

What I liked best about the book is that it came across as a sincere and honest account of Jericho’s life through 1999 with no pretense. Jericho is secure enough with himself to share some embarrassing moments with readers, such as getting star struck around celebrities, making bad first impressions and the unfortunate result of his first sexual encounter. Hopefully, Jericho someday will write a book about his WWE years with the same humor and honesty of A Lion’s Tale.