Chapter 3: The Boyhood Dream

Andre recalls his past childhood experiences with his number one love, wrestling.

My earliest memory, or maybe my most liked memory that grew my passion for wrestling grew the night Stone Cold Steve Austin laid out Vince McMahon in the middle of the ring and left in handcuffs. I had no idea who Stone Cold Steve Austin was up to that point, but I knew he was bold enough to cross the boss. My favoritism for him grew when he defeated Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania for the WWF Championship. Of course, wrestling wasn't really a thing in my house. I found out he won the next night on Monday Night Raw as I did for all the other pay per views. This is probably why I still hold the attitude era to a high esteem. It didn't matter if their PPVs were great or not, their television matches and promos were. Remember, I'm a kid about 8 years old at the time, so a lot of what's going on may fly over my head and bad segments if any, would just be swept under the rug named memory never to be heard of again. Somehow, I stumbled into the competition WCW during the time where the ratings were pretty even but WCW would soon be declining. I loved both. I remember anxiously flipping back and forth between the two channels to catch every match or anything I might miss while the other show was on commercial break. Most nights, I tried to keep it and my enthusiasm to a minimum so I wasn't told to go to bed for staying up past my bedtime. I had an addiction to wrestling. That man, Steve Austin, stayed a personal favorite for a very long time but I had many favorites. D-Generation X and the n.W.o, whether black and white or black and red, were the best factions around. The Rock,  Mankind, Diamond Dallas Page, Raven, Eddie Guerrero, the list could go on but you get the point. However, one man grew into my absolute idol, a man named Chris Jericho. 

My first impression of Jericho was filled with intrigue and laughter. Why a man that was a champion and was in great shape needed one man as his personal security was beyond me, but it was comedic gold. The man was named Ralphus and he was the most out of shape looking person that had ever graced the screen. He couldn't even fit his little personal security shirt but it added so great to Jericho's dynamic. Jericho could cut promos with the best of them and he could back it up in the ring. He was a high flyer with great technical ability, the best of both worlds. When he was revealed to be the "Millennium Man" on RAW, I was ecstatic and he came in red hot starting in a promo war with The Rock on Day 1. When he finally found his way to an Intercontinental Championship win, I was ready for the era of Y2J. And then they did it again when he beat Triple H for the WWF Championship, but they took that away. And they did it again when he became the first person to beat The Rock and Stone Cold in the same night and walk away the Undisputed WWF Champion, only once again to have it taken away by a returning Triple H at the following Wrestlemania. But whether, they continued to give him a big push or a smaller role he excelled and I followed with my eyes wide open. Then, the unthinkable happened Chris Jericho left to pursue dreams of being a rock star with his band Fozzy. 

But then he came back and he came back better than ever. He had a new look, he had new mannerisms and you could tell it was still Y2J but this Y2J would easily eclipse his former self. Even to this day, his promos excite me. He has been the greatest he has ever been. We are in the same business and I am still a fan. I am still a fan of professional wrestling. I think that is something else.  You could say he was a hero of mine. I followed his footsteps right into the ring, right into my dream. A dream that seemed like it was fading with every blink of the eyes. With every memory of life flashing before my eyes.