Chris Jericho: I Joined ‘Dancing With the Stars’ to Make My Son Smile

A lot of a people have been asking me why I decided to do ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ There are lots of reasons, and the feeling I had Monday night when I finished in initial place was one of them. (Technically I finished in a three-way tie for initial, but that is nitpicking now, isn’t it?) Following a case of the jitters in week 1, I was ecstatic with my performance in week two. I really felt in the groove, in the pocket and within the moment. I also felt like I was wearing a World War II army helmet with all of the goop and greasy-kid stuff that was squelched (enjoyable word!) in my hair.

But that is component of the enjoyable of ‘DWTS,’ is not it? Every day is really a veritable Halloween, where everyone can wear as a lot spandex, rhinestones, guyliner and hair items as they want and still look somewhat cool doing so. It is the epitome of show bizness, baby!

It was also gratifying to hear the judges’ positive comments, particularly when Bruno Tonioli upgraded me from a “dancing beast” to a “dancing gazelle,” which I assume means I have a lot much better posture and stepping qualities. Next time I party in the Serengeti, I’ll make certain to take a look at some gazelles.

It was also good to hear Len Goodman say that, whilst he was expecting me to be a plodding lump farting across the dance floor, he was pleasantly surprised at how light on my feet I was and how effortless I looked. Whilst I’ve made a career off of low expectations, becoming light on my feet could be my secret weapon. It’s actually among the most important qualities of a good wrestler, and I was a great wrestler.

But now I’m transforming into a dancer. I’m the Black Swan of ‘DWTS’! I may be just a little beefier than Natalie Portman (and not as pretty), but you get where I’m coming from.

This transformation was evidenced by my 7-year-old son Ash’s reaction to my performance. You may have observed him — the cute small blond guy in the dapper suit who was sitting between two hot blondes (my wife Jessica and WWE diva Maryse) in the front row of the audience. He was holding his arms up within the air and screaming as if he was signaling for a field objective in the world’s most exciting football game.

Ash has usually appreciated my wrestling career, but he never truly paid too much attention to my matches. Nevertheless, after the ‘DWTS’ show, he ran across the room and jumped into my arms with the biggest smile on his face. He said, “You had been awesome, Dad! You’ve got nothing to worry about. All my friends are going to vote for you! You were great!” My heart melted.

So that is the real reason why I decided to do ‘DWTS’ — I wanted to have my son sit in the front row and tell me I did great. As a father (and a dancing gazelle), it’s a moment I’ll never forget.

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