Jericho takes boot in stride

Two months ago pro wrestling superstar Chris Jericho traded his grappling boots for dancing shoes.

Jericho was among a group of contestants selected to compete in the 12th season of the hit ABC show Dancing With the Stars.

Tuesday night, following a gutty and game performance that saw Jericho make it successfully through the first four cuts, the six-time world heavyweight wrestling champion got the ballroom boot.

“It’s time for Chris Jericho the dancer to step aside and time for Chris Jericho the daddy to come back,” said Jericho, adding that he had not seen his kids in four weeks. “It wasn’t my best dance, and at this point in the competition you have to be your best every week.”

Jericho, who entered the grueling competition with little dance experience, called his partner, DWTS veteran Cheryl Burke, “a friend for life.”

“She’s really funny, and we have similar personalities, which is why I think we got along so well.”

Jericho took the fall in stride, though he did intimate that viewers may not have gotten the chance to see him and his partner in the most favorable light, possibly affecting the vote.

“Sometimes they showed more of the serious side of Cheryl and our rehearsals, whereas they’re showing Chelsea (Kane) and Mark (Ballas) have water fights and stuff like that,” he told People Magazine. “We didn’t have water fights, but we had a lot of good … fun, and they never tended to show that. Especially in the beginning, they were kind of painting a different picture.”

Jericho stresses that he and his partner had “a great time.” He was gracious — and funny — in defeat.

“It’s actually good timing that I got eliminated because I have to fly over to England for the royal wedding,” he quipped. “But I’d like to say I’m proud of all the dances we did, and I’m proud to show that a WWE guy and a rock-and-roll singer can go this far and do this.”

His dance partner said Jericho’s enthusiasm and positive attitude helped her overcome feelings of burnout going into this season.

”He helped me to be excited for this show,” Burke told reporters. “After doing it for so many seasons, sometimes you get used to the schedule. He opened up my life, reminded me to be proud of what I do.”

Still remaining in the competition are Kane, Kirstie Alley, Kendra Wilkinson, Hines Ward, Ralph Macchio and Romeo.

Jericho said he was uncertain whether he would continue dancing.

“I know six routines, (but) I don’t know where I’m going to do my six routines,” he said. “If Cheryl isn’t there, who am I going to dance with? I could try and teach it to my wife, but it would take 75 hours which is what it took (me to learn).”

Jericho was the second pro wrestling personality to take part in the program. Former WWE diva Stacy Keibler, who is featured in the new Dancing With the Stars video game, was a contestant on the show’s second season and finished third.

One of the highlights of the show for Jericho came in Week 3 when he danced the rumba to “Let It Be” by The Beatles as a tribute to his late mother, Loretta, who passed away in 2005.

“It’s funny ‘cause I don’t think she really understood wrestling,” Jericho wrote on his blog. “She watched the wrestling matches because I was on, but she had no emotional attachment to what I was doing. But she loved dancing! I remember watching ‘Solid Gold’ (a musical variety show that aired on Saturday night in the early ‘80s) with her, and she was always impressed with the Solid Gold Dancers, a troupe of hot chicks (or ‘gals’ as she called them) who would appear throughout the show like a glittery version of The Fly Girls.

“I would’ve made a great Solid Gold Dancer, my mom always said. And she would’ve. My mother was beautiful and sexy — am I allowed to say that about dear old mum? —- with a dancer’s body and a great personality. It’s because of this that I know she would be a huge ‘DWTS’ fan and would’ve watched the show religiously.”

Dancing is just the latest endeavor for the wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor and author.

The 40-year-old Canadian-American, whose real name is Chris Irvine (dad Ted Irvine played hockey for the New York Rangers), has hosted a number of reality TV and game shows in addition to fronting his own heavy metal band Fozzy. He also has had two books on the New York Times Bestseller List. “Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps” was released in February, and a previous book, “A Lion’s Tale,” cracked the bestseller list in 2007.

Jericho has been on hiatus from the wrestling business and hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since last September.

Rumors abound concerning his future. Most sources indicate that he’ll be returning to the wrestling ring sooner rather than later, and there are even reports that he’ll be touring with Metallica this summer.

Mike Mooneyham can be reached by phone at (843) 937-5517 or by e-mail at mooneyham@postandcourier.com.