First off let me start off saying I wish I could have come
up with a better name then Wrestling Respect. I’m not calling it a hall of
fame. First of all there’s no physical hall but whatever. The real reason is
that you don’t have to be famous or a superstar to get into Wrestling Respect.
Well WWE’s Hall of Fame doesn’t have those requirements either but we care
about not BS’ing our readers here at rants of wrestling. All we want is to
inform pay respect to those who deserve it.
Is Hulk Hogan going to get in? No. Does Eric Bischoff have a
chance? Hell no. What about Vince McMahon? Just because a guy earns a lot of money
on the backs of others doesn’t earn my respect. I’m open to someone doing a
guest post if I don’t want to induct someone. But let me tell you who I’ll
induct before all those guys…
Eric Embry is from a small town in Kentucky. His grandmother was a wrestling fan and he became one as well. He paid several hundred dollars to be trained in wresting and like many to come after him he was screwed. Thankfully Embry had some political pull and was able to get his money back and more. He was able to breakout in wrestling after a phone conversation with Jerry Jarrett's wife.
Early in his career Embry had a fateful encounter with the wife of the legendary Lou Thesz which lead to Embry becoming his protegee and gave him a reputation that would follow him for the rest of his life.
Embry was also a very intelligent businesses man a booker. He took promoted his home town where wrestling have never been before. He was also able to take The NWA Tri State Tag Team Championship and get the money he felt he was screwed out of when leaving for Championship Wrestling from Florida.
Eric Embry had his first taste of the main event spot when Thesz got him booked to wrestle in Mexico. Finding himself unable to work lucha libre he asked a Mexican worker to work the American style with him. Well because Embry had introduced psychology to the Mexican fans he found himself becoming a major heel in the country, where he became UWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion.
He traveled to many territories. From Canada to Hawaii. From Memphis to Portland. Embry would find himself being booked in a major program with Tully Blanchard in Southwest Wrestling who had programming on The USA Network. In fact it would be Embry who made the call to Vince McMahon telling him they would never sell their TV slot before financial troubles lead to Vince buying it.
World Class Championship Wrestling was in dire trouble in 1986 and Bruiser Brody had begged his friend Embey to wrestler in the promotion. It wasn't long before Brody was fired and Gary Hart was made the new booker with Embry as his assistant. While in WCCW Embry had promoted a sell out show and had made a business deal to split the profit with Fritz Von Erich. This had really impressed Von Erich.
Once Jerry Jarrett took over World Class he made Eric Embry the head booker. With Embry was head booker World Class began selling out arenas again and saved the promotion for extinction. Jarrett told Embry that he must book himself at the main star of the promotion. With his great ring psychology and his knowledge of what fans wanted Embry was able to headline sold out shows without a Von Erich on the cards.
After a falling out with Jarrett "The Flamboyant One" left pro wrestling for a second time. Having trouble drawing houses it wasn't long before Jarrett called Embry to book his Memphis territory. Ultimately without Jerry Lawler's cooperation Embry was unable to do what he had done for Jarrett in Dallas. It wouldn't be long after that Embry would be in a car crash. Even though he was able to heal from that injury Embry decided it was best that he left the wrestling business all together to be home with his family. He would not surface again until an RF shoot interview a few years ago.
Eric Embry is known for not having the best body for wrestling. But he was great in the ring and was able to tell great stories in the ring. In was very over with fans before his major push in World Class and The USWA. In fact he gotten very over when he was being beaten. He was a very smart businessman and a great booker, saving World Class Championship Wrestling from demise. He was complimented by both Fritz Von Erich and Jerry Jarrett.
Maybe most wrestling fans won't recognize the name but without a doubt Eric Embry had left a mark on pro wrestling in Dallas, Texas and was a great in ring performer and I'm more then happy to make him the first inductee into The Rants of Wrestling's Wrestling Respect list.
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