Eric Embry

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[Tim Evans]

I'm surprised to see Embry listed. If this was a favorite wrestler list, he'd be in my top 5 easily. His run from his babyface turn in Texas in 89 to when he turned babyface in 1992 to feud with the Moondogs is one of my favorite runs of any wrestler. The feuds with Akbar, Dirty White Boy, Super Medicos, Lawler, Jarrett, etc are all good to really great. With that said, I don't know if I could vote for him as one of the greatest of all time. He had a sorta short run and I haven't see much of his pre 88 matches.

[Dylan Waco]

Embry was completely awesome in Puerto Rico. Really one of the best guys we have from the 80s PR footage, though a few of his absolute best performances are JIP with a huge chunk of each match missing. Still he is incredible on the entire tag tourney show from 86, and has a complete brawl v. Invader I that is a hidden classic

[WingedEagle]

Embry would definitely be near the top of the list of my favorite wrestlers who don't make my GOAT 100. Long live the sleaze.

[Phil Schneider]

He has a fair number of on tape classics, there are probably as many great Embry matches as great Tommy Rich matches on tape . Definitely a guy who is hurt by 90's MSC matches not making tape, but I can see an argument for sure

[broccoman]

That's my knock on him- his run of greatness was too short, but it was ever so great.

 

Part of the reason I'm so high on Dean Ambrose is because he just reminds me of Eric Embry in so many ways. Embry could wrestle, brawl, and just sleaze in a way that was so awesome fans would come around and start loving the sleaze. I really want to see the PR stuff now, most of my knowledge of him is World Class and Memphis.

 

The Superclash III match vs a very young Jarrett I thought was pretty solid as well.

 

He is one of my all-time favs.

[goodhelmet]

Until they bring back blood or Ambrose gets his eye kicked in by a coked-up Pat Tanaka, I can't put Ambrose in the same category as Embry. Phil is probably right about the amount of top performances but Rich feels better. Plus, Embry wasn't on our Top 5 bleeders or featuring Donny in Alabama.

[DR Ackermann]

Dylan is spot on with that Embry/Invader match. That match is awesome. Right up there with Hansen/Funk and that is one of my favorite match-ups ever. Embry even gives Invader a piledriver onto a table and its only 1986. Everyone who is voting in this should check that match out and then start looking into the rest of both guys' work.

[DylanZero]

The amount of JIP or flat out not making tape matches are likely to rob this guy of a spot on many lists. He did his thing and did it SO well, throughout Memphis as well as Texas alone there's no doubt in my mind he's got a strong case for a good showing if we had everything, especially once we get to the Puerto Rico stuff. He's just so good I can say with confidence that he'll be on my list, likely outside of the top 80 due to those unfortunate factors but man, when it comes down to the nitty gritty I hope people don't forget this name late...

[JerryvonKramer]

I have a bunch of Florida stuff that seems to feature Embry quite strongly. I haven't watched through it yet and he might just be a jobber, but he's all over those cards.

[Dylan Waco]

As I have thought about this project today I keep coming back to Embry as a guy where I understand the arguments against him (relatively short run of greatness, lack of footage for other runs and/or JIP footage, et), but I just can't see not voting for him. In some ways he is similar to Smothers to me as a guy who always hung out on the margins of wrestling, but I think he made the most of that time in an even more impressive fashion than Smothers. That's not say I think he was better than Tracy necessarily, but when I look at Embry's best stuff I think it is better than Smothers and it is also broader in scope. 1989 was one of the best years ever for in ring work, and yet working in a fed that had been dead on it's ass prior to him taking things over, Embry was able to renew interest and produce some great and memorable matches as a face. In Puerto Rico whenever he was around (most notably 86 as I recall, but he was in and out), he was an incredible performer, having some of the best matches in the history of the island in both singles and tags - as a heel. The Memphis stuff and Southwest stuff I've seen I've all liked, but Embry is weird case of a guy I have such a visceral reaction to based on a couple of relatively brief runs that I find it hard to even dream of not including him.

[broccoman]

Embry would easily make my list, despite my arguments. His runs in World Class and Memphis are enough to do it for me. If his Puerto Rico stuff is better...

[djhaigh]

I have loved every Embry performance I have ever seen, but I need to really binge on his highlights to know how high I can get away with putting him. I am going to need some help here. I've seen the Invader match mentioned above, and all his 80's set appearances.

 

What else do I need to be tracking down? Who can pitch the top 5 Embry matches?

[Tim Evans]

Any of the Embry/Rick Valentine vs Super Medicos matches. The DWB matches from Memphis. Also his feud with Lawler. The bad thing about these is most of the full matches were in the Mid South Coiseum and we only have clips. Also the match vs Tully Blanchard in Southwest.

[Stosh]

I just wanted to echo what others have said about his Puerto Rico stuff. It is top notch. I know most people know him from his Texas and Memphis runs which are great. But from what I can tell his truly best stuff was in PR. Embry is damn awesome.

[Smack2k]

Embry's Puerto Rico matches I have watched are top notch, so I agree 100% with Dylan there....

 

But what makes Embry for me is his Dallas run..His 1989 run stands on its own as being classic and amazing with so much good shit happening weekly and him putting on good to great TV matches with various opponents...even into 90 and 91, he's great...The Akbar feud is one of my top 3 or 4 feuds of all time and has highlight after highlight in it during its run and it brought Dallas back to life. He made people forget about all the issues with the Von Erichs, pushed that all aside and had a damn fine run on top against all of Devastation Inc.

 

What is a little underrated, to me, is his work pre-89 in Dallas, 87-88 timeframe. The promotion was dead, but he was a cocky arrogant prick that just seemed to sleazy and was a breath of fresh air in those times. His light heavyweight matches with Shaun Simpson arent half bad and I even enjoyed his tag run with Frankie Lancaster, all due to Embry being the sleazy, pudgy dude you wanted to knock the shit out of, while watching him sneak his way to tag titles, and singles titles...

[JazeUSA]

He is currently in my top 100 based on his Texas/Memphis runs alone, I need to see the Puerto Rico stuff

[Parties]

Need to revisit his 80s Memphis stuff. His USWA "Texas vs. Tennessee" run is fantastic: such a great promo and all of the wild stuff they did (bringing in Dr. Tom as his Roddy Piper, Miss Texas coming out while Gilbert describes how Memphis men must walk their women on leashes three times a day, wrapping Eddie Gilbert in barbed wire, giving Dave Brown a heel faction that could turn him into a Lance Russell-caliber performer) was all so great that I didn't even mind that he's turned to 11 every single time and largely operates in the mode of raving lunatic with little variation. The promo where he talks about how he plans to kill Gilbert while Brown just squints at him with disgust was really something.

 

I watched the Invader I match and it honestly kind of just seemed like a pretty standard brawl. Maybe I've been spoiled by seeing pier six chaos so much in PR, but this didn't feel like the best stuff with Hansen, Colon, Hugo, Travis, etc. Roberto Clemente's tough to beat. For comparison I love the Invader I-Leo Burke boxing match so much more. I can appreciate that the match is something novel for '86, but when you look at the Memphis set you see a fair number of guys kicking or greater amounts of ass before, during, and after.

 

I really like Embry a lot as a character and even in-ring. He's gonna end up being an under the wire borderline pick where depending how much more I watch he could be as high as #80 or not make my ballot at all.