Eric Embry [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Every once and a while, RF Video pulls off a real coup. They either score a guest who makes an exceptional showing (sometimes people who have been tight-lipped or dull elsewhere), they giving someone the time of day and they really deliver the goods or, in this case, they bring in someone who never does shoot interviews or has been MIA for years. Eric Embry has not been much seen or heard from in nearly 20 years and like Dave Schultz, Austin Idol and several other people who have done shoot interviews in the past few years, he has a lot to say! I am always a sucker for those laid-back Southerners who use the same phrases over and over ("sonuvagun worker") and put themselves over like a million bucks. Eric Embry certainly has his critics and if you believe much of what he says here, you'd think he had the "quickest mind for pro-wrestling in the business" (which apparently Jerry Jarrett stated), to here him talk about causing riots in Mexico, bringing Dallas back to life and keeping Puerto Rico rocking and rolling after Luke Williams' famed tenure. Embry details his whole career in good detail and seems to be fairly straight-forward. He has people he dislikes, did not see eye-to-eye with and developed heat with, but he does not really bury people out of spite. Even Jerry Lawler, who he admits to disliking more than anyone, he credits as one of pro-wrestling's greatest performers.

The Bad
I recall seeing Eric Embry in the Apter Mags as a kid and wondering what all the fuss was about. To look at him, he seems like a short, chubby generic heel. Once I saw him actually work though, I could understand how he amassed as much power as he did. He is an excellent worker, talker and entertainer. He has his critics still, but after hearing his perspective, I tend to feel he is unnecessarily blamed for killing World Class, ending wresting in Texas and overly pushing himself (he claims that Jerry Jarrett told him to push himself as the top babyface). Embry really needs to get some more media (KFC Guest Booker, perhaps?). I did feel that he embellished his accomplishments a tad, but not so much that I'd say this shoot interview is laden with with lies and falsehoods.

The Rating: ****