BIO: Flamboyant Eric Embry

Real Name:  Douglas Eric Embry

Height/Weight:  5'10"/240

Signature Moves:  Piledriver, Neckbreaker

WCCW Titles Held:  WCWA Light Heavyweight Championship (five times), WCWA Tag Team Championship (with Frankie Lancaster), and WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (three times)

Notable WCCW Feuds:  Shaun Simpson, Jeff Jarrett, Devastation Inc., Jerry Lawler

Need to Know Facts:  Born Douglas Eric Embry in 1959, "The Flamboyant One" began his career in 1977, working in such territories as Eddie Graham's Championship Wrestling from Florida and Joe Blanchard's Southwest Championship Wrestling (based in San Antonio).

In Florida, as babyface (or good guy) "Nitro" Eric Embry, Eric enjoyed his initial wrestling success, capturing the territory's NWA Florida Television Championship on December 26, 1981 in a tournament.  Florida's TV Title at this time was the second most prestigious singles' belt in the territory.  He would go on to battle the likes of Ray Stevens, Dory Funk, Jr., David Von Erich and others.

While in the Southwest territory, Embry teamed up with the late Ken Timbs (and later Dan Greer), in a tandem known as The Fabulous Blondes.  As a member of the Blondes, Embry would go on to win the Southwest Tag Team Championship on five separate occasions (three times with Timbs, and twice with Greer).

After the Southwest territory dried up, Eric spent the majority of 1985 and 1986 wrestling for Capitol Sports Promotions' World Wrestling Council (WWC) in Puerto Rico.  While there, Embry held the organization's WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship (twice), the WWC Junior Heavyweight Championship (he weighed in at 225 lbs. at this time), and also the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship on two occasions.

Embry entered World Class Championship Wrestling in March 1987, going on to become the promotion's first ever Light Heavyweight champion in September of that year.  He was put into a program with Shaun Simpson with the title exchanging hands between the two grapplers on more than one occasion.

Eric's only pay-per-view appearance came on December 13, 1988 in Chicago, Illinois as part of the American Wrestling Association's Superclash 3, which the AWA co-promoted along with World Class, the Memphis territory (then known as the CWA), and POWW (Powerful Women of Wrestling, run by former GLOW promoter David McLane).  Embry, who had lost the WCWA Light Heavyweight Title to Jeff Jarrett on November 24, 1988 in Jackson, TN, regained the belt from Jarrett in 4:13 on the PPV.  He would hold the title for a little over two weeks before losing it to Cactus Jack Manson (Mick Foley);  however, Eric defeated Manson for the title in a January 4, 1989 rematch, holding it until April 7 of that year when Embry won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Title.

It was around this time that Jerry Jarrett bought a controlling share of the financially troubled World Class promotion from the Von Erichs and Ken Mantell, and entrusted Embry as his booker. While many fans and wrestlers alike have criticized Embry for pushing himself too hard, it was hard to argue with the results he produced.  "Eric was and is a bright person with tremendous drive and a strong work ethic," Jarrett told WCM. "He was full of good ideas, knew the wrestling history of the promotion, and was willing to make great sacrifice to rebuild the business."

In the last few years prior to Embry taking over the book, the Dallas Sportatorium struggled to reach half its capacity of 4500 after years upon years of selling out.  However, in a relatively short period of time, Embry turned WCCW's fortunes around, and professional wrestling in the Dallas/Fort Worth area was exciting again; and for a change, the promotion's top good guy was no longer a Von Erich -- it was The Flamboyant One!

An angle was soon run where Embry lost a loser-leaves-WCCW bout, and was later brought back into the fold by manager Percy Pringle III via a write-in campaign in order to stop General Skandor Akbar's Devastation Inc. from taking control of World Class.  (In reality, Jerry Jarrett was forced to rename the organization after a dispute with the Adkisson family regarding the sale of the rights to the World Class Championship Wrestling name.)  A match was ultimately set for August 4, 1989 at the Sportatorium, where newfound fan favorite Embry, now seconded by his manager Percy Pringle III, would take on Devastation member P.Y. Chu-Hi (Phil Hickerson, seconded by Tojo Yamamoto) in a steel cage. The match's stipulation stated that the winner would gain controllership of the promotion, a majority share of which was said to be "owned" by General Skandor Akbar and his associates.  To the delight of the Sportatorium fans, Embry was victorious, signaling the end of an era as World Class Championship Wrestling would now be rechristened the USWA (United States Wrestling Association).

Embry continued to wrestle for USWA Dallas until it closed in mid-1991, then performed for a promotion based in Baton Rouge, LA where he would rekindle his feud with Skandor Akbar and his army.

Unfortunately, in late 1992, Eric Embry's wrestling career came to an end due to serious injuries he sustained in a car accident in Kentucky.  He has since worked as a licensed electrician, and regularly communicates online with longtime fans who fondly recall the Flamboyant One's glory days in the squared circle.