Former Gardner-Webb athlete appears on All Elite Wrestling
No matter the sport, every young athlete dreams of one day joining the professional ranks. For Henrietta native Chase Emory, that dream came true on Jan. 17 when he stepped into the ring for his debut match as part of the popular All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) Dark Elevations show. In front of a large crowd at Raleigh’s PNC Arena, Emory and tag team partner Patrick Scott took on the veteran duo known by the stage name “Private Party.”
Even though Emory lost the match, he hopes his appearance with AEW, which draws an average of 526,000 viewers weekly on cable networks TBS and TNT, is the next step that will lead to pro wrestling stardom.
“This is just the beginning of my career,” Emory said. “I am 23, and I was one of the youngest guys in the AEW locker room. I was a little nervous. I had to make sure I knew where all the cameras were and be looking at them. Overall, it was just an awesome experience being around the big stars.”
A love of wrestling
Emory’s wrestling journey began in Rutherford County at the age of 7 when he joined Richard Cox’s Real Life Wrestling Club before moving to the Strong and Courageous Wrestling Club. Emory also found success on the high school level at Chase High School. As a senior in 2017, Emory posted a 60-6 record on his way to winning the State Championship in the 170 pound weight class, the third state title in program history.
“Chase was always a hard worker,” former Trojan wrestling coach Adam Dedmon said. “I kind of figured he would get into pro wrestling or MMA because he would talk about it a lot. I saw his match the other night and I thought he did a great job. It was good to see him in the ring and I hope he gets another chance.”
Emory says he has indeed loved pro wrestling from a young age, with WWE Superstars Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels and the late Eddie Guerrero among his favorites.
“I idolized those guys,” Emory said. “One of the main reasons was that they were all amateur wrestlers before they turned pro. I watched them every Monday and Friday nights, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
Emory also tapped into Rutherford County’s surprisingly rich pro wrestling history.
“I don't think many people realize that Rutherford County has a lot of good professional wrestlers in it,” Emory said. “Derek Driver is one of the top professional wrestlers in the southeast and is an East Rutherford Alumni. Chris Hamrick wrestled in ECW and went to Chase. Erik Anton, Myric Moore and Robert “Big Country” Ordway are all Rutherford County natives. All these guys have been very helpful to me in my young career.”
After graduating from Chase, Emory wrestled for both UNC Pembroke and Gardner-Webb during his college career. He cracked the Runnin’ Bulldogs starting lineup in 2019, but did not find much success in Boiling Springs.
“My college career did not go how I wanted it to, but I can say I was a D-I starter in college wrestling,” Emory said. “After that, I felt like I needed to keep doing something physically active. I thought about MMA and had some friends invite me to come practice with them, but I decided to give pro wrestling a try.”
Going pro
Emory began his pro career in 2020 on what amounts to a minor-league circuit with small regional companies, such as 3 Count Wrestling based in Greenville, South Carolina. With his charismatic style, Emory quickly gained fans and was booked in other shows throughout the Southeast.
Super-fan Greg Peterson of Gaffney, South Carolina, has seen most of Emory’s appearances for 3 Count Wrestling.
“He’s a fan-favorite for sure,” Peterson said of Emory. “I think it’s because he brings so much energy and passion every time he steps in the ring. He gives 110%, and you can tell he loves what he does.”
All those stops led Emory to AEW and even though he had reached a much bigger stage, Emory stuck to some of the same fundamentals he learned at Chase and GWU.
“Pro and amateur wrestling are a lot different, but they are not completely different,” Emory said. “I use the same stretching and warmup routine that I did in high school and in college. A lot of the offensive moves I have in the ring are the same too. The biggest difference is what you have to prepare for, like knowing how to get the best crowd reactions. The company put my partner and me together, and I did not know until five minutes before my match that we were tagging. We did not have much time to plan or come up with a strategy."
Appearing on All Elite Wrestling
Emory, who is also the wrestling coach at East Rutherford Middle School, kept his scheduled appearance on AEW secret from his team and many others for as long as he could.
"We were at a big disadvantage, but it was still a great experience. I didn’t tell many people about it,” Emory said. “Most people found out through a Facebook post, but once they did, the outpouring of support has been tremendous. It’s tough to do this and coach at the same time, but I love armature wrestling so much, I want to give back to it.”
After his appearance for AEW, Emory returned to the minor league circuit, but hopes he will be back up to the big time soon.
“I am still a free agent. I have not signed a contract anywhere so I am able to wrestle at local shows in the area every weekend,” Emory said. “I hope AEW will bring me back, but I am always keeping my options open to WWE, NWA, or even moving to Japan to wrestle for NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling).”
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Gardner-Webb University wrestler takes the ring with All Elite Wrestling
