The official autobiography of the late Bert Prentice, Tonight! Tonight! Tonight!, which was being completed when he passed away this past August, has been released by Crowbar Press. The book is co-authored by Scott Teal and features the following foreword from WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler:
"Having known Bert Prentice for more than 20 years, I always knew that he would eventually write a book about his experiences in the wrestling business because he had a view of this business from a perspective that very few have ever had an opportunity to see. There is simply nothing he hasn’t done in the business ... sold programs, set up rings, chairs and bleachers, sold tickets, ring announced, cooked hot dogs, cleaned the buildings, refereed, put out posters, produced countless hours of studio wrestling, managed, and on many occasions, wrestled midgets, women, and myself."
"Bert Prentice lived his life with absolutely no filter. Not many people get to do that. One of his favorite sayings was, “What other people think about me is none of my business,” and he truly lived that mantra. In fact, his haters energized him to another level. It was an amazing thing to watch. And he didn’t promote shows to be popular; he promoted shows to be profitable and entertaining."
"I loaned him money on several occasions, and he always paid me back more than I gave him, and when he booked me on shows, he always paid me more than what we had agreed on."
"Bert had always been a networker with connections ... not just in wrestling, but in nearly every facet of the entertainment business. I was constantly amazed at the people – those connected to music, sports, or just about anything going on in Nashville – who called Bert for favors. If you wanted to get backstage at a sold-out concert, if you wanted a phone number of someone famous, or if you just needed a plumber for a stopped-up toilet, Bert knew someone."
"One of the things I’ll always remember fondly was our lifelong rivalry ... not in the ring, but over baseball. He loved the Minnesota Twins, while I have never wavered in my support for the Cleveland Indians (the better team, by the way)."
"More important than anything else, Bert was my friend. In the wrestling business, you have many acquaintances, but very, very few friends. Bert was one of those “few” to me. In both good times and bad, he was a true friend. He was always there for me and I hope I was always there for him. He proved to me personally, on many occasions, that his loyalty knew no bounds."
By no means did Bert have an easy road in life. He lived through hard times and struggled to eke out a living in the crazy business of professional wrestling, but he made even the bad times so darn entertaining. Bert was a master of promoting pro wrestling the old-school way. In fact, he could have taught the old-school promoters a thing or two about the nuts and bolts of getting butts into the seats.
Prentice, who was 59 at the time of his passing, initially debuted in the USWA in 1991 as Christopher Love, managing The Dragon Master and the PYTs as heel foil to all the top babyfaces of the territory, including Jerry Lawler, Jeff Jarrett and even Randy Hales.
Eventually, Prentice would drop the Love moniker and in 1993, would be the manager for all the WWF talents who would come in to feud with babyface Jerry Lawler, including Giant Gonzales and Bret and Owen Hart. Lawler at the time was a heel for the WWF, but was still a babyface in Memphis so when WWF talents would come in, they would switch roles and play heels to the "The King."
Prentice also feuded with WWE Hall of Famer Jacqueline Moore during her time in the promotion as Miss Texas, claiming that she was really a man named Bubba Johnson. This led to a series of different stipulation matches, including a boxing match and a street fight, with Miss Texas soundly beating Prentice every time.
Prentice was one of the first hosts (alongside Jeremy Borash) in the early days of NWA: TNA's Xplosion series. He also promoted a number of independent promotions, including Music Wrestling Wrestling, Ozark Mountain Wrestling, Ozark's successor North American All Star Wrestling and more, all of which had a Southern 'wrassling flair.
In recent years, Prentice had been running USA Wrestling in the Memphis area, regularly using Jerry Lawler as a top babyface and bringing in Memphis legends for signings and undercard attractions. The day before his passing Prentice announced that his sister Marilyn would take over the day to day operations of the promotion so he could concentrate on his health.
At the time, Prentice wrote, "As I continue to manage my cancer treatments and rehabilitation. I so appreciate all USA staff and talent, fans, and thousands of friends who have reached out to me with care and love."
