The autobiography of the late Bert Prentice has been released.
Crowbar Press released the memoir, “Tonight! Tonight! Tonight!”, which was being finished when Prentice passed away in August.
Jerry Lawler wrote the forward to the book. You can check that out below:
“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.
If you’re a fan of pro wrestling, you won’t want to put this book down until you read it in its entirety.”
