Say Hello to the Bad Guys

How Professional Wrestling's New World Order Changed America

De: Marc Raimondi

Narrado por: Marc Raimondi

From ESPN reporter Marc Raimondi comes a compelling, gripping narrative history of professional wrestling’s legendary faction, The NWO (New World Order), from their inception in 1996 to their influence on American pop culture today.

In 1996, professional wrestling was one of the most watched sports on cable television, with more than 5 million people tuning in every week. And in the late 1990s, pro-wrestling was the hottest thing in American pop culture, with companies making millions in action figures, video games, and simple black t-shirts emblazoned with three little letters: NWO.

The NWO, or New World Order, became a business like no other, and was responsible for the explosive ratings and rabid fanbase. It started with an ingenious storyline starring Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and the titular Hollywood Hogan—Hulk Hogan gone bad. Together, they formed a new era of characters to root for: The Bad Guys.

Never before had audiences cheered for the villains, rooting for them over the heroes. The NWO broke down wrestling’s fourth wall in a clever new way, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. And suddenly, watching professional wrestling not only became socially acceptable, but a necessity if you wanted to stay up to date with pop culture. Their impact was infectious and long-lasting. It was entertainment that shaped a generation.

Written by Marc Raimondi, a current ESPN reporter with nearly twenty years of experience in journalism, this narrative history explores professional wrestling’s most popular faction and how their existence influenced American culture like never before.

©2025 Marc Raimondi (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio

A fun jaunt into 90s wrestling

It was a very fun book that I could listen to again! I watched it all as a kid and to go back was awesome. Nothing really new if you watched and listened to some of the in-depth podcasts about the subjects but it was a good listen to nonetheless.

New..New..New..New World Order

Good book. Take me up memory lane. This book just forgot to make mention of the nWo making an appearance at WrestleMania during the HHH vs Sting match. Or……….maybe it was for the best not to mention that appearance seeing it made zero sense lol

Everything you need to know about the NWO

I highly recommend this to anyone who is a devoted wrestling enthusiast and, more importantly, a huge fan of the NWO and its history, especially when it comes to the founding fathers, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan. Unbelievable stories that I have never even heard about until listened to this book.

Research

Everything was well written. The pace was great! A true fan wrote this book for sure.

A really fun listen, especially if you're a pro wrestling fan

That being said, I didn't really learn anything new or gain any new insight from the book. It's a great and fast listen, but I wish there were something in there I wasn't already aware of.

NWO 4 Life

Was great to hear such a well written book. I knew some, some I had forgotten. As it brought back memories and great insight.

Bad Guys Never Die

It can be a bit basic at times for die hard wrestling fans, but enjoyable

Does this story need to be told again?

There has been a trend of writing books about stories that have been told hundreds of times through the years that everybody already knows. Everybody knows the NWO story there’s another book about wrestlemania three and everybody knows that story as well. These books have no new information and you buy the book with hopes of learning something new about the story and there’s never anything there. That said this is by far the best of those books. I would like to close with a bit of advice for anybody planning to write a wrestling book in the future that might read this if you were writing a wrestling book Please do not break down what the “insider terms“ mean, we already know and if you’re not a wrestling fan, you’re probably not reading the book.

NWO is 4 LIFE

The NWO now has its own Bible and each chapter is it’s apostle. Even at age 41, when I found out this book was in pre-release availability, I felt like a kid once again. For wrestling hardcores and history buffs, this is for you. 🤘🏽

Loved the mid 90's WCW and the NWO

Was excited to listen to this book, and it was really well written, and Marc Raimondi narrated the book very well as if we were having a conversation about some of the best days of Pro-wrestling.
Highly recommend for anyone who grew up watching professional wrestling in the 80'a and 90's.
Learned a lot and he helped me remember a lot of things I forgot during that era.

Hope Mr. Raimondi does more books in the future.