“Pro Wrestling Is The Greatest Art America Has Given Us,” Says ESPN’s Marc Raimondi in New Book

Logan Paul and Ricochet wrestle during the WWE Royal Rumble at the Alamodome on January 28, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, a former MMA journalist and current NFL beat reporter covering the Atlanta Falcons, helps break down how American society shifted forever with the rise of professional wrestling in his new book entitled Say Hello to the Bad Guys, which dissects the history of the nWo (New World Order) from its 1996 inception in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to its continued significance in pop culture today.

An Unexpected Opportunity

Raimondi has witnessed countless iconic moments in the combat sports and entertainment sphere—making his way from WrestleMania to Saitama Super Arena, all while following the worldwide rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and its most notorious superstar, Conor McGregor (notably events such as UFC 205 and Mayweather vs. McGregor). However, writing a book was never much of a consideration until one completely unexpected email caught his eye during the buildup to UFC 262: Oliveira vs. Chandler.

From a Houston hotel room, preparing to watch someone soon capture the vacant UFC lightweight title, Raimondi was all but certain that the person claiming to be a Simon & Schuster editor, randomly pitching the idea of him writing a book, was instead just an elaborate email phishing scam to steal his identity. Turns out, that editor had actually read an article Raimondi wrote for ESPN on the nWo being honored in the WWE Hall of Fame. Simon & Schuster, one of the leading American publishers, now wanted Raimondi to expand on his passion and help piece together the legacy of this legendary faction with a shared vision: crafting a compelling narrative detailing wrestling’s impact on society and how the nWo has reverberated through the American landscape, both socially and politically, for nearly three decades.

Eric Bischoff’s Essential Involvement

Finally, years of watching, studying, and advocating for professional wrestling culminated in this dream project for Raimondi, a lifelong wrestling fan who considers spreading the art form a never-ending vocation. But before anything could be set in stone, Raimondi first had to ask WCW boss and nWo creator Eric Bischoff for his involvement.

“[Bischoff] was a big key to me,” Raimondi told RG. “When I first got that email about the book, I didn’t even want to say yes yet until I spoke with Bischoff. I thought that if I wasn’t going to be able to talk to Bischoff for the book, then I’m not sure if there is a book. This is the creator of the nWo. He’s the guy that was there. He was behind the scenes. He saw everything. He helped write everything, or at least green-lit everything. He was the guy I thought was a must-have, and he could not have been more gracious.”

The nWo helped professional wrestling become one of the most watched attractions on cable television in 1996, captivating an entire generation as Bischoff’s storyline united Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and the villainous rise of “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan to ensure support for the bad guys reached an all-time high. WCW became intense competition for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) throughout their infamous Monday Night War for ratings, overtaking a skyrocketing industry through the late 1990s and spawning an entirely new era of the sport.

“There’s no faction close to the nWo,” Raimondi argued. “What other faction can you say became the catalyst for the biggest boom period in our lifetime in pro wrestling? There has not been that. 

What happens if the nWo doesn’t get made and isn’t as successful as it became? Does WCW beat WWF all those weeks in a row?

Then, if that doesn’t happen, does Vince McMahon say I have to do something different and start emulating more of WCW, so I’m going to create what is now known as the Attitude Era? Does that happen? Maybe not. If there’s no Attitude Era, is there a Stone Cold Steve Austin as big as he becomes? Does The Rock get as big as he does and then ascend to being the biggest star in Hollywood because of that, off the back of his stuff in wrestling? I don’t know the answer to that. I have no clue. If there’s no nWo, we don’t know. I don’t think you can say that about any other faction.”

Exclusive Interviews and Unseen Perspectives

Beyond time spent at Bischoff’s home in Cody, Wyoming, as well as noted contributions from Sean Waltman (X-Pac/Syxx) and Charles Ashenoff (Konnan), Raimondi also obtained exclusive interviews from Hogan, Nash, and Hall that have never been heard before. Furthermore, Say Hello to the Bad Guys incorporates unique perspectives on the nWo’s popularity from the viewpoint of roughly 100 people behind the curtains—producers, directors, camera operators, production assistants, audio technicians, and more—all to paint a complete picture of this unforgettable period in pop culture under a fresh and deserving light.

“The nWo was such an important part of our lives,” Raimondi said. “I say our lives because I’ve met so many people over the last few years to whom the nWo really, really meant something. […] I picked up an nWo hoodie, and I’ve worn that hoodie now on almost every trip I’ve taken for the UFC and now covering the Falcons. I have to tell you—the number of times someone has recognized the logo, mentioned it, flashed the ‘Too Sweet’ sign, or sung the entrance music, I mean it’s mind-boggling. I would say that nine out of ten times I travel someone says something about the nWo hoodie. That just reinforced to me how important this book is because of that nostalgia and what it meant to people back then.”

Bischoff has strongly endorsed Say Hello to the Bad Guys in recent weeks, stating that the book looks at the nWo from a fascinating perspective that hasn’t been done before. Raimondi hopes this sentiment helps propel the project to becoming the first journalistic book about professional wrestling to make the New York Times Best Sellers list and reach No. 1 on Amazon, more importantly making the case as to why wrestling’s predetermined nature doesn’t take away from its lasting influence. 

Say Hello to the Bad Guys is now available for pre-order on Amazon or wherever you get your books, with its official release coming in late June.

Raimondi: To Understand American Society, You Need To Understand Pro Wrestling

“If you look around you, and if you’re a wrestling fan then you know what it is when you see it—you’re watching the news and there are people arguing over nothing, but they’re essentially cutting promos on each other for cable news,” Raimondi explained. “It’s entertainment. Same thing with sports. The highlights are gone. Now, it’s just talking heads and people arguing. It’s manufactured conflict. That’s really what wrestling is—manufactured conflict. It can be applied in different ways, not just for a fake sport. It can be applied to news, politics, sports, and all forms of entertainment. When Donald Trump becomes president, he is a WWE Hall of Famer. He was involved personally in several WrestleMania moments, including as a performer. You can’t say that what he learned in wrestling has not translated into what he has become as a politician. His campaign rallies are pro wrestling monologues. It's like the beginning of Monday Night Raw when someone gets up there with a microphone talking to the crowd. That is his campaign rally. He's so good at it, and I truly believe that comes from watching and understanding wrestling so well.”

One of Raimondi’s favorite interviews for Say Hello to the Bad Guys was with former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who grew up a wrestling fan and even admitted that when he had to give certain speeches, he tried to enact a professional wrestling promo.

"[Yang] told me for the book that he felt like he understood Trump better because he understood pro wrestling and that other people in politics should maybe clue themselves into what pro wrestling is and what's going on to get a better understanding of Trump,” Raimondi said. “That hasn't happened yet, to be honest with you, but I truly believe whether you're a fan of his politics or not, you can't say that there is not an influence there from wrestling."