Marc Raimondi, author of the new book Say Hello to the Bad Guys, appeared on the No Contest Wrestling podcast and shared details about the formation of the New World Order, including the revelation that Hulk Hogan was not Eric Bischoff’s original choice to be the group’s shocking “third man.”
Raimondi explained that much of the iconic storyline was created on the fly. “It was like, he had an idea, right? But that’s really all it was. It was an idea, and there was a little bit of planning, but a lot of it was like, fly by the seat of your pants,” Raimondi said. “Because it wasn’t supposed to be Hogan as the third man, right? His original idea was going to be Sting.”
The historic shift happened because Hogan himself initiated the conversation. While filming Santa with Muscles, Hogan was having VHS tapes of WCW Nitro FedExed to him by Jimmy Hart. After seeing the buzz created by Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, Hogan called Bischoff. “He calls Bischoff on the phone, and he’s like, ‘Can we have a talk? Can you come to LA?’ So Bischoff flies from Atlanta to LA… goes into Hogan’s trailer… and the first thing he says like no small talk, nothing, he was like ‘So brother, who’s the third man?’” Raimondi detailed.
According to Raimondi, Bischoff was hesitant to reveal his plan for Sting, fearing the news would leak. “So Bischoff just said, ‘Who do you think it should be?’ And Hogan said, ‘You’re looking at him, brother,’” Raimondi stated. “And that was it. That’s how it all kind of came together.”
Raimondi argued that this change is what allowed the angle to transcend wrestling and become a cultural phenomenon. “If it was Sting, it would not have, you know, it would have been a good wrestling story, but it would not have transcended,” he said. “Hogan turning heel at that time, massive… There was no viral at that time in ’96, but that went viral.”
Marc Raimondi’s book, “Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Professional Wrestling’s New World Order Changed America,” is available now from Simon & Schuster wherever books are sold.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit No Contest Wrestling Podcast with O’Shea Jackson with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
