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What had originally been planned as an authorized Abdullah the Butcher autobiography has been released without the consent of the WWE Hall of Famer. Becoming the Butcher: The Man Behind the Myth: An Unauthorized Biography of Abdullah the Butcher by Scotty Rushing is now available for orders via Amazon.com. In the book, Rushing makes it clear the project began as a collaboration with Abdullah, who wanted his "true story" out but issues with Abby and his caretaker led to the partnership going awry. Rushing made the decision to release the 150 page book alone. He conducted a number of interviews for the book, which features a foreword from Ross Hart and material from Bret Hart as well. There's no word whether Abdullah may move to block the sales of the book, similar to what the late Sid Vicious did with a book that was released after he and a co-author had a partnership that ended. That book was pulled from Amazon just a few days into its release.
The new book Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro-Wrestling's New World Order Changed America by Marc Raimondi will be officially released tomorrow in hardcover. Promotional material on the book notes:
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.
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