Threads of Triumph: Professional Wrestling's Most Iconic Looks

by McKenzie Mitchell, Mercedes Moné (Foreword)

Step into the ring and relive the triumph, the drama, and the larger-than-life personas that define professional wrestling—all through the lens of wrestling's most iconic gear. This vibrant celebration features over fifty global icons, including ""Macho Man"" Randy Savage, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Rey Mysterio, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, and many more. With a foreword by one of wrestling’s best—Mercedes Moné!

With absolutely stunning photography and stories from the 1940s to today, Threads of Triumph is a visual romp through what is perhaps most integral to a professional wrestler's story—their gear.

What a wrestler wears plays a large part in evoking real emotion, feelings, and attitudes. Gear connects a wrestler to their character, and through their character, they are connected to their roots, their story, their heritage. This one-of-a-kind deep dive highlights some of the most memorable looks in the business. It features stunning full-color photographs and exclusive and insightful commentary from some of the biggest stars in pro wrestling.

Uncover how stars like ""Macho Man"" Randy Savage and Shawn Michaels set the blueprint with their original styles, impacting what is worn in the industry today.Read more about Luna Vachon and Chyna, who used their gear to break stereotypes and redefine what it meant to be a woman in an industry full of men.Allow yourself to be blown away by The Undertaker and ""The Fiend"" Bray Wyatt's incredible outfitting, and learn how their stories just wouldn't be the same without these chilling extensions of their personas.
For wrestling fans of all kinds, Threads of Triumph shares incredible artwork and insider perspectives about professional wrestling through the fascinating lens of the gear we know and love.

EXPERT Having been part of some of the biggest moments in professional wrestling history as a broadcaster for TNA and WWE, McKenzie Mitchell takes us behind the seams with exclusive insight from pro wrestling stars and stunning photography from notable professional sports photographers.

STARS FROM ALL OVER THE Learn more about all your favorite wrestlers. Threads of Triumph

“Macho Man"" Randy SavageDwayne “The Rock” JohnsonThe UndertakerShawn MichaelsRic FlairRey MysterioBecky LynchBianca Belairand many more! 
UNIQUE COFFEE TABLE For the first time, a comprehensive visual history of professional wrestling gear all in one gorgeous volume! A great gift or self-purchase for wrestling fans of all ages.

Perfect Wrestling fans Fans of WWE, TNA, AEW Readers who loved WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment, Incomparable by Brie Bella, Have a Nice Day by Mick Foley, and Wrestling For My Life by Shawn Michaels

Genres: Art

248 pages, Hardcover

Published April 7, 2026

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Threads of Triumph is such a fun read. I loved how it blends wrestling history with little bits of trivia on every page. It feels like flipping through a timeline made by someone who genuinely loves wrestling. The stories are easy to follow, the pacing moves fast, and the behind the scenes nuggets kept me hooked the whole way. If you’re into wrestling, fashion, or just love a good mix of facts and personality, this one’s a win.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

[The Noire Anthology · Rating 4 out of 5]

Threads of Triumph: Professional Wrestling’s Most Iconic Looks by McKenzie Mitchell is a richly curated visual and cultural history of professional wrestling told through the evolution of ring gear from the 1940s to the present. Rather than offering a chronological match history or a straightforward series of biographies, the book treats attire as primary text and wrestlers as collaborative storytellers who write their narratives with fabric, color, silhouette, and iconography. Drawing on Mitchell’s insider experience as a broadcaster for TNA and WWE and her work in custom jewelry design for wrestling stars, the project situates gear at the intersection of performance, fashion, and branding, showing how what wrestlers wear shapes the emotional grammar of a match and the long term construction of persona.

The volume foregrounds more than fifty wrestlers across eras and promotions, including “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Rey Mysterio, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Luna Vachon, Chyna, and Bray Wyatt’s “The Fiend,” among others. Through full color photography and commentary, it examines how flamboyant robes, masks, jackets, and custom gear encode regional identities, racial and gender politics, and narrative arcs such as heel turns, comebacks, and retirement runs. The attention to figures like Vachon and Chyna underlines the gendered stakes of gear design, showing how women used spikes, war paint, unconventional silhouettes, and nontraditional color palettes to resist the sexualized norms of women’s presentation in wrestling and to carve out space for monstrosity, power, and androgyny. Similarly, the book highlights how Bianca Belair’s braid and self-made gear, or Rey Mysterio’s mask variations, operate as living archives of heritage, fandom, and intergenerational homage.

Visually, Threads of Triumph functions as a coffee table art book, but thematically it engages questions central to performance studies, visual culture, and sports entertainment. It treats ring gear as affective technology that produces crowd response and as a kind of wearable mythology that can be iterated and remixed over time. The Undertaker’s shifting coats, hats, and symbols, and Bray Wyatt’s horror inflected looks, are analyzed as extensions of horror cinema and Gothic tropes that shape how audiences experience fear, tension, and catharsis in the ring. At the same time, the book underscores the collaborative nature of gear production, acknowledging designers, jewelers, and independent makers who help translate character concepts into textiles and metal, and connecting this craft to broader histories of costume design and Black and Brown creative labor in sports entertainment.

For a lifelong wrestling fan (me), the text reads as both nostalgia and theory in practice. Major themes include the politics of representation, the role of fashion in constructing kayfabe, the evolution of women’s roles in wrestling, and the ways global wrestling cultures borrow from and influence one another through visual style. The book’s scholarly value lies less in formal academic apparatus and more in its archival scope and the way it invites readers to reexamine familiar icons through the semiotics of boots, trunks, robes, masks, and accessories. It offers a compelling argument that wrestling’s most enduring stories are inseparable from the gear that gave those stories shape, color, and texture.

[East of Reality · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never been a wrestling fan, but I do like looking at pictures of people in fancy clothes, so of course I picked this book up! It’s a combination of bite sized biographies about some of the colorful wrestlers of yesterday and today as well as a look at the costumes they used to shape their stage personas. From colors to shapes, fabrics and accessories, they made themselves seem larger than life for their fans. Their clothes told the stories of their rivalries — who was the villain, who was the hero, who was the rising star or the fading professional — and this book has gorgeous pictures of some of the more iconic outfits.

And while the focus is, of course, on the clothes, the book also talks about how these men and women shaped the world of wrestling with their innovation, their passion, and their larger than life personalities. It’s a world I’ve never been a part of, but the author made the characters approachable. The tone is light and pleasant, like a friend telling you an anecdote and it’s a quick, fun read, even for a non-wrestling fan.

Honestly, this is worth taking a look at if you’re interested in character design, fashion, or — of course — wrestling. I’m glad I gave it a try.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Chronicle Books for the eARC of Thread of Triumph via Netgalley!

I am a ✨wrestling watcher ✨ & absolutely adore the ridiculousness & fun it provides, especially in those Attitude Era days! & one thing I LOVE about the product is watching a character come to life not only by their performance but their attire!

Threads of Triumph dives into many different wrestlers from different promotions (primarily WWE, but there were a few AEW wrestlers & even an introduction from Mercedes Moné) & from so many different eras. There’s a lot of wrestlers you’d expect, but some were a nice little nostalgic flashback!

Some of the information provided only touched the surface of the wrestler & their gear, but some had a lot more detail along with multiple pages of photos. In the end, I could have used more on some of the superstars, but alas, it’s fine.

No matter the information inside, it still makes for a fun coffee table book & has some beautiful photos filled with some extravagant gear. I recommend this to fans of wrestling or even just those interested in the fits!

[Haerlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am conflicted about this book. I am a lifelong fan of wrestling, who always comments about the ring gear. It is fascinating to see how gear elevates characters, tributes cultures and history, and if nothing else, are just fun to look at. That said, I had to put aside my own personal knowledge and instead concentrate on what is presented in this book. Well, the pictures are crisp and provide a glimpse of mainly stars that have passed through the ropes at WWE: you will not find many wrestlers from Japan or Mexico featured. If you are looking for something fun to look out with bite-sized depth, I think this book is fine. If you are looking for something that really talks about the craft from concept to finish, this book does not do that, but it does include some quotes from the designers.

[Christina]

This book showcases the history of in ring gear and how it came to be. An interesting read if you enjoy wrestling or even just fashion. An inside look to how the wrestling world’s fashion has changed throughout the years and changed with the world and fans.

This book is for the most part, only about WWE and affiliated company’s wrestlers. Mercedes Moné writes the foreward of this book and is included, otherwise Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay are the only other wrestlers who are active in the sport today in another company who are mentioned.

I was disappointed to see that Luchadors, Japanese wrestlers nor AEW were included in this book as they have shaped wrestling fashion for decades and helped make it what it is today.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the only reason to pick up this book is to flip through the iconic looks of your favorite wrestlers. Some information was really thorough and other parts were very, very shallow. If you’re interested in the story behind these iconic images, this book is just not that thorough. And some wrestlers were completely left out. Ultimately, I think the book could have been formatted differently and either include more photos and details to justify flipping through the pages or cutting down what you kept.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I'm only a very casual viewer of WWE, but this was still a really fun and engaging book about the fashions over the decades of American professional wrestling! Highlighted are some of the most iconic names in the business alongside blurbs about their career and the fashion styles they made equally as iconic as their moves and matches.

Perfect for any wrestling fans who want a 'coffee table' style book of rich, gorgeous pictures. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Manda Marigold · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️️ Threads of Triumph by McKenzie Mitchell is a visual slam through professional wrestling's most iconic looks, from Gorgeous George to The Rock and beyond! 📸💥

This coffee table book melds WWE and fashion, with stunning photography and stories spanning from the 1940s to today. It's a fun romp through the gear that helps define a wrestler’s story.

That said, I wish there were more close-ups or schematics of the outfits to really dive into the details. Still, it’s a solid read for any wrestling fan. Can’t wait to check out the different WrestleMania looks this weekend! 👀

[ShellyBean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of WWE but the fancy costumes have always somehow pulled me in. I grew up in the era of Ric Flair, Randy Savge, etc. The costumes were extravagant and full of drama queen touches. They were cool to watch. I really stopped watching because for the ladies, I don't like watching today due to the skimpy "sex sells' look. I like Rhea and Becky Lynch looks. I'm more of a Mae Young type. This is an excellent book for the coffee table. Some great discussions can come from this.

Received a digital copy from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Destiny Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book to read through! Would make a beautiful addition to your coffee table book collection.