For WWE wrestler Seth "Freakin'" Rollins' historic tag team match with Cody Rhodes against Roman Reigns and The Rock on night one of WrestleMania 40, he walked down the ramp in a lavish, gold and black robe with a large blue flower on the right shoulder. The robe was right on brand with Rollins' eccentric style that has been catching the eyes of fans for the last few years. For Troi Anthoni, the stylist behind the extravagent look, it was one of the biggest moments of his career.
Anthoni has been styling Rollins for the past three years, but night one of WrestleMania 40 was the first time he actually got to dress Rollins backstage before an event. It was a full circle moment for Anthoni as he's been a wrestling fan since he was a child. It also showed him where his career can go.
"I've been watching wrestling since I was like five," Anthoni tells Complex from his hotel room in Philadelphia, where Mania 40 took place. "So it's like, did I make it? Is this the big moment that determines I'm here now?"
Anthoni's late mother is responsible for his wrestling fandom. She would always turn on WWE when it was on TV. A match between The Undertaker and Ultimate Warrior is what really caught Anthoni's attention. Thereafter, he began to observe the other wrestlers and their outfits that always stole the show like "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Ric Flair.
"I remember being five years old, and The Undertaker and Ultimate Warrior had a bodybag match," says Anthoni. "Their outfits were so different. I've been hooked ever since."
"The look" has always been a massive part of wrestling. The wardrobe helps wrestlers and managers bring their characters to life inside the squared circle. WWE's first World Heavyweight Champion, Buddy Rodgers, revolutionized what a wrestler could look like with his flashy, flamboyant style and ushered in an unsung rule: the look is just as important as the skills in the ring.
From the '60s to the '90s, individuals like Billy Graham, Shawn Michaels, Miss Elizabeth, and Trish Stratus pushed that legacy forward in their own way. These days, wrestlers are still raising the bar when it comes to their in-ring appearance by wearing some of the freshest pairs of Air Jordans or rocking the hottest streetwear and luxury fashion brands like Off-White or Louis Vuitton. Anthoni's clients, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, have been at the forefront of WWE's style revolution.
Before collaborating closely with Rollins and Lynch, Anthoni cut his teeth working with other stars like Mercedes Moné (formerly Sasha Banks during her tenure with the WWE), The Miz, Maryse, and Carmella. Eventually, he reached out to Lynch and became close with her throughout the pandemic. They finally began working together when Anthoni styled her and Rollins for their maternity shoot photos from November 2020.
The buzz from that maternity shoot put Anthoni in a position to style Rollins even more. Some of the most eye-catching outfits Anthoni picked out for the couple have included Rollins' infamous pairing of the MSCHF Big Red Boots with a fishnet longsleeve and black leather pants combo, and Lynch's red fur coat from 2021.
Lynch is actually the one who suggested her husband show up on WWE programming in various extravagant suits, a move that ended up paying off. Rollins' wardrobe was getting a ton of attention from the fans. He continued to push his look further with avant-garde costumes that looked straight off the runway.
Rollins has even landed in outlets like GQ and The Guardian for his style. Now, there is even more pressure on Anthoni to always deliver.
"I'm very careful and there's a lot of thought that goes into these looks because it's like I'm fighting myself too," says Anthoni. "Is this going to be the look that's going to be like, 'Oh, what the fuck is he doing?' The comments on Twitter and Instagram used to bother me, but Seth told me to stop looking at them because they've been doing this for years."
Anthoni adds, "When you're working with somebody of such a high caliber, it makes you go harder. This man doesn't need a stylist because his gift is through the roof. Adding me to his wrestling legacy is crazy. It's such a high honor for me to be working with someone like Seth."
The robe that Rollins wore on night one of Wrestlemania 40 is called "Floral Opulence." It channels the idea of a flower blooming out of the darkness. It represents Anthoni returning to his flow following his mother's death in March 2022. According to Anthoni, he's still processing the loss of his mother, but working with Rollins and Lynch has given him a breath of fresh air to keep pushing his creativity to the highest level.
"I did WrestleMania 38, and that was when I lost my mom. I just couldn't even focus," says Anthoni. "I didn't even know what to do but I was watching an interview with Little Richard and thought, 'What would Little Richard wear to WrestleMania?' Last year, they told me they were going to do a bubble coat and I thought how would I wear a bubble coat, which led to that piece he wore that has hints of Andre Leon Talley."
Rollins' Mania 40 robe is also a nod to Rollins and Lynch being there for Anthoni when his father passed away on March 3, 2021. His mother passed on the same day just one year later. According to Anthoni, the married couple sent him a floral arrangement, which meant the world to him and strengthened his bond with them.
Rollins and Lynch are Anthoni's top priorities. They stood by his side throughout the dark times, while also keeping him on track whenever he doubted his skills as a stylist. All of that motivation has pushed Anthoni to go bigger with his ideas. He's currently building up his acting career and working on music.
Despite the new ventures he is pursuing, Anthoni wants to continue to work with WWE wrestlers. He's already been in talks with people like Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley, and Jade Cargill, and Big E. Stars from NXT, WWE's developmental brand, like Jakara Jackson, Carmelo Hayes, Bron Breaker, and Trick Williams are also on his radar.
"Other than people like Seth and Roman [Reigns], it's been a while since somebody caught my eye," says Anthoni. "When I watch NXT, there's a whole group coming up and this is the perfect time to network."
Part of that journey moving forward lies in Anthoni and his clients figuring out how to bring wrestling's fashion obsession into the mainstream. These characters are already larger-than-life figures in the wrestling world, so now it's time to get them on the same level in other creative spaces.
"What else can we do to build this character? Do we approach different brands and say, 'Hey, let's do some modeling.' Do we approach magazines and get some photo shoots done," says Anthoni. "I'm trying to figure out what I can do in this world because it's so endless."
Anthoni thinks wrestlers hiring stylists full-time will become more common since he has had so much success with Rollins and Lynch. People are now more focused on WWE than ever, especially after the creation of TKO Sports, the brand merger with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Those new eyes from mainstream audiences mean more opportunities.
"That also leads to brand deals," says Anthoni. "If I'm with Dolls Kill and I see a girl on WWE wearing our product I'm thinking, 'Let's get her into our ads.' When there's a guy in a Tom Ford suit, let's get him on the runway, which is what I'm hoping for Seth."
Eventually, Anthoni would love a full-time gig with the WWE to help the entire roster bring out their individuality through fashion.
"I know what I can do with a wrestler. Just give me the opportunity," he says. "We've done so much out-of-this-world stuff. Becky just did the White House, and Seth has done places like GQ, so why the hell not? Everyone needs to have a look. In NXT, some of the girls' outfits look exactly the same, so it's like, how do we differentiate your look?"
There's a whole word of fashion that the WWE hasn't tapped into yet. Anthoni wants to keep pushing it forward.
"We have an opportunity to really change the fashion and wrestling game with these wrestlers," says Anthoni. "It just waiting for the right time."
