11 Hidden Meanings Behind WWE WrestleMania 38 Attires

WWE's WrestleMania 38 stars pay tribute to fallen heroes, Marvel, The Batman and...AEW?!

by Jamie Kennedy
WWE WrestleMania 38 Becky Lynch Pris Blade Runner
WWE/Warner Bros.

WrestleMania headliners like Kevin Owens, Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns kept things relatively simple over the weekend, at least when it came to ring attire choices. All four men reached for the basics and didn't get too elaborate, which is hardly a problem when 'Stone Cold' rocks an old-school "Austin 3:16" shirt.

Others on both nights? Well, some others went wild.

'Mania is always a good excuse for workers to get creative with their entrances and ring gear. This year, fans saw sneaky tributes to fallen legends, nods towards the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a tag-team dressing up as one wrestler, and even some AEW cosplay - OK, that's not strictly true, but it was rather weird to see All Elite's Cody Rhodes waltz onto WWE's grandest stage.

You'd be forgiven for missing some of the meanings behind these attires too. This has been a packed week for pro wrestling, so some are a bit too tired to really register when celebs strut onto the WrestleMania stage wearing Pokémon cards that cost millions or WWE stars go back in time to reference old friends.

Now, about those hidden meanings...

11. Dominik Mysterio's Tribute To Eddie Guerrero

WWE WrestleMania 38 Becky Lynch Pris Blade Runner
WWE/AAA

A quick look on Twitter during the Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. The Miz & Logan Paul match showed many fans poking fun at how Dominik's outfit and entrance attire was treading on the toes of a certain Cody Rhodes. In reality, Dom's get-up had zero to do with the re-debuting American Nightmare.

Instead, the 24-year-old - who turns 25 in just a matter of days - was paying tribute to the late, great Eddie Guerrero.

Often jokingly labelled Dominik's 'real' father, Eddie wore an extremely similar jacket and even tights during his time with AAA in the early '90s. Guerrero first started sporting this look when he was paired with 'Love Machine' Art Barr in 1992, with the pair dubbed Los Gringos Locos.

Playing obnoxious overly-American heels to the Mexican audience - Barr being an American, Eddie leaning into the American side of his American-Mexican heritage - Los Gringos Locos started as a duo before eventually becoming a fully fledged faction designed to be AAA's version of the legendary Four Horsemen.

With his WrestleMania 38 costume of choice, Dominik Mysterio was clearly paying a nice homage to his Uncle Eddie.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.