Dalton Castle: Boys Were The ‘Missing Piece Of The Puzzle’ That Tied My Persona Together
Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for SiriusXM
“The Peacock” is taking flight in Ring of Honor.
Former ROH World Champion Dalton Castle endured a challenging stretch where he was criticized in the wake of a severe back injury that derailed his run atop the company. Now, Castle is on a roll, having picked up a remarkable win over Josh Woods at the company’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view in March. The future looks bright for the former ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion, but in a recent appearance on the Wrestling Perspective Podcast, he looked back and shared the origins of his distinct on-screen personality.
“[I] just start throwing things that I felt [were] interesting,” said Castle. “I always liked the glam rock people, like David Bowie and Freddie Mercury…. So I would see these big performers, and I would think like, ‘Oh, why can’t I just do that in wrestling?’
“And [I] slowly added the jumpsuit. And then a cape. It was originally, the first time I did it, it was with showgirls, I had three showgirls. And it just didn’t feel right. And when I came [to the] back, I was like, ‘Ah, I think it needs to be boys.’ And like that was the missing piece of the puzzle. It was boys.”
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While Castle is frequently seen as a flamboyant character, he has demonstrated a new edge since Ring of Honor resumed taping last year. Castle’s promo work has garnered praise from fans and critics alike in recent months, as his messages have become increasingly impassioned while he has hinted at his newly “unhinged” personality. In the interview, Castle explained how viewing his promo work with a different perspective has been quite beneficial throughout this process.
“I’ve stopped caring so much, and I’ve stopped trying to second-guess myself,” said Castle. “Before, I was always trying to make moves of like, ‘What’s gonna work?What’s gonna take me to the next level?’ And then I just stopped caring. I’m not chasing fame, I’m chasing happiness.”
The full interview is available here: