Dalton Castle Ring of Honor
Dalton Castle is one of the most popular wrestlers in Ring of Honor. RING OF HONOR/Lee South

There isn’t a wrestler quite like Dalton Castle in any promotion. Sure, there are certain similarities between Castle and others that have made it big in the squared circle—he’s got the flamboyance of Gorgeous George with shades of Goldust and even a dash of Ric Flair—but the Ring of Honor star is truly one of a kind.

Wearing a flashy jumpsuit and cape, flanked by his two shirtless “boys” who don masks that look to be straight out of “Eyes Wide Shut,” Castle makes an entrance unlike any other. He’s quick-witted and clever on the mic with plenty of skills in the ring. Oozing with charisma, the “Party Peacock” is as entertaining as anyone on the ROH roster.

“Once I figured out who I was, as this character, there were no more questions I had to ask. I knew what was gonna work for me,” Castle told International Business Times. “I knew how to behave and I knew what to do. I got to do this act for two years before Ring of Honor gave me a chance on their TV product, and when that opportunity came, fortunately, I’d been practicing for two years at this. I was ready. I was more than ready.”

Perhaps what makes Castle most unique is that he’s doing all of this as a babyface. The gaudy wrestlers that Castle often gets compared to were traditionally cast as heels, only earning the admiration of the audience after establishing themselves as performers for years. That wasn’t the case with Castle.

“I was a heel for like one day,” Castle said on Colt Cabana’s “The Art of Wrestling” podcast in September.

It isn’t just that Castle gets cheered. He gets cheered just about as much as anyone in ROH.

Explaining Castle’s popularity to someone who has never watched him perform isn’t easy. There are some things in wrestling that just work, and wrestlers that have an indescribable “it” factor find a way to be successful. Castle is in that category.

“I don’t know what it is, but I’m thankful that it’s there,” Castle told IBT. “I have confidence when I walk out that curtain because I hear that reaction and because I understand that people like what they’re seeing, which makes me very thankful to be able to not only do what I love for a living but to enjoy it more because of that. I go out there and I do something that I would like to see, something that I think would entertain me, and something that I’m comfortable doing. Thankfully, the people and the fans of Ring of Honor feel the same way I do. I’m just very fortunate and lucky.”

There’s no greater test of how much a wrestler in Ring of Honor is admired than when they face off with someone in Bullet Club. The group is the No.1 faction in the entire wrestling business, and the most recent iteration is still going strong more than four years since its inception.

Castle currently finds himself in the middle of a feud with Ring of Honor World Champion Cody, who won the belt from Christopher Daniels in June. The program will culminate with a title match between the two wrestlers at Final Battle in New York City on Dec. 15.

Cody was embraced by the live crowd in his title win over Daniels, leading to a heel turn for the latter. When a confrontation between Cody and Castle on the latest episode of ROH TV ended with Castle attacking the champ, fans in attendance erupted with chants of “Dalton Castle.”

“Just about anybody that’s not within the Bullet Club sees a match or a pairing against them as an uphill battle because their popularity is undeniable and so large,” Castle said. “The guys are great. They’re wonderful entertainers and they’ve built a brand that’s bigger than one could ever imagine on this level.”

“It’s a gamble when you go out there against somebody from the club. Like if I walked out there with Cody, who are the fans gonna side with? I can’t make up their mind. All I can do is do what I feel is right and hopefully, the fans will agree.”

As a former WWE superstar, Cody cut a promo on Castle in which he told the challenger he’d try to help him land a developmental contract with WWE. Cody made reference to other Ring of Honor stars that have recently signed with the world’s No.1 wrestling promotion.

While the likes of Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly have recently made the jump to see what they can do in WWE, Castle has decided to stay put. Castle signed a new contract with ROH just a few months ago, ending any speculation that he might be appearing on “Monday Night Raw” or “SmackDown” anytime soon.

“There’s always that possibility. There was nothing too close to it because I feel like Ring of Honor has got something really good going on, and I truly want to be a part of it, and I take a lot of pride being a part of it,” Castle said. “I think everyone has that grass is greener on the other side of the fence kind of feelings, but as of right now, I look at Ring of Honor as something that’s growing and fun to be a part of. We’ve got a great group of guys.

“I’m happy for all of my friends that got to go on and are trying to make a bigger name for themselves. I feel like most of them have outgrown the stage here at Ring of Honor, and it’s their time to move on. But there’s still so much left to do with Ring of Honor.”

As popular as Castle has become in ROH, he’s still yet to hold a singles title. Castle and The Boys won the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championships at Best in the World on June 23, losing them to Bullet Club two months later.

Castle lost his Ring of Honor World Championship Match against Christopher Daniels at Supercard of Honor XI in April. The event set a record for the largest live crowd in ROH history.

Castle hopes he has better luck when he gets his shot against Cody next month.

“To have the championship is something where the company puts a lot of trust and a lot of responsibility on your shoulders at that time. I think I’ve matured as a person and as a performer where I take this seriously. Regardless of how silly you think I’m acting in the ring or how flashy my outfit is, I take this job very, very serious. I just like to have fun with it. And I would definitely be up for that challenge.”

The official contract signing for the world title match is scheduled for Sunday at the ROH International Television Taping in Lakeland, Florida. On Saturday night, Castle will team with Jay Lethal and Kenny King against Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks in the main event at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

ROH has live events scheduled in San Antonio, Dallas and Oklahoma City from Nov. 17-19.

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