These past six months have been very interesting for the reigning Ring of Honor World Champion. Dalton Castle proved he deserved that belt in so many ways, he has left a strong mark on the ROH history.
Now with ROH Best In The World PPV just around the corner,
Castle is about to enter his highest profile match to date.
Let's take a look into what he's accomplished during his title reign.
Since 2017 Final Battle when Dalton Castle got into possession of the coveted ROH Championship belt from Cody, he has been victorious in all his in-ring encounters. It's a testament to how far Dalton Castle has come.
His performance has helped build up the package that is Dalton Castle. Whether it be facing off against all time greats like Christopher Daniels or contemporaries like Bobby Fish, Silas Young and Keith Lee, Dalton Castle has been putting everyone away from his path while keeping fans invested.
And then, there's more to it.
Dalton Castle is a solid performer.
His in-ring ability combined with his unique gimmick adds authenticity and the success that comes with it.
He is extravagant, promiscuous, self-confident, over-the-top and yet, believable.
From his in-ring moves to the way he delivers promos, it's the perfect mix of everything that makes sense to a true wrestling fan. He has a very fleshed out persona that seems so nested into what Ring of Honor Wrestling is - a place of innovation and creative freedom.
In times, when being the cocky, confident, self-absorbed young contender has become somewhat of a norm, Dalton Castle manages to pop out of that crowd and get into the spotlight as a must-see attraction.
As a hard-core fan of wrestling I cannot but look back and think about
How would have a gimmick like that performed in the old days of wrestling?
Days when tough trumped extravagant, when people that drew the most were hardened badass and not plain performers, where protecting the business was everything and
Everyone was actually living their gimmick.
Picture this - Dalton Castle sharing a ring with Harley Race as he was during the 70s? The contrast between the two is so stark that it would be weird to watch, not in a fun way.
As a big fan of the old days of wrestling, I really cherish what guys used to do back then. I love to watch tapes of those days, looking into how slow and methodical they used to work, how much they believed in their own promos, how far they were willing to go to elicit emotion.
The more I think about it, the clearer I see it that
Each era has its own representation of what a main event star looks like and comparison cannot be drawn.
Fast forward to nowadays, I'm glad I can enjoy Pro Wrestling where I get to see such bright and colorful characters developed. An era where I can watch over the top sequences that make you pop just by the sheer intensity and showmanship put into every detail,
never fails to entertain!
Dalton Castle is the bearer of the new, the Modern Day performer who is about to share the ring with two of the best rivals - Cody and Marty Scurll.
It's shaping up to be a match where
Dalton Castle will need to outperform two of the best performers out there!
Cody is probably the most well-known and popular name on the ROH roster, while Marty is on his way to becoming a true mainstay on the very top.
And it is very interesting how the paths of these three seem to always converge in recent times. It's no coincidence that these three are some of the most well received wrestlers out there.
An interesting point here would be how all of this plays out as
Dalton Castle has a lot to prove in this match!
Despite his main event status and being the champion, he has been upstaged by Cody in the past couple of months. The feud that "The American Nightmare" had with Kenny Omega transcended the need for a title, while on-and-off feuds between The Bullet Club and The Kingdom looked more like a Cody vs. Taven show with the center of the storyline being the two top dogs.
To add more to that, there is Marty Scurll who is looking forward to cement his legacy at this match. Dalton is going to have to face a mirror image of himself in Marty.
The main event up-and-comer, Marty Scurll aims for the title to prove to everyone that he deserves every bit of the fan love he gets.
That is exactly what modern day wrestling is all about.
An intense, adrenaline-fuelled, action-packed spectacle that has you on the edge of your seat - spot after spot.
Can Dalton Castle become the longest reigning champion of ROH? It's a tall order as that record belongs to Samoa Joe with over 21 months of holding the belt.
Should Castle come out victorious from this, we have to ask - what does the future hold for him? Who is there for Dalton to face at the top level?
A re-match with a resurging Jay Lethal or Christopher Daniels? A future showing against the absolute fan favorite Kenny Omega? The perspective of the latter is really an interesting one.
But does Dalton Castle need the belt to have these feuds and be worthy of the love of fans?
Dalton Castle has solidified his character and in-ring presence to a point where he can go into any high-profile clash transcending titles and belts.
Regardless of outcome, Dalton Castle has proven that he's the definition of a modern day Pro Wrestling Champion. His performance in Best In The World will help solidify his persona either way as long as he maintains his grandeur and authenticity which goes far beyond flapping the peacock wings.
FITE "Fighter in Focus" series is brought to you by Ivan Spassov, FITE Editor-in-Chief
