Dalton Castle is the most flamboyant wrestler in the world today, and maybe ever. A self-proclaimed “Charismatic Milkshake and Protein-Loaded Party Peacock,” Dalton is cut from the same cloth as glamorous grapplers like Gorgeous George and Adrian Adonis. Accompanied everywhere he goes by his “boys,” a pair of masquerade-mask-wearing Filipino twins, Dalton has yet to find a line that he’s not willing to cross. Drawing inspiration from glam rockers like David Bowie and Freddy Mercury, Castle is on a one-man mission to make the world colorful.
Hailing from Rochester, NY, Dalton Castle began his professional wrestling career in 2009 and spent the first few years tackling the New York indy scene. Having a decade of amateur wrestling experience under his belt – culminating in an NY State Championship in Greco-Roman and 3 NCAA All-State team appearances – Castle seamlessly incorporates his amateur background into his in-ring style. The “24/7 Party” employs a lethal combination of suplex variations, including a delayed bridging German, a standing Northern Lights, and a vicious exploder. These, combined with a strike heavy arsenal that can best be described as American Strong-Style, make Dalton a formidable foe for anyone he steps into the ring with. This “Peacock of Professional Wrestling” may look like he’s got more style than substance, often using his boys as human furniture to rest on during interviews, but make no mistake – inside the squared circle, he’s not to be taken lightly.
Dalton Castle’s first taste of national exposure came in 2013 in Ring of Honor, but he really hit his stride with the promotion at the beginning of 2015 when he entered their Top Prospects tournament. Not deterred by a first round loss, Castle re-emerged in the spring when he challenged Jay Lethal for the ROH World Title. Even though he failed to capture the gold, Dalton’s career with Ring of Honor was on the rise. He’s competed there against indy studs like Bobby Fish, Adam Cole, and the legendary Jushin “Thunder” Liger. His most notable feud has been with Silas Young – a rivalry centered around Dalton’s boys. The two faced off in a match with the stipulation that if Castle won, Young would become one of his boys; however, if Castle failed in the effort, his boys would serve Young instead. Young won, and Dalton lost the use of his servants. They’d later return to him of course, helping him defeat Young in a Fight Without Honor that ended their feud. With his boys back in tow, Dalton Castle was also victorious against Roderick Strong in the latter’s final Ring of Honor match.
While Castle was making a name for himself in Ring of Honor, he was simultaneously ascending the ranks in Chikara. Debuting as Dalton “Caroline” Castle, he was revealed to be the great nephew of the affluent masked statesman Darkness Crabtree. When Crabtree’s character was killed off at Chikara’s Wrestling Is Intense event in September of 2013, he left a large inheritance to Castle, who used his newfound wealth to transform into “Smooth Sailing” Ashley Remington, a playboy yachtsman. Hailing from The Open Waters, Remington has had great success in Chikara, running up an impressive checklist of wins and eventually challenging Hallowicked for the Grand Championship. Despite falling short of winning the title, the cool-as-a-cucumber Remington has solidified his place among Chikara’s finest, just as his late great uncle would have wanted.
Dalton Castle isn’t the first wrestler to maintain dual identities in ROH and Chikara concurrently. That in mind, I certainly wouldn’t mind one day seeing the flamboyant Castle interact with his gentlemanly counterpart, Ashley Remington.
