While many fans dislike the idea of “non-wrestling” celebrities in their favorite promotions, they are actually beneficial to the product. That’s what Ring of Honor star Dalton Castle thinks, anyway.
Recently, Ring of Honor played host to Arrow star Stephen Amell when he joined the Bullet Club and stepped into the squared circle for the first time since his Summer Slam 2015 appearance. The event must have gone well, since Cody Rhodes (one of Amell's opponents in 2015) then appeared on Arrow, and Amell has since returned to wrestling—this time with Ring of Honor. Unlike other celebrities, however, Amell actually took part in the action, jumping off the top rope, and even pulling off some moves with The Young Bucks.
Though Castle may have a point of contention with Cody—he’ll be facing off against the Bullet Club member for his ROH World Championship at the Final Battle pay-per-view in December— he believes Amell’s appearance is great for the promotion.
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“Any time you can bring someone in that has a big fanbase or following that is not into wrestling… I think that’s good. Not just for Ring of Honor, but for wrestling in general,” says Castle. “I think there’s such a stigma around the word ‘pro-wrestling’ from people who have never really given it a shot, that they hesitate to watch something [wrestling related]. But when they see how others enjoy it or how the art form has grown, maybe it will be their cup of tea.”
As for who Castle would like to see appear in ROH next, he joked the 69-year-old actress Rhea Perlman of Cheers fame would be a great tag team partner. But as a character influenced by rock n’ roll legends like David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, and—more recently—the Darkness, he likes the sounds of having the “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” performers coming out with him.
“I can’t imagine anybody sitting in their seats all night if that happens,” says Castle. “There would be a lot of gyrating.”
Fans can catch Castle compete for his first major ROH singles championship at Final Battle on Dec. 15, 2017, when he takes on Cody (Rhodes) in New York. In the meantime, Castle is also a prominent name on ROH’s weekly programming (that you can watch on rohwrestling.com). He’ll also be attending Chris Jericho’s Rock & Wrestling Rager At Sea cruise from October 27 to 31 2018.