Flamboyant. Unorthodox. Loquacious.
All these words have been used to describe the character and in-ring performance of pro wrestler Dalton Castle.
And now, there’s one more word to describe him-
Champion!
Dalton pinned Cody (f/k/a Cody Rhodes) last evening at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City to win the Ring of Honor (ROH) World Championship. The match was the main event of the ROH Final Battle pay-per-view.
Dalton, born Brett Giehl, is a Rochester native who was a star amateur wrestler at Greece-Athena High School and SUNY Brockport. He also won a state title in Greco-Roman wrestling. Castle had wrestled for local promotions such as Upstate Pro Wrestling in Rochester and Empire State Wrestling in Buffalo prior to signing with ROH.
Radio listeners in Rochester may remember him as Brett The Giehl from The Zone (94.1 FM.)
With his colorful cape (which, when spread out, resembles a peacock) along with histrionics and speeches that often fly in the face of wrestling’s stereotypical macho image, Castle quickly became a fan favorite upon joining ROH full-time in 2015. His two assistants, whom he only refers to as “My Boys,” added to the intrigue surrounding his character.
Dalton and The Boys previously held the ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championship from June 23 through August 20 of this year.
In his title win last night, there was plenty of outside interference from Cody’s wife, Brandi, as well as The Boys. After the referee ejected all three from ringside, Castle won the match by pinfall after thunderously tossing Cody face-first to the mat with his “Bang-A-Rang” finisher.
Cody is the son of wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes.
There were seven other contests on the Final Battle card. In one other title change, Silas Young won the Television Championship when he defeated Kenny King, Punishment Martinez and Shane Taylor in an elimination match.
Dalton currently lives in Albany, New York, although for promotional purposes, ROH lists his home town as Catalina Island.
.
Roc Sports NOW 