Health Update On Dalton Castle
While Dalton Castle is at the top of his game today as part of the Ring of Honor Six Man Tag Team Champions, it wasn't that long ago when it appeared his wrestling career had come to a painful termination.
In an interview with "The Undisputed Podcast," the former ROH World Champion recalled breaking his back in 2016 during a freestyle wrestling training session in Troy, New York.
"I was down there training one day with this guy and we just had a couple of hard goes," he recalled. "In one of the last goes, we had a stalemate where something packed in my back and his neck cracked. And it was just fortunately that he got hurt at the same time – where he just goes, 'I think we should stop it,' because I would never be the one to say, 'Let's stop.'"
Castle went on to describe how he felt later in the evening.
"Woke up in the worst pain of my life in my bed and trying to sit up hurt. Trying to stand up hurt. Trying to sit up in a seat position – it was the worst pain ever."
A Long, Hard Summer
At the time, Castle didn't realize the severity of his injury.
"I remember watching the entire Summer Olympics in 2016 lying on my living room floor, just thinking I had a sore muscle," he said. "I'm sure it was a pulled muscle – surprise!"
Fast-forward to today and the champion wrestler is far removed from the injury. He and The Boys have become regulars on AEW programming over the past couple of months. However, Castle admits the residue of the injury lingers.
"I've got limitations, but I know what they are," he said. "And I am 100 percent better than I was three years ago. I tie my own shoes and it doesn't hurt ... You guys [should] just see me put on my pants one leg at a time – doesn't hurt at all standing up."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Undisputed Podcast" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.