Dalton Castle Reflects On First AEW Appearance, Wrestling Chris Jericho In Canada

Dalton Castle has gained popularity with AEW fans since his debut at "Battle of the Belts II." In a recent interview on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Castle talked through his journey to debuting for AEW and subsequent fan reception.

"I knew the weight of seeing more eyes on me," Castle said, "I didn't really fear it. Because I've always kind of trusted in myself. I know I'm good, I know I'm real good at this. I just had to keep doing what I'm doing, and not do it any differently."

Castle's AEW debut saw him come in alongside his Boys, a return which he says was first proposed to him by AEW and ROH President Tony Khan. He said that after his appearance on 2022's ROH Supercard of Honor, Khan approached him backstage about bringing back his stablemates. He noted that Khan's attitude was in contrast to others who may have liked his in-ring work, but may not have wanted the rest of Castle's character.

Since then, Castle has challenged Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship on AEW television. The match with Jericho was an idea brought to Castle very quickly, but it was one that he was eager to spring on.

"I got told, 'You're probably going to be doing a segment with Jericho tomorrow.' And that's words I didn't think I'd ever hear in my wrestling career, but I was so thrilled to do it," he said. "I'm going out on a Canadian show against their Canadian hero, Chris Jericho. The second I walked out there, there was this, 'How's this gonna go?' But, the crowd was so welcoming and loud. They chanted my name and I hadn't even introduced myself."