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#3 ROH Fans Cheer Dalton Castle
When ROH invited indie darling Dalton Castle to their Top Prospect tournament, he was meant to cause a sensation. ROH executives planned for returning star Nikki Six to be the babyface, while the flamboyant and openly gay Dalton Castle would be booed as the heel.
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Nothing could have prepared them for the enlightened ROH audience, who embraced Dalton more quickly than any other wrestler in their history. Though Dalton was eliminated in his first match, he quickly rose through the ranks to challenge Jay Lethal for his Television Title.
Why is Dalton a good example of representation and Goldust a bad one? Simple: Dalton Castle makes no attempt to seduce his opponents. He relies on his wrestling ability to win matches, and his gimmick is more a representation of who he is than trying to shock and offend the fans.
While Pro Wrestling has shown homophobic tendencies in the past, those tendencies have mirrored societal norms. Just as society has evolved, so has Pro Wrestling. However, It remains to be seen if the ultimate threshold can be crossed: an openly gay world champion.
