Matt Taven And Dalton Castle Discuss Their Passion For Pro Wrestling, Their Match At Final Battle & Their Injuries

Matt Taven and Dalton Castle are on a collision course and will do battle on December 14th at the ROH Final Battle pay-per-view.

Recently both men spoke to Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated about what this match means for them, their passion for the industry, and the future of Ring of Honor as a brand.

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Castle On The Grandeur Of Final Battle:

“I look at pro wrestling as theater, and pro wrestling is another form of that,” said Castle. “I want to make sure everything I do is to the benefit of the audience. That’s why I do so much arts and crafts, I guess you could say, and put in the extra time and money to make sure my entrance is as big and important as the match itself. This year is no different.

“Final Battle, Ring of Honor’s marquee show, is such a big event and it closes out the year for us. I’ve got an entrance in mind. I don’t know if anything is going to beat my ‘Sweet Chariot Pulled by Boys’, but I do know it’s going to make people get out of their seats.”

Taven On Seizing Opportunity:

“I am looking for that opportunity,” said Taven. “Every time an obstacle was put in front of me, I’ve made the most of it. Matt Taven is just looking to get the respect he deserves. I truly believe I am the real Ring of Honor world champion, and I’ll walk into Madison Square Garden after a successful Final Battle as the real Ring of Honor world champion.”

“I’ve always wanted that spotlight, with the microphone in my hand, and give people the chance to really sink their teeth into who Matt Taven really is. I’ve got that opportunity to show who I am and what I want to translate through that screen, and it was just a matter of time before you saw the Matt Taven you see now.”

“2019 is going to be a year of change in Ring of Honor,” said Taven. “When that change happens and the dust settles, Matt Taven is going to be holding the real Ring of Honor world title and be exactly where he wants to be.”

Both Men On Recovering From Injury:

Castle: “It used to be wake up, watch wrestling, eat breakfast, go to the gym, come home, do yoga, train, and go to the wrestling school,” said Castle. “Suddenly, I found myself not being able to do everything. Wrestling is such a huge part of my life. I’ve been wrestling for two-thirds of my time on this planet. It was a huge mental blow to me, and it was something I had to figure out how to overcome to get back to being as happy as I am.

“Deep down, I believe I am the best. So working my ass off to get to the point where I was Ring of Honor world champion was the first goal, but not holding onto it for as long as I wanted to was disappointing. In retrospect, I hurt my back and suffered these injuries well before I was ever in the title picture. So I was able to not only overcome these injuries and work my way to the top, but I won the world title with these injuries and I held onto that title for over six months. Now that I’ve had the proper time off and my back is all better, just imagine what I’m capable of now.”

Taven: “Physically I might never be back to the point I was,” said Taven. “I know my knee doesn’t recover the way it used to. But I feel more comfortable in my skin than I ever have.”