By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Deadlock Pro Wrestling “One Year Anniversary”
December 10, 2022 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at The Fairgrounds
Available via DPWondemand.com
The show was broadcast one week after it took place. I am a big fan of this promotion. They have gone out and hired two top-notch commentators, they have great camera-work, lighting and sound, and they mix in backstage interviews.
Rich Bocchini provided commentary solo; no Joe Dombrowski on this night. The crowd was perhaps 200-300; these shows are so good, they need to figure out how to draw more.
1. Adam Brooks defeated Labron Kozone at 10:41. Brooks is the Aussie with a good look. Kozone is a Black man in dreadlocks. They traded forearms early, and Brooks suplexed Kozone into the turnbuckles at 2:00. Kozone hit a spinning back fist. Kozone nailed a running powerslam for a nearfall at 4:30. Brooks hit an enzuigiri; Kozone fired back with a Mafia Kick. Brooks nailed a running forearm to the back of the head for a nearfall, and he hit repeated blows to the back of the head, then he switched to a Crippler Crossface at 7:00.
Brooks hit a Meteora double knees from the top-rope onto the ring apron. He hit a tornado DDT into the ring for a believable nearfall. He went for a huracanrana out of the corner, but Kozone turned it into a sit-out powerbomb. Kozone nailed a decapitating clothesline for a believable nearfall, and the crowd was fully behind him. Brooks nailed a top-rope superplex. Kozone hit a German Suplex, but Brooks rotated and landed on his feet. Brooks hit a piledriver, then a Rollins-style double stomp to the back of the head for the pin. That was a really, really good opener.
* They shook hands, but then Brooks turned and slugged Kozone and repeated stomped on him, until Jay Malachi came out and made the save, chasing off Brooks. This flowed immediately into our next match!
2. Jay Malachi defeated Diego Hill at 11:17. I think Diego is just a star; he’s a cross between Wes Lee and Cedric Alexander. Malachi is also Black, but a little scrawnier. These two previously had been teammates here. They immediately traded Lucha-style quick reversals, with both somehow landing on their feet, ending in a standoff, and a nice fan applause. They brawled to the floor, and Hill dropped Malachi gut-first over the guardrail at 3:00. Hill then hit a spinning legdrop from the ring apron onto Malachi’s back.
In the ring, Malachi hit a top-rope crossbody block with some incredible height on the jump. Malachi went for a springboard stunner, but Diego blocked it. Diego hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 5:00. Malachi hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall, and the crowd chanted, “both these guys!” Jay hit a Superman Punch. Diego hit a German Suplex; Jay hit a Poison Rana; Diego hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly, and they were both down at 8:00. That was a great sequence. Diego hit a Fosbury Flop to the floor, earning a “holy shit!” chant.
Jay hit a dive over the top rope (doing it much better than Top Dolla did a few days ago!). Back in the ring, Diego hit a Pele Kick, sending Jay crashing to the floor. Diego hit a spinning press off the second rope to the floor. However, Diego began selling a knee injury. In the ring, Jay hit a top-rope Spanish Fly for a believable nearfall at 10:30. The crowd chanted, “Fight forever!” Diego dove off the ropes, but Jay caught him with a stunner. Jay then nailed a top-rope Clout Cutter for the clean pin. That was a stellar match from two up-and-comers.
* Jay Malachi got on the mic and called Adam Brooks to come back out, saying he’s ready for another match. Brooks came out and said, “Don’t you stand in my ring and say my name with such disrespect.” He ran down the crowd. BK Westbrook attacked Malachi from behind. Lebron Kozone returned to the ring, but Brooks beat him down, too. Brooks then put on a T-shirt that reads “What’s Next,” joining Westbrook’s heel faction. The babyfaces were helped to the back. Westbrook got on the mic, but the mic kept going out (clearly on purpose), and Westbrook was frustrated that he couldn’t get his words out. He has an open challenge for anyone! Accepting the challenge is Hyan, a Latina wrestler! She is a trainee from Booker T’s school.
3. Hyan defeated BK Westbrook in an intergender match at 9:20. I have compared Westbrook to Adam Cole’s look. BK demanded they do a pose-off first. Of course, the crowd cheered for her. So, he hit her from behind as she was posing, earning loud boos. She hit a headscissors takedown. He went to the floor to regroup, so she leapt through the bottom ropes onto him. She hit loud chops on the floor in front of fans.
In the ring, he hit a dropkick in the corner at 2:00 and the crowd booed. He took over and began working her over. Hyan hit a brainbuster, earning a huge pop. BK hit a Lionsault for a nearfall. He applied a Boston Crab and sat down on her lower back for pressure at 5:00, but she reached the ropes. She hit a running crossbody block. She put him on her shoulders and slammed him to the mat, then hit a Hogan legdrop for a nearfall. She catapulted him face-first into the turnbuckle, then she hit a running knee to the jaw in the corner. She nailed a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 7:30.
BK hit a springboard forearm, then a sit-out powerbomb for a believable nearfall, and BK was livid he didn’t get the win there. He went to the floor to grab a chair. Andrew Everett ran out and took it from him, and he tossed BK into the ring. BK kept arguing with Everett. It allowed Hyan to sneak up behind him, get a schoolboy rollup, and score the pin. BK was embarassed at having lost.
* Backstage video of Raychell Rose boasting about her title with the women’s title. I’ve made the comparison to Britt Baker before, and I still think that’s accurate. This is a nice video clip with footage of her past victories.
4. Emi Sakura (w/Baliyan Akki) defeated Raychell Rose to win the DPW Women’s Title at 10:16. The crowd was all over Raychell, who really sold that it was getting to her. Rose has a height advantage. Sakura did her spot where she tied her up on the mat, then sat on her and pretended to drink tea. Raychell hit a dropkick in the corner, and she slowed Emi down with a headlock on the mat. Emi hit a spinning faceplant at 4:00, and she hit her “We will rock you!” chops and kicks in the corner. Emi tied her up in a surfboard and leaned back for pressure.
They traded hard chops. Emi hit a back suplex, and they were both down at 6:30. Raychell butterflied the arms and hit a implant facebuster for a believable nearfall, and the crowd started chanting, “New champ!” Emi missed a top-rope Moonsault. Rose nailed a spear for a nearfall. The ref got bumped at 8:30! Raychell immediately grabbed her title and hit Emi in the face with it. She revived the ref but only got a nearfall, and she sold her disbelief at not getting the win.
Rose hit a superkick. Emi got a rollup but Rose reached the ropes. Emi hit a clothesline, then the Queens Gambit/facebuster over the knee for the pin! New champion! The crowd popped for the title change. That was a fun match. I hope we see Rose get an opportunity in Impact or AEW Dark soon.
5. Lucky Ali defeated Bojack to retain the DPW Title at 16:47. Ali won the title last month in a three-way between then-champ Bojack and Kidd Bandit by pinning Bandit, so Bojack lost the title without being pinned. Ali came out first and complained, asking why the champ wasn’t coming out last. Bojack hit the ring and they immediately started brawling before the championship introductions. Bojack is a legit 350-400 pounds, and Ali couldn’t budge him on an Irish Whip attempt.
They brawled to the floor, with Bojack laying in some hard chops in front of the fans. In the ring, Ali took control of the offense. Bojack hit a uranage at 3:30, then a running senton that flattened Ali. Ali hit a catapult legdrop for a one-count, and he grounded Bojack on the mat. Ali hit an enziguri at 8:30. Bojack went for a Pounce but Ali did a leapfrog to avoid it! Ali hit a top-rope crossbody block, then a top-rope DDT for a nearfall. Ali playfully slapped him in the head and taunted him. “You get the sense Ali might regret that,” Bocchini said.
Bojack hit some shoulder tackles, then a bodyslam for a nearfall. Ali nailed a pair of running clotheslines to the back of the head for a nearfall at 13:30. They went to the floor, and Bojack slammed Ali onto the ring apron, then he hiptossed him over the guardrail and amongst the fans. In the ring, Ali avoided a charging Bojack, and Bojack rammed his head into an exposed turnbuckle. Ali hit a top-rope Vader Bomb for the pin. A good match, but admittedly a step below my expectations.
6. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Colby Corino at 14:21. Huge pop for Takeshita, who had a stellar match against Adam Brooks here earlier this year. An intense lockup to start, and they traded mat holds. They fought to the floor, and Takeshita nailed a Helluva Kick against a guardrail at 5:00. He hit a catapult senton into the ring. Takeshita applied a half-crab, but Colby reached the ropes. Colby hit a Samoan Drop, then a senton, and they were both down at 8:00.
Colby hit a top-rope flying bulldog for a nearfall. Colby set up for a Styles Clash, but Takeshita turned it into a rollup. Takeshita hit his flying clothesline for a nearfall, and the crowd was hot. Takeshita hit a spinning Blue Thunder Bomb, and they were both down at 10:00. They got up and traded stiff forearm shots. Takeshita hit a Goldberg-style Jackhammer for a believable nearfall. Colby dove through the ropes onto Takeshita and turned it into a tornado DDT on the floor at 12:30.
In the ring, Colby came off the top rope, but Takeshita caught him with a jumping knee. Colby hit a stunner and a doublestomp to the chest for a nearfall. Takeshita hit a Chaos Theory rolling German Suplex, then followed with a running knee to the jaw for the clean pin. That was really good, hard-hitting stuff.
* Heel manager Chris Danger hit the ring, with the tag champions, Patrick Scott and Chance Ryzer. Scott was sick last month so their match was canceled; he is acting like he has the sniffles and still under the weather. Danger said Scott is still too sick to face the Workhorsemen (JD Drake and Anthony Henry.) However, when the ring announcer informed them that the Workhorsemen aren’t even here, Danger laughed and said Scott was healthy! They then made an open challenge to anyone in the back.
7. “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini defeated “The Reality” Patrick Scott and Chance Ryzer (w/Chris Danger) to win the DPW Tag Titles at 19:44. The crowd taunted the heels with a “new champs!” chant before the bell. Scott, who has a passing resemblance to Josh Alexander, started against Garrini. Ku and Chance entered at 3:00; Chance is much shorter, and Ku immediately grounded him. They all brawled on the floor.
In the ring, Rizer suplexed Garrini into the corner turnbuckles at 7:30 and the heels began working Dominic over and kept him in their corner. Ku finally made the hot tag at 12:00 and he cleaned house, hitting repeated clotheslines going corner-to-corner on both heels. Ku hit a Tiger Suplex for a believable nearfall. Rizer hit a German Suplex on Garrini for a nearfall at 14:30, but Ku made the save. Garrini hit a high knee and an STO uranage on Scott for a nearfall.
All four men fought in the ring, trading punches. Scott hit a spear to knock both opponents down. The heels went for a team piledriver move on Garrini, but Ku broke it up. Danger hopped in the ring and got in Garrini’s face. Garrini hit a brainbuster on Danger, and the crowd popped. The crowd chanted, “F– Chris Danger!” The heels hit a team faceplant move on Garrini for a nearfall. Ku nailed a top-rope doublestomp on Ryzer. Ku and Garrini hit the “Chasing the Dragon” kick-and-brainbuster combo to pin Ryzer. New champs! The crowd celebrated the title change.
* Ku got on the mic and said he’s the only person to compete for all the titles in DPW in the promotion’s short history. Ku made it clear they welcome a challenge from JD Drake and Anthony Henry. He acknowledged they were at ROH’s “Final Battle” that night.
8. Adam Everett defeated Calvin Tankman to win the DPW National Title at 21:07. Everett, who had a nice run in Impact Wrestling, still thinks he’s 7’4″ and wears an Andre-inspired singlet. Seconds into the match, Tankman went for a spinning back fist, and Everett bailed to the floor to avoid it. The crowd chanted, “He’s a Giant!” Bocchini noted that Everett did score a pin over Tankman previously. Everett hit a dropkick at 2:00 but Tankman didn’t go down. Everett hit a top-rope crossbody block to the floor. Tankman slammed Everett’s head into the guardrails, then he powerbombed him onto the ring apron.
Tankman was in charge in the ring, as he whipped Everett into the corner turnbuckles at 5:30. He hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. Everett fired back with multiple headbutts. Tankman nailed a Pounce at 8:30. Everett nailed some forearms as we here the 10-minute call in the background, right on with my stopwatch. Everett hit an enziguri, but Tankman collapsed onto Everett for a nearfall! That was well done. Everett hit a missile dropkick that staggered Tankman.
Everett hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 13:00 and the crowd was rallying for him. Everett hit a springboard dropkick, and they were both down. Everett hit a springboard corkscrew splash for a nearfall. He missed his 630 Splash. He set up for a chokeslam, but Tankman brushed it off. Tankman clocked him with a roaring forearm that sounded great and dropped Everett, and they were both down at 16:00.
Tankman nailed a pop-up spinning back fist, then a sit-out powerbomb for a believable nearfall, and Tankman was stunned that didn’t get him the win. Tankman hit a Rikishi-style piledriver for a believable nearfall. “Tankman looks like he’s seen the ghost of the actual Andre the Giant!” Bocchini said. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Everett hit a huracanrana at 20:00. He hit his picture-perfect Shooting Star Press for a believable nearfall. Everett then nailed the top-rope 630 Splash to score the pin and win the title!
Final Thoughts: Another really strong show from this growing promotion. I have to go with Takeshita vs. Corino for best match. I’ve said this before, but I feel bad for Colby because he debuted at such a young age and was essentially an “enhancement worker” on ROH TV for so long it felt like he was stuck in that role. Anyone who hasn’t seen him this year would be surprised at how good he is now in his work in NWA and on the indies. Sure, Takeshita was the right person to win that match, but Colby was really good here, too.
That was a really good main event and it earns second-best. I’ll go with Diego-Malachi for third place, but I certainly want to acknowledge Sakura-Rose for honorable mention. I feel like this roster has several guys that could be “2023 breakout stars” in Malachi, Ali, Diego Hill and BK Westbrook. On a night with so many good matches, I can’t put Bojack-Ali higher than fifth, which speaks volumes on the overall quality of this show.
I want to give kudos to Bocchini for keeping his monologue going throughout the show. I think it would be challenging providing commentary solo for a three-hour show, and he does a really good job.
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