By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Deadlock Pro Wrestling “Forever 2024”
Available via DPWondemand.com
February 18, 2024 in Pasadena, Texas at Campbell Hall
The show was released on the DPW website on Saturday, Feb. 24. By waiting a week to release the show, it allows DPW to do some light edits, which includes putting backstage segments between matches. DPW is based out of North Carolina and this is their Texas debut. This is a large building and used by New Texas Pro (later in the show, they acknowledged Stephen Wolf won his title in this building.) The crowd is maybe 300-400; the lights are low but lighting in the ring is pretty good. Rich Bocchini and Alex Del Rey provided commentary.
1. “MxM” Mason Madden and Mansoor defeated “Culture Inc.” Malik Bosede and Eli Knight at 10:20. I’m a big fan of Culture Inc. and I think Eli has the prettiest Shooting Star Press going today; both are thin Black men. They made fun of Texas so they’ll be heels here in their DPW debut. Rich said Madden played pro football here in this town and everyone knows who he is. Mansoor opened against Eli (he’s clean-shaven but has a small goatee) with standing switches, and Eli hit an eye poke. Mansoor hit a dropkick. Malik hit a Poison Rana but came down on the top of his head; the ref checked on him but he was okay. Madden entered and hit a double suplex, then a big leg lariat for a nearfall at 3:00.
Culture Inc’s manager tripped Mansoor, allowing the heels to take over. Eli hit a springboard dropkick. Eli slammed Mansoor across Malik’s knees for a nearfall at 5:30. They stomped on Mansoor in their corner. Madden finally made the hot tag at 7:30 and he hit a double shoulder tackle then some leg lariats and a hard spear. MxM hit a chokeslam-and-German Suplex combo move, but the ref was pulled to the floor. Eli hit a springboard moonsault to the floor on Mansoor. In the ring, Malik hit a low blow uppercut on Madden. Eli hit a top-rope moonsault on Mansoor for a believable nearfall at 9:30. Mansoor hit a spinebuster on Malik. Madden hit a top-rope chokeslam on Eli! MxM set up for a Magic Killer, but instead, they turned it into a team brainbuster for the pin. I liked this a lot.
2. Hyan defeated Raychell Rose at 9:11. Rose just had a match on ROH TV versus Billie Starks a couple weeks ago under a different name of “Araya Thorn.” The Latina Hyan always reminds me of Deonna Purrazzo in terms of ring gear, hair length, and the way she carries herself to the ring. These two are familiar foes but Rich said it’s now been a year since they’ve fought. Standing switches to open and Hyan hit a Stinger Splash, then she slammed Rose stomach-first to the mat. Rose hit an axe kick to the back of the neck at 1:30. Rose hit a jumping knee to the chest for a nearfall. Hyan hit a guillotine legdrop. In a neat spot, Rose spread Hyan’s legs apart with her own legs and cranked Hyan forward, putting pressure on her inner thighs at 4:30.
Hyan hit some clotheslines and a back suplex for a nearfall. They traded hard forearm strikes. Hyan dropped Rose face-first on the top turnbuckle and she hit a double-underhook DDT at 7:00. Hyan went for a spear but Raychell caught her and hit a DDT. Rose hit a top-rope doublestomp on the back, then a superkick for a believable nearfall. Hyan hit a spear then two Implant Busters (Taya Valkyrie’s Road to Valhalla) for the pin. That was really good; it is evident how well these two know each other.
3. Kevin Blackwood defeated Alec Price at 13:30. These two had teamed on the last DPW show but lost, which led to Price challenging Kevin to a match. I know I’ve seen these two fight each other, and it was fairly recently, too. They shoved each other before the bell, then they traded quick reversals after the match started. They brawled to the floor, trading stiff kicks and chops. Kevin slammed Price head-first into the ring post at 2:00. In the ring, Price hit a doublestomp on the back as Kevin was lying on the top rope and he was in charge. He hit a basement dropkick to the back while jawing at the fans.
Price hit a half-nelson suplex, then a Rebound Lariat for a nearfall at 4:00. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Price hit a doublestomp as Kevin was tied in the Tree of Woe. Kevin nailed a top-rope back suplex at 6:30. Kevin hit a German Suplex, then another, then a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, seventh! Price missed a springboard crossbody block, and Blackwood hit an eighth German Suplex for a nearfall at 8:30. This crowd was HOT. Price hit a half nelson suplex and a running kneestrike in the corner. Price hit a second-rope leg lariat for a nearfall. He hit a superkick. Kevin nailed a brainbuster for a nearfall at 10:00; these two are busting their butts.
They traded forearm strikes on the ring apron and Kevin hit a kneestrike to the chin. Price nailed an Air Raid Crash onto the ring apron, and they both tumbled to the floor. Price hit a dive over the top rope onto Kevin! Price hit a springboard leg lariat for a nearfall at 11:30, then a springboard Blockbuster for a nearfall. Price hit a tornado DDT but Kevin kicked out at one and the crowd went nuts. These guys are stealing the show. Price went for the Surprise Kick but Kevin caught him and hit a buckle bomb, a clothesline, and a Helluva Kick. Kevin hit a top-rope doublestomp to the chest for the pin. (They tricked me by announcing at the 10-minute mark we had five minutes remaining. I thought we were headed to a draw.) That was excellent.
* Outside, MxM said they came to Deadlock Pro because they have the best tag team division, and they want to show they are the best. They called out Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin for the DPW show in Chicago in March!
* Also outside, we heard from Hyan, who is thrilled to be back. She wants a title shot at Takase. She said the future is bright for her.
4. “The Workhorsemen” JD Drake and Anthony Henry defeated Chris Danger and (Tyler) Breeze at 14:30. Anthony attacked and overpowered Breeze at the bell. Breeze hit a sharp dropkick. Danger, the youtube star, tagged in and hit some armdrags and a dropkick. Drake entered at 1:30. Danger hit a tornado DDT on Drake, then a huracanrana. Danger dove through the ropes as Breeze held them apart (similar to what Shelley and Sabin do.) In the ring, Drake slammed Danger hard to the mat. Drake ripped off Danger’s T-shirt and hit a LOUD chop at 4:00 that caved in Chris’ chest. “It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a side of beef,” Bocchini said. Henry tagged in and he hit a series of kicks as Danger was on the mat.
JD hit a senton at 6:30, and the WHM kept Danger in their corner. Henry hit a Mafia Kick at 8:30, then a stiff kick to the spine, then to the chest, going back and forth. Danger finally hit a Death Valley Driver on Henry. Breeze made the hot tag and hit a superkick and dropkick on Henry at 10:30. Breeze hit his Strait-jacket lungblower on Henry, then a spin kick on Drake. Danger and Henry began trading forearm strikes. On the floor, JD threw Danger against the ropes and hit a forearm strike at 13:30. In the ring, Henry hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall; Bocchini said that will just tick off Henry more. Breeze and Drake fought on the floor. The WHM hit the “9 To 5” kick to the back-and-Flatliner combo to pin Danger. Good action, and I don’t mind that Danger, essentially a rookie, took a beating from the seasoned vets.
* Outside, Blackwood said he needed that win over Price and it’s the first of many.
5. Nicole Matthews defeated Vertvixen at 8:46. I think it’s safe to say the four women on this show are in the top 10 on the indy scene today, and these two are also familiar opponents. Matthews is now a 20-year pro, and of course, she was in the first Mae Young Classic. Vert’s hair is more purple/pink than blue today. They opened with standing switches. Vert set up for a dive to the floor but Nicole caught her with a forearm at 2:00. They traded chops on the floor. In the ring, Nicole hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip and a stiff kick to the spine.
Vertvixen tried to get a Texas Cloverleaf but Nicole blocked it and she tied up Vert on the mat. Vert hit a Helluva Kick at 5:30. She hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall, but she sold pain in her knee. Matthews applied a half-crab at 7:30 and paused to flex with her free arm. Nicole tossed a chair in the ring but the ref confiscated it. While he was putting it away, Matthews took a big gulp of wine, sprayed it in Vertvixen’s eyes, and got a rollup for the cheap pin.
* Outside, the Workhorsemen talked about how they are the biggest and baddest tag team in the promotion. They were upset they were booked to fight a rookie like Chris Danger. Henry said the DPW locker room is “on notice.” Interesting… will we see them later?
6. Calvin Tankman defeated Gringo Loco and Stephen Wolf in a three-way to retain the Deadlock Pro Heavyweight Title at 12:48. Wolf wore his New Texas Pro title to the ring; he has dark hair that is blond on top, and as Bocchini said, “he’s a talent on the rise.” The crowd booed Wolf. Wolf slapped Loco in the face but he accidentally backed into Tankman, earning a “you f—ed up!” chant. Tankman slammed Wolf to the mat and Wolf rolled to the floor. Tankman and Loco traded some lucha reversals; the crowd popped seeing Tankman do a forward roll and a huracanrana. Tankman dropped Wolf with another hard forearm at 2:30, and he hit some loud chops, then hiptossed Wolf across the ring.
Tankman hit some snap suplexes on Wolf, then a Jackhammer for a nearfall at 4:30 but Loco made the save. Bocchini said this is Loco’s first DPW match in a year as he’s been in heavy demand everywhere. Wolf rolled up Tankman for a nearfall. Wolf went for a standing moonsault but Loco got his knees up. Loco hit his own standing moonsault for a nearfall at 6:00. Wolf hit an impressive dropkick as Loco was seated on the top turnbuckle. Loco hit a double-jump Vader Bomb on Wolf, then a flip dive to the floor on Tankman, and that popped the crowd. Loco hit a springboard moonsault on Wolf fo a nearfall, but Tankman made the save.
Tankman hit a springboard twisting splash on Loco for a nearfall at 8:30 and everyone was down. Wolf hit some rolling forearms that barely affected Tankman. Wolf tried a move but Tankman bodyslammed him. Tankman and Loco fought on the ropes, and Loco hit a top-rope Spanish Fly and that popped the crowd with a “holy shit!” chant. However, Wolf immediately hit a running Shooting Star Press on Tankman for a nerfall at 11:00. Loco nailed the Base Bomb on Wolf, but Wolf was able to roll to the floor. Loco hit a second-rope Canadian Destroyer on Tankman. Loco came off the ropes, but Tankman caught him with a forearm. He nailed the Rikishi Driver/piledriver on Loco for the pin. That was a blast.
7. Bryan Keith defeated Jake Something to retain the DPW National Title at 18:33. They stood toe-to-toe at the bell and it really highlighted how much taller and thicker Jake is. This crowd of course is 100% behind Texas native Keith. They shook hands. Keith hit some spin kicks to the left thigh. They traded chops. Keith hit a thrust jab to the throat at 4:00. Jake hit a series of shoulder tackles then his running Thesz Press. Jake hit a spear into the corner for a nearfall at 6:30. They brawled to the floor, where Keith hit a running boot at 8:30. In the ring, Keith kicked at Jake’s wrapped left arm, and he hit a Divorce Court armbreaker, then a kneedrop on the elbow.
Keith hit a Diamond Dust flipping stunner. Jake hit an overhead release suplex at 11:30. Keith hit an Exploder Suplex into the turnbuckles. He hit a Death Valley Driver over his knee, but Keith sold his knee pain after the move. Jake speared Keith through the ropes, and they both fell to the floor. In the ring, Keith hit a running knee, then the Emerald Tiger Driver for a believable nearfall at 15:30. Jake nailed a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Jake nailed a Black Hole Slam for a nearfall. Keith hit a leaping headbutt in the corner. He set up for another Tiger Driver but Jake blocked it. Moments later, Keith hit the Emerald Tiger Driver for the pin. An excellent match, but I felt like the title was never in danger, either.
* The Workhorsemen attacked Brian Keith after the bell! Anthony Henry choked out Keith and posed with Keith’s belt, and the crowd booed them. The promo we saw earlier indicated they were going to be back out here before the show ended. Drake shouted to Keith that it was his “time to pay up.”
Final Thoughts: A very entertaining show, with a heavy mix of Texas-based wrestlers combined with a few Deadlock Pro stars. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of the Carolina-based talents here, particularly Bojack, Diego Hill and BK Westbrook. I’ll go with the main event for best, ahead of the Tankman three-way and a strong Blackwood-Price match for third. The phrase “agile big man” is frequently over-used in pro wrestling, but wow Calvin showed here how agile he is, doing some lucha moves during that match and showing some surprising high-flying stuff.
I’ve written this before but I just like what DPW is doing. Bringing in quality commentators who put over the product really helps. The shows flow well from event to event, and the action is always great. And their decision to hold some events recently on Sundays has meant they have access to more top talent, as there are simply fewer Sunday shows. Check out this promotion, and they have a fair number of matches you can check out on their YouTube page.
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