By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Deadlock Pro Wrestling “Forever”
March 16, 2025 in Durham, N.C. at Durham Convention Center
Released March 23, 2025 via DPWondemand.com
Unfortunately, travel issues caused The Beast Mortos to miss the show.
* A video package set to a death metal song opened the show. To the venue, where the crowd is huge and packed; there might be 500 people in this venue. As always, DPW has really strong lighting and overall production. Rich Bocchini and Veda Scott provided commentary; no Caprice Coleman tonight.
1. Jackson Drake vs. Manny Lo vs. Leon Slater in a three-way. I may have seen Manny Lo before, but I’m not 100 percent sure; he’s a Black man with short dreadlocks and has a similar look as Leon. Slater was supposed to face Beast Mortos in a singles match, but is instead in this one. Quick reversals between the three of them. Leon hit a spin kick to the head and a handspring-back-elbow, then a plancha to the floor on Drake at 2:00. Lo shoved Slater shoulder-first into the ring post. Manny hit some European Uppercuts on Slater and a spin kick on him at 4:00. WWE ID prospect Drake hit some kicks and a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall.
Drake hit a Lethal Injection on Slater. This crowd was hot out of the gate. He got both opponents on his shoulders and hit a double Samoan drop at 5:30. Drake hit some Yes Kicks on Manny. Manny slammed Drake onto Slater, then he hit a German Suplex on Drake for a nearfall. This was fast-paced and crisp action. Slater hit a Mafia Kick on Drake. Drake applied an ankle lock on Manny at 8:00. Slater hit a top-rope Hart Attack-style clothesline on Drake, and they were all down. Drake likely has a broken nose and he was bleeding. Leon hit a Blue Thunder Bomb, then a superkick on Drake as Jackson came off the top rope. Slater hit a dive over the corner post on Drake, jumped back in the ring, and he nailed his Swanton 450 Splash on Manny for the pin. WOW. That was great.
Leon Slater defeated Jackson Drake and Manny Lo at 10:28.
2. “Grizzled Young Veterans” James Drake and Zack Gibson vs. BK Westbrook and Andrew Everett for the DPW Tag Team Titles. GYV wore two sets of tag title belts to the ring. BK and Everett charged into the ring and attacked the champs, and BK got a nearfall on Drake in the opening seconds. Everett nailed a top-rope flip dive to the floor on the GYV. In the ring, BK hit a springboard clothesline at 1:30, as this one is off to a fast pace, too! The babyfaces hit a team chokeslam on Drake for a nearfall. On the floor, Gibson shoved Everett into the guardrail. In the ring, Zack worked over the left arm and shoulder and the heels took control. Gibson hit a double-underhook suplex for a nearfall at 6:00.
BK finally got a hot tag and hit a series of clotheslines at 8:30. He hit a T-Bone Suplex and a dive to the floor. Veda said this match has a 15-minute time limit. BK hit a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. Drake hit an enzuigiri on Everett; a 10:00 call was nearly 30 seconds late. Everett hit a Frankensteiner, then a springboard splash and a Lionsault on Drake for a nearfall, but Gibson pulled the ref to the floor! BK dove onto Zack. In the ring, GYV dropped Everett throat-first on the top rope, and they hit a clothesline-and-leg sweep combo to pin Andrew. Another really good match.
James Drake and Zack Gibson defeated BK Westbrook and Andrew Everett to retain the DPW Tag Team Titles at 12:35.
* Backstage, Jackson Drake stressed he wasn’t pinned. We saw LaBron Kozone hugging Manny Lo and telling him he’s proud of him.
3. Kenta vs. Titus Alexander. Titus is a hated heel here and he glared at the crowd on his way to the ring and stole a sign and ripped it up. Kenta got a massive babyface reaction. Titus stomped on Kenta and gave the crowd the middle finger; Kenta stood up and slapped Titus in the face. They went to the floor with Kenta hitting more slaps! In the ring, Titus hit a shotgun dropkick at 2:00 and stomped on Kenta some more. Massive boos. He hit a snap suplex for a nearfall. Kenta dropped him with a roundhouse kick to the chest at 4:00. Kenta hit some stiff running kicks to the spine, then a top-rope flying clothesline for a nearfall.
Titus hit a Mule Kick to the chin and a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 6:30, and he mockingly made the “Go To Sleep” gesture, drawing boos. He got Kenta up, but Kenta blocked a Go To Sleep, so Titus hit a dropkick and a brainbuster for a nearfall. Titus hit a heel hook kick to the jaw. Kenta hit a DDT out of the ropes and a Helluva Kick, then a hesitation dropkick at 8:00. Kenta locked in a cossface, and the crowd taunted Titus to tap out. Titus hit a running knee and a Lethal Injection for a nearfall at 10:00, and this time-check was almost spot-on. Kenta nailed a Tiger Suplex. Titus nailed a Chaos Theory for a nearfall, but he missed a frogsplash. Kenta immediately hit a running knee to the back of the head, then one to the jaw, for a believable nearfall. Kenta immediately set up for Go To Sleep, but Titus grabbed the ref to escape. Titus charged, but Kenta caught him and hit the Go To Sleep knee strike for the pin. Stellar action; this show was on a roll.
Kenta defeated Titus Alexander at 11:56.
4. Calvin Tankman and Trevor Lee vs. Colby Corino and Masato Tanaka. Colby has been feuding with Tanaka since he was seven years old (not a joke!) and they recently had a singles match, so strange to see them teaming. This is cocky Trevor Lee with a wide sh!t-eating grin. Veda immediately wondered if Tankman and Lee were on the same page. Tanaka came out last to a huge pop, and he hugged Corino before they got into the ring. Lee got on the mic (does he purposely add a southern drawl when he’s a heel? It feels like it!) and he got a “Shut the f— up!” chant. He got in Tanaka’s face, so Masato punched him and we’re underway! All four fought to the floor, and Lee accidentally chopped the ring post. Bocchini noted we haven’t had a bell to officially begin.
The babyfaces whipped Lee into the ring post. Tankman hit a Pounce off-camera; a rare production mistake. Tankman slammed Tanaka crotch-first against the ring post, then he tosse Corino onto Tanaka at 3:00. Still no bell so we’re not officially underway. There is the bell at 3:28, as the heels worked over Corino. Trevor hit a dropkick. Calvin hip-tossed Colby across the ring for a nearfall at 5:00. Trevor barked at Calvin as he re-entered the ring; this isn’t going to end well for Trevor. Colby unloaded some forearm strikes on Lee. Lee dropped him snake-eyes and hit a running knee on Corino for a nearfall. Calvin hit a loud forearm and a splash to the mat for a nearfall at 7:30.
Lee demanded to be tagged in, so Calvin did. Lee hit some roundhouse kicks. Corino hit a leaping Flatliner at 9:30 and he made the hot tag to Tanaka. Masato hit some forearm strikes on Calvin. Masato hit some clotheslines, and he traded more forearms with Calvin. Tankman hit a spinning back fist. Lee tagged himself in, and Calvin shouted “What are you doing?” Lee hit a Penalty Kick on Tanaka on the apron, who no-sold it and wants more! In the ring, Calvin hit another spinning back fist on Tanaka; Lee made the cover for a nearfall at 13:00. The heels took turns hitting blows on Tanaka. Corino hit a standing powerbomb on Lee. He got underneath Tankman in a corner but couldn’t budge him.
Corino hit a second-rope Poison Rana on Tankman! He hit a Canadian Destroyer on Lee! Tanaka hit his flipping Diamond Dust on Lee for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. Lee shoved Tanaka into the corner on Corino. Tanaka dropped Lee with a rolling elbow. Corino dove to the floor on Tankman. In the ring, Tanaka clocked Lee with a punch, and Corino rolled up Lee for the pin. “Lee never saw that coming!” Bocchini said.
Colby Corino and Masato Tanaka defeated Calvin Tankman and Trevor Lee at 16:12/official time of 12:44.
* Lee got mad at Tankman, slapped him in the face and then SPRINTED to the back. Tankman just stood there, shocked and pissed off, as the crowd chanted “You f—ed up!” Tankman shouted that when he gets his hands on Lee “he’s f—ed.”
* In a nice video package, Blackwood talked about training and preparing for this title fight, along with a video package set to Linkin Park’s “Numb.” This is top-notch for an indy show. He noted that the last time he faced Kozone he (legit!) knocked out one of his teeth. We then heard from LaBron, who said that Blackwood “took away my smile.”
5. LaBron Kozone vs. Kevin Blackwood for the Deadlock Pro National Title. They immediately went to the mat and traded quick reversals. Bocchini noted that Kozone flew in from Seattle last night (I believe from Defy Wrestling.) LaBron knocked him down with a shoulder tackle at 2:30 and he hit a flying elbow to the chest for a nearfall. Kozone dove through the ropes onto Blackwood. In the ring, Blackwood hit a stiff kick to the spine at 5:00. Kozone hit a backbreaker over his knee and they were both down at 8:00. They hit stereo Mafia Kicks and both went down as the 10:00 timecheck was spot-on.
Kozone kipped up and hit an enzuigiri. He hit a Ballgame decapitating clothesline for a believable nearfall at 13:00. “This has been so, so physical,” Veda said. Blackwood hit a rolling Death Valley Driver into the corner, then a top-rope doublestomp for a believable nearfall. He tied up Kozone on the mat, but Labron escaped and hit a stiff forearm. They traded suplexes. Kozone hit another Ballgame clothesline as Blackwood was straddling the top rope for a believable nearfall at 15:00. So, Kozone hit TWO more Ballgame clotheslines and scored the decisive pin. Excellent. Every match today has been top-notch.
LaBron Kozone defeated Kevin Blackwood to retain the DPW National Title at 15:33.
* Backstage, Lee threw a temper tantrum, saying he “created this territory” and he shouted “Trevor Lee is a dangerous man! Just ask Andrew Everett and BK Westbrook.”
* A video package showed the feud between Luna and Hyan, which has been ongoing for months.
6. Dani Luna vs. Hyan in a dog collar match for the DPW Women’s Title. Hyan previously stole the belt; she paraded around the ring with it but is not the champion. The chain is 15 or so feet long, and Dani pulled Hyan in close; Hyan pie-faced her, so Dani clocked her. They went to the floor, and Dani slammed her against the guardrail. Rich talked about the extra danger of having the chain around the neck, as opposed to around the wrist. Hyan yanked Dani forward with Luna colliding into the ring post at 2:30. Back in the ring, Hyan was now in charge. Dani was bleeding from the forehead, and the crowd chanted “You sick f—!” at Hyan, who shouted back, “Yes, I am!” She dug her fingernails into Dani’s cut.
Luna went to the floor and pulled Hyan forward into a chair wedged in the corner at 7:30. In the ring, Luna hit a German Suplex and was fired up. Dani hit a Slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb, then a curbstomp for a nearfall. Luna swung a chair at the head but Hyan blocked it, and Hyan hit a chairshot to the back at 10:00. Rich was concerned the chair may have caught the head, too. Hyan hit a running knee, then she suplexed Luna onto a folded chair for a nearfall. Hyan bit the forehead and got more boos. They traded forearm strikes. Dani hit a running one-legged dropkick at 12:00 and they were both down. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Luna blocked a superplex attempt and punched Hyan down to the mat.
Luna leapt off the ropes but Hyan caught her with a spear. Hyan nailed the Beauty Sleep (faceplant) for a nearfall at 14:00 and she yelled at the ref. Hyan wrapped the chain so it went over Luna’s mouth as she tied Dani on the mat. They got up and traded more forearm strikes. Luna choked Hyan by hanging her over the top rope, then she hit the German Suplex back into the ring. Luna hit the Luna Landing DVD powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Dani locked in a crossface. She wrapped the chain around Hyan and choked her with it! The ref called for the bell! It appears Hyan passed out. A great, hard-hitting match to conclude a show where all six matches really delivered.
Dani Luna defeated Hyan to retain the DPW Women’s Title at 16:40.
Final Thoughts: I have said this many times — if you have fond memories of 2004-era Ring of Honor, then Deadlock Pro is for you. I recently saw a former ROH wrestler Tweet that “DPW is more ROH than today’s ROH is” and I fully agree with that. This show is so good, I’ll simply rank Blackwood-Kozone as best match and the other five are tied for second. A deeply satisfying show. If you haven’t checked out DPW, they do have a lot of free stuff on their YouTube page as well.
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