By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Deadlock Pro Wrestling “Spirit Rising”
April 24, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan at Shinjuku Face
Released May 10, 2025, via DPWondemand.com
The lighting over the ring was good. It was hard to see the crowd to get a sense of how many fans were there. There was no commentary; I thought that would be dubbed in. The signature DPW logo was on the canvas, and it looked sharp.
1. Miyuki Takase vs. Miku Kanae. Kanae wore blue; Takase wore red. Takase was previously DPW women’s champion, so I figure she’s the favorite. Standing switches to open and they are essentially the same height and weight. Takase hit a backbreaker over her knee at 2:30 and she took control. She hit a guillotine leg drop for a nearfall. Kanae hit a series of dropkicks, but they only staggered Takase with each one. Takase hit a second-rope superplex at 7:30. Kanae applied an Octopus Stretch. Takase hit a missile dropkick. They traded rollups. Takase hit a powerslam for a nearfall at 10:00. Takase hit a forward Finlay Roll and a second-rope guillotine leg drop for the pin. Good action.
Miyuki Takase defeated Miku Kanae at 10:17.
2. Hagane Shimo, Miya Yotsuba, and Chie Koishikawa vs. Emi Sakura, Mei Suruga, and Baliyan Akki. Mei and Baliyan have accompanied Sakura to ringside in AEW in the past; those two are a fun mixed tag team and they’ve made numerous U.S. appearances. Hagane is the male on his team, and he also has two female tag partners. (I won’t know which one is which.) Mei started against a woman in light green, and based on a Google search I think that is Miya; Mei is sooooo short, she is giving up a lot of height here. Cagematch.net lists her at 4’10” and just 108 pounds. Chie wore orange and blue, and she entered to fight Emi, and suddenly, all six were fighting on the floor.
Baliyan did the ‘Dirty Dancing’ lift and dropped Mei onto an opponent. Mei hit a dropkick into the corner at 5:00 as they worked over Chie. Hagane entered and he hit some spin kicks to Emi’s thighs at 6:30. Emi hit a swinging faceplant. Baliyan got in and he hit a backbreaker over his knee on Hagane, then a springboard Swanton Bomb. Hagane hit a standing moonsault on Akki at 8:00. Mei got a rollup on Miya for a nearfall. Baliyan hit a double clothesline while having Mei on his shoulders! Mei then did a backflip off his shoulders for a nearfall at 11:30. Akki picked up Mei, spun her, and slammed her onto Miya for the pin. A fun match.
Emi Sakura, Mei Suruga, and Baliyan Akki defeated Hagane Shimo, Miya Yotsuba, and Chie Koishikawa at 12:27.
3. LaBron Kozone and Calvin Tankman vs. Harashima and Chris Brookes. My first time seeing Harashima; he’s of average size. I don’t know if Kozone and Tankman have ever teamed before. Kozone wore his DPW National Title, which is not on the line. Kozone and Harashima opened. Tankman and Brookes then locked up at 1:30. Chris is taller but he couldn’t budge Tankman on some shoulder blocks; he gave up and tagged out! FUNNY. Harashima tried some spin kicks to the thighs, but Calvin knocked him down with one chop. Brookes and Harashima worked together to tie up Kozone.
On the floor, Tankman accidentally chopped the ring post at 5:00. Brookes and Tankman went into the crowd, and I can now see this is a small room with 200 fans at most. In the ring, Harashima hit a guillotine leg drop on Kozone. Calvin slammed Harashima onto the ring apron at 7:00. Tankman and Kozone worked him over in their corner, with Calvin tossing Harashima all the way across the ring. Harashima hit a shotgun dropkick on Kozone at 9:00, and Brookes tagged back in. Chris placed Kozone’s feet on the top rope, and he hit a twisting neckbreaker.
Calvin bodyslammed Chris, then hit a massive splash to the mat for a nearfall at 11:00. Harashima hit a springboard flying kick on Tankman. He tried some roundhouse kicks to Tankman’s chest; Calvin fired back with chops, and they went back and forth. Brookes and Kozone got back in at 14:30 and traded chops, and LaBron hit a senton splash. Brookes hit a suplex on Kozone. Harashima tried a springboard move, but Tankman hit a spinning back fist on him. Calvin splashed Harashima in the corner.
Kozone hit a Michinoku Driver for a believable nearfall at 17:00. They hit a team backbreaker over their knees, and Tankman hit a massive crossbody block for a nearfall, but Brookes made the save, and suddenly everyone was down. Brookes hit a shotgun dropkick on Kozone. Tankman hit a short-arm clothesline on Brookes. Harashima hit a Poison Rana on Kozone; Harashima popped to his feet, but Tankman dropped him with a Pounce. Harashima hit a Meteora running double knees on Kozone. We got the bell out of nowhere, and we have a time-limit draw.
LaBron Kozone and Calvin Tankman vs. Harashima and Chris Brookes went to a time-limit draw at 20:00.
4. “The Astronauts” Fuminori Abe and Takuya Nomura vs. “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini. I’ve seen the Astronauts a few times in GCW. Abe has shorter hair, and I always have thought he looks like Kushida. Nomura has longer, shaggy hair; he opened against Garrini, and they immediately traded fast-paced reversals on the mat. Ku and Abe then locked up at 1:30. Garrini hit a stiff kick to the spine. All four brawled, and the action spilled to the floor at 4:00. Back in the ring, ViF was in charge, and Ku hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 6:00. Garrini hit a senton splash, and they worked over Nomura.
Nomura hit a dropkick, and he tagged in Abe at 8:30. Abe hit a spin kick to Ku’s chest. Garrini hit a series of rapid-fire chops in the corner; Nomura countered with a series of roundhouse kicks to Garrini’s chest, then a suplex for a nearfall. The Astronauts each tied an opponent in a submission hold. Garrini hit a decapitating clothesline on Nomura at 12:00, then a standing powerbomb, which he turned into a half-crab.
Garrini hit a neckbreaker over his knee on Nomura, and everyone was down. Abe and Ku traded forearm strikes. All four tied up in the center of the ring, and they hit a massive, four-way headbutt spot at 14:30. ViF hit a Chasing the Dragon (spin kick-and-brainbuster combo.).Ku and Abe traded rollups. Ku has a bloody forehead. ViF hit a spike piledriver on Abe for a nearfall at 16:00. Abe applied an Octopus Stretch on Ku, and Kevin tapped out! Good, hard-hitting match.
Fuminori Abe and Takuya Nomura defeated Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini at 16:28.
5. Adami Priest vs. Shigehiro Irie for the DPW World Title. Priest just won this title in a Royal Rumble-style match in Las Vegas. An intense lockup and standing reversals early on. I’ve seen plenty of Irie and he’s bigger and thicker, on par with Shingo Takagi and EVIL in size. Priest stalled on the floor at 2:30. Back in the ring, Irie hit his slingshot splash, then a shoulder block into the corner, and Priest sold pain in his ribs. Priest hit a German Suplex at 6:00, then a running knee to the back of the head, and Irie rolled to the floor to regroup.
Back in the ring, Priest twisted the left knee and ankle. Irie hit a suplex at 8:00, but Priest hit a chop-block on the knee and applied a half-crab, but Irie reached the ropes. Irie hit a slingshot guillotine leg drop for a nearfall at 9:30. Irie hit a twisting suplex but sold pain in his knee. He hit a cannonball into the corner, then a spear for a nearfall, then a clothesline for a believable nearfall at 11:00. Priest hit a low blow punt kick and a DDT for a believable nearfall. He re-applied a half crab, and Irie tapped out. A really good match.
Adam Priest defeated Shigehiro Irie to retain the DPW World Title at 12:08.
6. Dani Luna vs. Rika Tatsumi for the DPW Women’s Title. Tatsumi came out first and she wore a flowing white robe and her gear is mostly white; she has competed on GCW and TJPW events during WrestleMania weekend the past two years. They shook hands at the bell and Dani tied her in a headlock early on. Luna hit an Exploder Suplex at 3:00 and a shoulder block to the gut, then a sliding clothesline for a nearfall, and she kept Rika grounded. Dani hit a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall at 5:00.
Rika tied her in a Figure Four, but Dani reached the ropes at 7:00. They fought to the floor, and Rika shoved Dani face-first into the ring post. Rika leapt off a stage or bleachers and crashed butt-first onto Dani. They got into the ring, with Rika now in charge, and she kept Dani grounded. She hit a running buttbump for a nearfall at 11:00, then a stunner. Luna hit a second-rope German Suplex. She placed Rika on her shoulders and powerbombed her to the mat for the clean pin. Good match.
Dani Luna defeated Rika Tatsumi to retain the DPW Women’s Title at 11:56.
* All the wrestlers who appeared on the show got in the ring and posed together, which made for a really cool visual to conclude the event. Jake Something (who is still out with an injury) was among those in the ring.
Final Thoughts: A really strong show. If you are a Deadlock Pro fan, you know most of the names here, including several of the Japanese talents who have toured the U.S. (Irie, the Astronauts, Takase.) I enjoyed the Tankman/Kozone tag, and I’ll go with that for best, then Priest-Irie, then ViF’s tag for third. Some really good wrestling here.
The biggest disappointment is no commentary. I was shocked by this. The show happened a few weeks ago. I really assumed that by waiting a couple weeks for it to air, they were giving time for Rich Bocchini and Caprice Coleman to dub in commentary. I don’t need commentary but I still prefer it. And it would have really helped in the mixed, six-person tag. I’ve noted this before, but DPW has a lot of free stuff you can check out on their YouTube page, so you can see if you want to check out being a subscriber.
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