By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Deadlock Pro Wrestling “Tag Festival”
July 13, 2025, in Durham, North Carolina, at The Armory
Released July 20, 2025, via DPWondemand.com
I’ll reiterate that I consider DPW the best indy promotion today, and it reminds me of golden-era ROH. This show, as the title implies, is a one-night tournament.
* The show opened with a video of the Grizzled Young Veterans talking about their title reign. A video package, set to a country song I don’t know, showed the teams in the tournament.
* To the venue! The crowd is perhaps 300. This room always looks nice, and DPW has top-notch production. Rich Bocchini and Caprice Coleman provided commentary. We saw the two trophies, which are seriously maybe five feet tall. (How is a wrestler taking that on a plane home with them?) The GYV came to the ring and cut a heel promo. They are putting their titles on the line throughout the tournament!
1. “Grizzled Young Veterans” James Drake and Zack Gibson vs. Davey Bang and August Matthews in a first-round tournament match AND for the DPW Tag Team Titles. Bang and Matthews are regulars in the Chicago indy scene, but it’s their debut here; they charged in the ring, and Bang dove through the ropes onto Gibson. We got a bell at 00:14 to officially begin. In the ring, BandM hit a team spin cycle slam on Drake. Bang and Matthews hit stereo running knees off the apron to the floor. Bang hit his axe kick to the back of the head and a Lionsault on Gibson for a nearfall at 2:00. GYV began working over August in their corner and kept him grounded. Drake hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 5:00.
Bang got a hot tag at 6:30 and hit a shotgun dropkick on Drake. Bang hit a handspring-back-double elbow. He hit a top-rope crossbody block on Drake for a nearfall. Bang hit an assisted stunner on Gibson at 9:00. BandM hit their team doublestomps on Zack’s back for a nearfall. Bang set up for the Spears Tower, but Gibson cut it off. (Caprice and Bocchini are clearly not as familiar with BandM’s signature offense, as they didn’t know what Bang was doing there.) Bang hit a moonsault to the floor on one side, while Matthews hit a flip dive to the floor on the other side of the ring at 10:30. Back in the ring, Bang hit the Spears Tower (team spear move). They missed stereo 450 Splashes. GYV immediately hit front-and-back blows and pinned Bang. Really good action.
Grizzled Young Veterans” James Drake and Zack Gibson defeated Davey Bang and August Matthews at 11:20 to retain the DPW Tag Team Titles AND to advance.
* We heard backstage from Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini. They have been tagging for eight years, and have faced Miracle Generation multiple times. We then heard from Kylon King and Dustin Waller; this is their third straight year in this tournament, and they feel they are overdue to win it.
2. “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini vs. “Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King in a first-round tournament match. Ku just returned to action after an injury, and it’s good to see him back; he opened against Waller and they traded quick reversals with neither man really landing a blow. Ku sold pain in his knee upon landing. Kylon hopped in and hit a powerslam at 2:00, then a senton on Ku. Waller hit a running Shooting Star Press, coming down on the damaged knee, and Kevin sold the pain. Garrini entered and hit a decapitating clothesline on Kylon at 3:30, and he dropped King with a loud chop.
Ku got back in and applied a half crab, but Kylon reached the ropes at 5:00. Kylon hit an Exploder Suplex on Ku, and they were both down. Dustin tagged in and hit a huracanrana on Ku and a plancha to the floor on Garrini, then a springboard clothesline on Ku for a nearfall at 6:30. Ku hit an enzuigiri. Garrini applied a sleeper on Waller while Ku put Kylon in an Octopus Stretch! MG hit a team powerbomb move on Ku for a nearfall at 8:00. Waller and Ku traded forearm strikes as Dustin shouted that “it’s our year.” Garrini hit a running Claymore Kick for a nearfall.
Kylon and Garrini now traded forearm strikes, and Dominic hit a jumping knee to the chin. King hit a tornado DDT. Waller hit a Lethal Injection on Garrini at 10:00. King hit a brainbuster. Waller hit a frog splash for a believable nearfall on Dominic, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Garrini hit a standing powerbomb, and ViF hit the chasing the Dragon combo for a believable nearfall on Waller at 11:30. Waller hit a superkick, but Ku blocked a second Lethal Injection. Garrini hit a Samoa Joe-style Muscle Buster on King, then a package piledriver. Ku set up for another Chasing the Dragon, but Kylon got an inside cradle to pin Ku! Kevin immediately sat up and was shocked that just happened. A really good match.
“Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King defeated “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini at 13:12 to advance.
* Backstage, Grizzled Young Veterans boasted about their win, and they vowed to keep winning. We then had a video package for the new team of Beast Mortos and Jake Something. We then saw footage of Adam Priest and Trevor Lee. Priest had his DPW World Title over his shoulder.
3. Adam Priest and Trevor Lee vs. Beast Mortos and Jake Something in a first-round tournament match. Jake has teamed with Bailey in past tournaments here, but this is a new team with Mortos. Priest and Mortos opened, but Adam stalled. Lee had a red shirt and teased the bull with it, and Mortos did charge at it. The crowd booed this. Mortos snapped Lee’s neck and hit some quick kicks and a powerslam for a nearfall at 2:30, then a huracanrana. Jake hit a running splash in the corner on Lee. Lee snapped Jake’s arm over the top rope, and Priest immediately hit some quick kicks on Jake to keep the big man grounded.
Priest tried to hammerlock Jake’s left arm. Mortos got in but the heels immediately began working him over, too. Lee hit a running knee to the ribs and choked him in the corner. Mortos hit a double clothesline at 7:30. Jake tagged back in and hit some running shoulder tackles to knock down each heel, then a double clothesline, and he was fired up! Trevor hit a running knee, and Priest got a cover for a nearfall. Jake got up and hit a double chokeslam for a nearfall at 9:30. Mortos got in and hit his pop-up Samoan Drop, and Jake got a nearfall on Priest. Jake hit his running body block on Priest. He hit an Into The Void (Black Hole Slam) on Trevor for the pin!
Jake Something and Beast Mortos defeated Trevor Lee and Adam Priest at 10:55 to advance.
* Backstage, Violence is Forever congratulated Miracle Generation and told them not to let ViF down. We then saw video packages for Cowboy Way and the Workhorsemen. Anthony Henry said that “violence is our art. We beat the f— out of people.”
4. “Cowboy Way” 1 Called Manders and Thomas Shire vs. “Workhorsemen” Anthony Henry and JD Drake in a first-round tournament match. Bocchini said that due to injuries, the last time we saw the WHMen was more than a year ago, and they got a “welcome back!” chant. Henry and Shire opened; Thomas is such a big, wide guy! They went to the mat and traded intense reversals. Drake got in at 3:00, so Manders got in, and those two traded some loud, meaty-men chops! Manders knocked Drake down with a shoulder block. Drake hit a twisting neckbreaker on Manders, and Henry kicked Manders. The WHMen began working over Manders in their corner.
Drake hit a slingshot senton on Manders for a nearfall at 5:30. Henry hit a series of kicks and a DDT for a nearfall. Shire got the tag and hit a top-rope flying shoulder tackle on Drake for a nearfall at 8:00, and now those two traded chops. JD clasped his hands behind his back and let Shire chop him, then Thomas did the same thing. (Why would you do that? Ouch!) Drake hit a belly-to-belly suplex, and he set up for his moonsault, but Manders cut him off. Shire put Drake on his shoulders and spun him to the mat for a nearfall at 10:00. Henry kicked Manders in the ropes, and Manders fell to the floor. Meanwhile, Drake hit a rolling cannonball on Shire, then a twisting neckbreaker. Henry hit a top-rope doublestomp on Shire for the pin. Hard-hitting as expected.
Anthony Henry and JD Drake defeated Thomas Shire and 1 Called Manders at 10:43.
* Backstage, Jake Something and Mortos celebrated their win.
5. Jada Stone vs. Queen Aminata in a “Battle of the Best” first-round match. Stone just signed a TNA contract; she’s short but so talented, and she’s giving up some height and overall size. (A check of her cagematch bio shows she competed in California on Friday and Texas on Saturday, ahead of this show on Sunday!) Aminata refused a handshake, so Stone superkicked her. Stone might be 5’1″; she went for a handstand, but Aminata punted her in the gut, put Stone over her knee, and hit some swats. Aminata hit a clothesline for a nearfall, then a snap suplex at 2:00 — this has been one-sided so far! They rolled to the floor, and Aminata kept chopping her. (Caprice sang his song whenever she comes out on ROH; I find it funny.)
In the ring, Aminata hit a fisherman’s neckbreaker for a nearfall. They traded blows in the corner. Stone hit a running Meteora at 4:30, then a Lionsault but only got a one-count. She hit a pair of shotgun dropicks and a stiff Shining Wizard, then a second-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall. Aminata countered with a German Suplex at 6:00. Stone hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor, but she struck two male security guards, as Aminata avoided it! In the ring, Aminata hit another German Suplex. Stone hit a backflip-into-a-stunner for a believable nearfall at 7:30. She missed a top-rope corkscrew moonsault. Aminata hit a thudding headbutt, then a running knee to the face for the pin. That was HARD-hitting action!
Queen Aminata defeated Jada Stone at 7:57 to advance.
* Backstage, JD Drake and Anthony Henry talked about targeting GYVets in the tournament finals. We then saw a highlight package for Cedric Alexander.
6. LaBron Kozone vs. Cedric Alexander for the DPW National Title. This is a first-time-ever matchup. I’ve compared Kozone to Booker T or Trick Williams, and he’s had a stellar 2025. An intense lockup, and it appears Kozone has the height and overall size advantage. They traded intense reversals on the mat, then we had a standoff at 2:00. Cedric briefly stalled on the floor, got back in, and hit some chops; Kozone dropped him with a forearm strike. They went to the floor and traded chops. Kozone hit a Mafia Kick against the guardrail at 5:00, then threw Cedric back into the ring.
Cedric hit a uranage on the ring apron, and he threw Kozone into the guardrail, then dropped him back-first on the top of the barricade! In the ring, Cedric hit a German Suplex at 7:00 and was now in charge. He hit some forearm strikes to the lower back and the crowd rallied for Kozone. Cedric was acting a bit more heelish now, shouting at the crowd to shut up. Alexander hit another German Suplex for a nearfall at 9:00. Labron got up and hit a spinning backfist and a leg sweep, then a senton at 10:30, and they were both down. Cedric hit a superkick; Kozone hit a Spinebuster for a nearfall. Cedric hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall at 12:30.
Kozone hit a spin kick to the head, and they traded enzuigiris. Cedric hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall, and he switched to a Rings of Saturn-type double armbar, but Kozone got a foot on the ropes at 14:30. They fought on the top rope, and Kozone hit a top-rope powerbomb and they were both down; Kozone eventually got a nearfall. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees. Kozone put him on his shoulders and hit an Ospreay-style Stormbreaker, then a powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Cedric hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly, then the Lumbar Check for a believable nearfall! He hit a superkick, but Kozone hit the Ballgame decapitating clothesline for a nearfall. He hit a second one for the pin. Fantastic stuff. They shook hands and that got a nice pop, too.
LaBron Kozone defeated Cedric Alexander to retain the DPW National Title at 18:27.
* Backstage, Adam Priest and Trevor Lee argued. It was certainly implied that in Trevor’s mind, he’s one-half of the champions. A commercial aired for the next show on Aug. 10. Back to the venue, the five-foot-tall trophies were in the ring!
7. “Grizzled Young Veterans” James Drake and Zack Gibson vs. “Miracle Generation” Kylon King and Dustin Waller vs. “Work Horsemen” Anthony Henry and JD Drake vs. Jake Something and Beast Mortos in a four-way elimination match in the tournament finals. The six challengers attacked the champions, and I started the stopwatch; Caprice pointed out we haven’t had a bell yet. The six challengers each took turns hitting running splashes in the corner. GYV rolled to the floor, and everyone else fought. We got a bell at 1:41!!!! Henry and Waller traded blows, so it’s just two men legal at a time. JD Drake and Kylon traded blows. Waller hit a springboard clothesline at 3:00. Mortos got in and battled Waller.
Gibson tagged himself in, and the GYV began working over Mortos in their corner. Mortos hit his pop-up Samoan Drop on James Drake at 5:00. Jake hit his running shoulder blocks and knocked down everyone… until he ran into JD Drake! Those two traded chops. “This face-off is brought to you by Wendy’s!” Caprice said. Mortos hit his twisting dive through the ropes onto everyone, and that popped the crowd. Jake then dove over the top rope onto everyone. Trevor Lee appeared on the ramp and he distracted Jake! Priest jumped in the ring, too, but Jake pushed him out. It allowed GYV to hit their front-and-back kicks and they pinned Jake Something at 6:58!
GYV and the WHMen were in the ring and traded blows. The WHMen hit some chops on MG until they collapsed. Waller hit a plancha on Henry, while Kylon hit a German Suplex on JD Drake! JD hit a rolling cannonball in the corner on Waller, then a Spinebuster. Henry hit a superkick on Waller, then a top-rope doublestomp. However, James Drake jumped in the ring and got a rollup out of nowhere to pin Henry at 11:07! We’re down to two! James Drake jumped on Waller and punched him and the GYVets kept Dustin down. The crowd taunted Gibson with a “bald!” chant. Gibson hit a powerbomb at 14:30. Caprice and Bocchini said it appeared that Waller was basically out.
However, Waller hit a double Lethal Injection, and the crowd chanted, “Miracle!” King got a hot tag but he was barely able to stand, too! He hit some forearm strikes on both of GYV. Drake hit an enzuigiri, then a team Michinoku Driver for a nearfall, but Waller made the save at 16:00. The crowd now chanted, “We believe!” Gibson shouted at them, “how many times do you think they will give you this opportunity?” All four got up and traded punches. Both MG stood behind the GYV and hit repeated elbow strikes to the chest. Drake hit a stuffed piledriver on the floor on Kylon at 19:00! “That move has ended careers,” Bocchini said.
The GYV rolled Waller into the ring and kept working him over, but Dustin kicked out after a clothesline. Gibson hit a Lungblower move to the chest for another believable nearfall, and the “We believe!” chants returned. Kylon got back into the ring! MG hit stereo dropkicks in the corner on Drake. Kylon hit a top-rope superplex, and Waller immediately hit a frogsplash for the pin! New champions! This building EXPLODED with ovations with the pinfall! The MG hugged each other on the mat and celebrated their win. That was awesome.
“Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King defeated “Grizzled Young Veterans” James Drake and Zack Gibson, “Work Horsmen” Anthony Henry and JD Drake, and Jake Something and Beast Mortos to win the 2025 Tag Festival at 20:51.
* GYVets tried to leave with the belts, but JD Drake and Anthony Henry emerged from the back, beat up the Vets some more, then brought the belts to the ring and put them around Miracle Generation’s waists. This is perfectly done. The crowd chanted, “You deserve it!” The WHMen left, and allowed the MG to pose with those tall trophies. You know why I love tournaments so much? THIS, right here. Waller got on the mic and thanked the fans. Waller politely corrected the fans, saying “we earned this.” Kylon noted he was in a car crash three weeks ago, and he focused on getting back in time for this match.
Final Thoughts: DPW is simply the best. Sure, GCW does more shows in more places with some high-profile names, and I really like a lot of what other indy promotions are doing, too… but for workrate fans who love old-school ROH… DPW is the best to watch. I’ll narrowly go with Cedric-Kozone for best ahead of that main event, but jeez, all seven matches here are top-notch.
While I certainly prefer watching a show live, I do like that by delaying the release of shows for a week, it allows DPW to insert all these short video packages and backstage segments between matches. The overall show is just so much better off with the post-production. I’ll reiterate that while this show is behind a paywall, DPW has a lot of older stuff available on YouTube that you can check out.
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