DEADLOCK Pro Wrestling
Title Fight in Vegas
April 18, 2025
MEET Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
Watch: DPW On Demand
Masha Slamovich & Queen Aminata def. Magenta (Maria & Riko Kawahata)
The story of this one was simple and laid out on commentary at the start of the match. Aminata and Slamovich are two of the best on the indies, but they do not have tag team experience. Early in the match Aminata and Slamovich controlled the the match when it was one on one, and when Magenta was able to get both members involved, the momentum shifted. After a Magenta double team sequence, Aminata was able to keep Riko on the top rope long enough to lead to a Masha counter. Aminata was able to keep Maria out of the ring long enough for Masha to get the win with a piledriver. The good times don’t last long though as Aminata’s belt gesture leads to a shoving match. I would assume this leads to a number one contender’s match after the Japan shows. *** ¼
Arez & The Beast Mortos def. Laredo Kid & Rey Horus
Rey Horus, Arez, and The Beast Mortos had a very good three way at World’s Strongest back in November. Add Laredo Kid to the mix and you have another match with a high floor. This match is exactly what you would expect when you saw the lineup, and it was a lot of fun. Everyone held up their end and Mortos jumped off the page as always. *** ¾
DPW Women’s World Title Proving Ground Match
Takumi Iroha def. Dani Luna
The physicality was good in this match, but the psychology felt backwards to me and I couldn’t shake it. It’s a Proving Ground match, so Iroha gets a title shot with either a win or a draw after 10 minutes, but Luna spent the first half of this match working a methodical pace. The urgency picked up in the back half as Iroha gets the win and a future title shot. I thought this may have been a set up for the Japan shows, but Luna is already scheduled for two title defenses. The Womens World Title is in a really interesting spot with Hyan’s opening promo putting a bounty on Luna’s head. *** ¼
DPW National Title Match
LaBron Kozone (c) def. Leon Slater
This match was originally supposed to happen in January, but selfishly I’m glad that I got to see it live instead. Bar the Luke Jacobs match, Kozone has spent this whole title reign being an unstoppable powerhouse against a challenger who has the speed advantage, and he’s been excellent in the role. At times Kozone struggled to catch Slater, but once he did he made Slater pay, targeting Slater’s back. Slater is so good already and he’s only 20. He’s taller than I realized and he is able to walk the line between flying and power spots very well. Once he fills out his body a little more, watch out. Later in the match, Slater’s lower back issues paid dividends for Kozone as Slater was forced to take more time between moves. Kozone wins with the Ballgame Lariat. ****
DPW World Tag Team Title Sin City Street Fight
Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) (c) def. Violence Is Forever (Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku)
After an underwhelming match with a polarizing finish, GYV and VIF face off one more time in Vegas and redeem themselves. VIF got this going early, ambushing GYV during their entrance and after a few minutes Garrini was already busted open. Ku followed quickly after a thrown briefcase gashed him. Violence is Forever has a great connection with the DPW crowd, and GYV took advantage of it. Gibson is one of the best in-ring trash talkers in the world, and he and Drake did a great job of using shortcuts that felt dirty even in a street fight. A lot of street fights can feel like a waiting game between spots, and while this match had its share of props, everything felt earned and gritty. GYV gets the win after cutting off a Ku comeback with a low blow. This match restored my faith in both teams, and will live for a long time in the lore of DPW with visuals worth the risk that the guys took here. **** ¼
DPW World Title Ultimate Conflict Match
Adam Priest def. BK Westbrook and Bryan Keith and Calvin Tankman and Kevin Blackwood and Luke Jacobs and Mad Dog Connelly and Matt Tremont and Michael Oku and Thomas Shire and Titus Alexander and Trevor Lee
This is DPW’s first Ultimate Conflict match, and the rules are as follows
- Two wrestlers will start in the ring.
- A new wrestler will enter at random intervals.
- Wrestlers are eliminated by being thrown over the top rope with both feet touching the floor.
- The match ends if a successful pinfall or submission is made, regardless of entrants.
- If only 2 wrestlers remain, the match proceeds under singles match rules with no time limit.
- The winner becomes the 6th DPW World Champion.
This was a hybrid between a Royal Rumble and a Casino Gauntlet, and like any good match of this style, the entrants of this match were laid out with care. Going from Westbrook to Lee to Tankman was an excellent weaving of multiple DPW stories at once, and Jacobs to Oku was a great touch for those who follow Britwres. Along with playing off history, this match set up some interesting directions for Mad Dog, Adam Priest, and Trevor Lee. As much as I love a Rumble match, the tropes can wear on me, and while they were still present here I thought the stories the match told were good enough to overcome them. Trevor Lee has been great in DPW as the most annoying person in the room, and he racked up sneaky eliminations over the course of the match. Tankman’s leg was the story of every match he had this weekend, and it was set up early here and referenced often. Adam Priest entered the match with a chop block and thought that he would be able to win by simply throwing Tankman over the top, but unfortunately for Priest, he and Tankman were the last two men left and he wouldn’t get to take the easy way out. Priest was able to take advantage of the work others had done on Tankman’s leg and after a distraction from Trevor Lee, tapped Tankman out to become the sixth DPW World Champion. While the Something injury was a disappointing end to a well-told long term story and left the World Title picture in limbo, a Priest championship reign comes loaded with stories that have already been set up and a long reign would make just as much sense as a transitional one. ****
Finals Thoughts
The best show of WrestleMania Weekend arrives on streaming just a couple days late. This is the best DPW show of the year, and a great jumping on point for anyone who has been interested in following along.
