DEADLOCK Pro Wrestling
Spirit Rising – Night 1
April 24, 2025
Shinjuku FACE
Tokyo, Japan
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Miyuki Takase def. Miku Kanae
This was a solid opener with a simple story. Takase is the veteran and Kanae is the younger wrestler with a bunch of heart. Takase was in control for most of this match and looked to be heading to the pay window early, until Kanae gained some momentum with dropkicks. At no point did it feel like Kanae was going to win, but she impressed me here and they both worked hard. Takase wins with a diving leg drop. ***
BestBros (Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga) & Emi Sakura def. Chie Koishikawa, Hagane Shinno & Miya Yotsuba
I entered this match with my arms folded and felt justified in that for the opening few minutes of this match, but they wore me down. This ended up being a lot of fun. I’ve struggled with Emi Sakura in the past, but she was vital in getting the crowd up in the opening half of this match. Akki and Suruga were the standouts. BestBros and Sakura pick up the win. ***½
Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA vs. Calvin Tankman & LaBron Kozone – Time Limit Draw (20:00)
This match was built around making the Americans shine, Tankman in particular, and it was successful. Tankman was the star as some early disingenuous spots with Brookes and HARASHIMA feigning fear led to Tankman dominating any strike exchange he was a part of, breaking up pins, and taking both members of the opposing team on by himself. I would have liked Kozone to get more here, but his night 2 matchup is going to be enough to leave a lasting impression on the fans in Japan. ***½
Astronauts (Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura) def. Violence Is Forever (Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku)
This match was one everybody had circled when the cards were announced for the Japan shows, and it met expectations. I had been down on VIF recently until the Vegas match against GYV, and they kept the momentum going for this show. Their crowd connection in DPW is special, but I loved getting to see them work a harder edge heel style in front of an unfamiliar crowd. Everyone was good in this match, but Garrini caught my eye in particular. He was the centerpiece of this match, which doesn’t happen often. This was very good no bullshit wrestling, bar the spot where everyone locked arms and took turns trading headbutts, but I can forgive it. Astronauts get the win off an Abe octopus hold in my first official recommendation of the show. ****
DPW World Title Match
Adam Priest (C) def. Shigehiro Irie
This match was schtick-heavy and didn’t do much for me. Priest is one of my favorites on the indies and he worked this match how you would expect him to, but the way Irie sold his heel antics didn’t lead you to believe that he cared about winning the match at all and that hurt the match even when things started to pick up a little in the closing moments. Priest wins with the single leg crab. **½
DPW Women’s World Title Match
Dani Luna (c) def. Rika Tatsumi
This was solid, but nothing you need to go out of your way for. Dani is at her best when she gets to be a powerhouse bruiser and you got that here. Tatsumi was game here as well, focusing on cutting down Luna’s legs before moving onto some big strikes, but it wasn’t enough as Luna completes her third successful title defense with the Luna Landing. ***¼
Final Thoughts
Spirit Rising Night 1 was a solid show, but isn’t one that you need to go out of your way for outside of Violence is Forever vs. Astronauts.
