DEADLOCK Pro Wrestling
Victory Lap 2025
June 15, 2025
Durham Armory
Durham, NC
Watch: DPW On Demand
Bojack & Morgan Dash def. Jackson Drake & Manny Lo
After losing a three-way match at Limit Break, Manny Lo finds himself across the ring from the same opponents, this time as a tag team. Ironically, his partner Jackson Drake was the other loser in another three-way at Forever earlier this year. Other than Dash landing on his face off a German Suplex, nothing surprised me here. I expected Dash to get worked over, I expected some dissension between the heels, and I expected Bojack and Dash to pick up the win. All of those happened, which isn’t inherently a bad thing, but this match isn’t going to take up space in your mind by the time the next DPW show rolls around. **¾
Cedric Alexander def. BK Westbrook
This didn’t reach notebook status, but it accomplished exactly what it needed to. It built up Cedric Alexander as a powerhouse, and it gave BK Westbrook time to shine. The slower style isn’t my favorite work of Alexander’s, but it’s not 2018 anymore, and with the size of most of the DPW regulars, Cedric being the powerhouse makes sense. BK showed good fire in the back half of this one, and if he keeps improving, his rise is going to sneak up on people. Cedric wins with the Lumbar Check and it set for a match against someone he will not be able to throw around: LaBron Kozone. ***¼
Colby Corino & Jake Something def. Kevin Blackwood & Thomas Shire
Jake Something makes his return to the orange and black ring after a four-month absence. In those four months, DPW has changed substantially since Something’s last match in January. New tag champions, a new women’s champion, and most importantly for Something, a new world champion. This match is odd on paper. Something saved Corino at the end of Limit Break, but the two men that he saved Corino from are busy later on the card, Shire and Blackwood have never teamed before. This was a way to get Something back in the ring without having to work an extended singles match yet, and it worked well. Shire and Something’s interactions were the focus of the match, and they were a lot of fun. While Something waits for a rematch for the DPW World Title, I would like to see them run it back in a singles match. ***¼
Durham Street Fight
Mad Dog Connelly def. Matt Tremont
I have been excited for this match since Mad Dog and Tremont nearly ran me over as they made their way to the back in Vegas. I’ll start by saying I enjoyed this match. That said, I would take something like the Shire match over this every time. I am fully aware I’m saying this about a match where a man was stabbed with a fork multiple times, but this felt more sanitized than the Mad Dog matches I really enjoy. The chair duel spot, the extra table spots they had to throw in to get the thing to actually break, the garbage can over the head, the contrivances of a street fight. Now to the positives, I love that Mad Dog has been wreaking havoc over DPW for months, and he finally found someone as crazy as he is. When these two were brawling I really enjoyed it, Mad Dog’s brutal lariat to the back of Tremont’s head made me flinch. Caprice was excellent on commentary, down to the details of describing how the venue was starting to smell like blood. On top of that, I adored the finish. After Connelly once again put the dog collar on himself and his opponent, he counters into a chain-assisted Triangle Choke for the win. After the match, I was excited all over again as it seems Mad Dog is headed toward a showdown with Colby Corino. ***½
DPW Women’s World Title Match
Nicole Matthews def. Dani Luna (c)
This match was off to a great start, but it came to a screeching halt with a finish that I absolutely hated. After losing to Dani Luna at Unit3d, Matthews was determined to get a quick start, and she accomplished that with a Spider German Suplex off the top before the bell had even rang. When this didn’t get her the win, she shifted focus to the arm of Luna. I’ve always been a fan of Luna’s style and her offense was as good as always here. Deep into the match, the focus on the arm paid off as Luna was unable to hit the Luna Landing. From there, Matthews brought her comically large wine glass into the ring, and while the referee was getting rid of that, she stole a bottle of liquor from someone in the crowd and broke it over Luna’s head. Now, one would think that the sound of the shattered glass raining to the mat and the floor would be enough to tip the referee off. One would also think that the referee practically kneeling on the bottom of the broken bottle would give him an inkling that something untoward has happened, but he’s a professional and he had a submission to check on. Matthews wins with a modified Muta Lock as the referee wonders where the shiny stuff in Luna’s hair came from and why it’s also all over the mat. ***¼
I’m sure that Matthews isn’t going to have a long reign, but this title change felt odd to me. At the start of Title Fight in Vegas, there was a Hyan vignette where she put a bounty on Luna’s head, leading to a Matthews attack on Luna while she was cutting a post-match promo. However, in the middle of those two segments, Luna lost a Proving Ground match to Takumi Iroha, who has yet to receive the championship match she earned. Maybe this is as simple as a transition reign to get the belt to Hyan. Maybe it’s a way to break up Luna’s title reign so Hyan can beat Luna for it after she wins it back. Maybe it’s a third option that I haven’t thought of, all I know is that I’m left scratching my head.
DPW National Title Match
LaBron Kozone (c) def. Trevor Lee
Trevor Lee was never going to be able to overpower Kozone in this one, but it’s impressive how quickly he dropped the pretense that he was going to give it an honest go. Kozone had the upper hand very early until Trevor Lee sacrificed the ringside attendant he was using as a shield to a nasty lariat from Kozone. Off the distraction, Lee suplexed Kozone’s spine on the steel barricade and took control. The last few minutes of this match was electric. Kozone has been my MVP of DPW this year, but Trevor Lee has been so so good walking a line being a credible wrestler who is also supposed to be unbelievably lame. Kozone wins with a Ballgame Lariat. ***¾
DPW World Title Match
Adam Priest (c) def. Calvin Tankman
After two months of running from the man he beat at the end of Ultimate Conflict, time has run out for Adam Priest and he finds himself across the ring from Calvin Tankman. In this match, Priest entered this match with an admirable mindset: being forced into this match doesn’t mean I’m done running away. In fairness, if you ignore him being overpowered by a child while Tankman chopped him, the strategy worked. Priest was able to pick his spots and attack the legs of Tankman. Tankman held up his end of the match with some good leg selling and a hope spot with the killer offense you expect from him. Priest once again defeats Calvin Tankman with a single leg crab after Trevor Lee got his ass kicked just long enough to give Priest an opening. Priest needed a win like this in this reign. While Lee’s interference definitely played a part in the win, Priest won this match by executing on a gameplan and outsmarting a much larger opponent, which he will need with a returning Jake Something hot on his trail. *** ½
Final Thoughts
With title matches that delivered and an efficient undercard that set the stage for the rest of the summer, Victory Lap 2025 is among the top-tier 2025 shows for DPW.
