DPW’s 4th Anniversary show took place on December 12th, 2025 from SportHQ in Cary, NC. This is the final Deadlock Pro Wrestling event scheduled to take place in the United States as I continue to jinx any independent promotion that I cover.

The announcers are Rich Bocchini and Caprice Coleman.

Opening Contest: Baliyan Akki vs. Kevin Blackwood

We get a grappling exchange to begin things and Blackwood gets a doublestomp. Straight kick to the chest as Akki fires back with chops and a heel kick. Akki heads to the top but Blackwood meets him there and gets a belly to back superplex for two. Baliyan comes back with a backbreaker for two. He tries a gutbuster but gets blocked and Blackwood locks in a guillotine choke. Blackwood charges but goes right into a tilt-a-while backbreaker for two. Akki looks for a powerbomb but Kevin rolls through and lands a kneestrike. Blackwood goes for the top rope doublestomp but is caught and clotheslined down for two. Fisherman’s neckbreaker gets another two for Akki. They trade strikes and Blackwood drapes Akki on the top rope, then gets the double footstomp and a brainbuster but only for two. Helluva Kick in the corner and another double footstomp gives Blackwood the victory. Good opener with a hot crowd. ***1/4

Match Two: Manny Lo vs. Bryan Keith

Keith gets a hard slap on Lo and clotheslines him down sending Manny bailing to the floor. Big boot by Keith out there and he charges, but Lo drop toeholds him into an open chair. Lo catapult’s Keith under the base of the ring and then gets a Hangman’s DDT on the way back in for two. Keith counters back with an Exploder suplex and a big boot, but Manny hits a twisting neckbreaker for two. Lo slaps Keith, who just gets pissed off and hits another suplex. They duke it out and Keith nails a lariat and another Exploder suplex. Then another into the corner buckles. Running kneestrike gets two. Manny manages to backdrop Keith to the floor and dives onto him with a tope. Lo hits a running lungblower for two. A lariat is blocked and Keith hits one of his own and gets the Tiger Driver for the win. ***

Kevin Blackwood shares his DPW thoughts.

Match Three: Calvin Tankman vs. Kevin Ku

Ku charges early but can’t knock Tankman down, so attacks the left arm instead. Tank comes back with a crossbody block for two. Inverted bodyslam and a splash as Tankman shifts into a Camel Clutch. To the floor where Tank runs Ku into the ringpost and then suplexes him onto the apron. More loud chops back inside the ring and Tankman shoulders Ku down, but Kevin pops back up and unleashes his own chops. Ku goes up top and Tankman joins him there as Kevin gets a rope assisted armbar. Superkick follows with a running dropkick in the corner. Ku goes back to the top and lands a doublestomp for two. Ku runs into a backbreaker, spinning back elbow and a lariat for two. Tankman looks for his finisher but Ku lands what looks to be a small package driver and gets a delayed cover for two. Ku puts in the Triangle Choke but Tankman powers out and pounces Ku to the floor, then hits a tope suicida. Tankman Driver back inside finishes this one. Hard-hitting brutality. ***1/2

Bryan Keith puts over DPW after his victory tonight.

Match Four: Tag Team Street Fight – Trevor Lee & Adam Priest vs. Andrew Everett and BK Westbrook

Everett and BK hit stereo pescados to the floor then a pair of moonsaults on Priest inside. Lee with a cheapshot on the outside and he grabs a ladder which Westbrook dropkicks into his face. Lee clotheslines BK inside and tries for a powerbomb but gets a ladder to the groin instead. Everett goes for the ladder on the head spot like Terry Funk, but hits his own partner and then Priest whacks him with a chair. That did not go as planned for him I imagine. Lee suplexes Everett on the apron and attacks him with the ladder on the floor while Prest hits a snap suplex inside on BK for two. Everett is busted open now as Lee hits him with a release suplex. BK is ziptied by the hands and gets hit with a kneestrike as Lee and Priest set up a table inside the ring. They hit a tandem powerbomb through the table on BK and that gets two. Another table is set up in the corner as Everett valiantly fights off both opponents with a double dropkick and a spiked rana on Lee. Everett grabs an extra tall ladder and he climbs, looking to dive onto Priest through the corner table, but Lee tips the ladder over and Everett takes a nasty bump into the bottom of the table (which didn’t break). Brainbuster on Westbrook and a clothesline/German suplex combo gets two. BK gets hung in the tree of woe and Priest and Lee set up yet another table. The heels argue over who should go up top, and then Lee accidentally drops Priest back first on the edge of the table while in an electric chair position. Lee then receives a Sliced Bread from BK through the table. BK with a chokeslam to Priest and Everett follows with Shooting Star Press for two as Lee breaks up the cover. Westbrook flips Lee head over heels on the apron, while Everett and Priest climb up to the balcony. Priest tries to dump Everett as my heart leaps up into my throat, but Everett manages to compose himself and dive onto Lee and some security guards down on the floor. Poison rana and a Sliced Bread on Lee gets two with Priest pulling the referee out. Everett takes him out with an Asai Moonsault. Another chokeslam and Shooting Star Press, and then BK gets his own Shooting Star Press to get the win. Well that was something else. I’m a sucker for a good grudge match too. ****1/2

Calvin Tankman gives his feelings on DPW.

Match Five: DPW World Tag Team Championship – Bo-Dash (c) vs. Miracle Generation

This is a rematch from last month’s Showdown In Cary II show where Bo-Dash won the titles. Dash and Waller begin as the teams shake hands, and Waller grabs a few quick rollups for two. Bicycle kick by Waller followed by a plancha to the floor on Bojack. Dash pops up with a top-rope rana then does a moonsault off Bojack’s shoulders onto MG out on the floor. 450 splash by Dash gets two and King tags in for the challengers. Wheelbarrow toss and a senton from Bojack onto King, but Waller tags in to even the odds and King gets a spinebuster on Dash. King locks in a single-leg crab and Waller tags in for a legdrop that gets two. Dash pushes off and reaches for a tag but Bojack is still out on the floor, so MG hit tandem superkicks. MG looks for an assisted powerbomb but Dash snaps off a rana. Tags are made and Bojack runs through King and gets a high backdrop. Big Pounce by Bojack who tags Dash and hits a frogsplash as Bojack hits the Bojack Driver for two. King counters a lariat with a tornado DDT and a German suplex. Waller jumps in with a Destroyer on Bojack and MG hits a Powerplex on Dash. Waller gets a moonsault on Dash as King dives onto Bojack on the floor for the win to get the titles back. Another really good match between these two teams. ****

BK Westbrook and Andrew Everett reflect on their time in DPW.

DPW Women’s World Champion Queen Aminata is introduced next. She reveals that she has a sprained neck and relinquishes the Women’s Title. Lena Kross interrupts the end of the speech, sends Aminata packing, and Mei Suruga enters which leads to:

Match Six: DPW Women’s World Championship – Lena Kross vs. Mei Suruga

For the now vacated title. Pretty significant height difference between the two. They do a test of strength bit which doesn’t actually take place so Kross plants Suruga with a side slam for two. Bodyslam next for another two count. Suruga walks the top rope and tries a flying crossbody only to get caught with a fallaway slam for two. Kross swats her down as the slow pace continues but Suruga grabs a sleeper. Lena busts out of that and gets a big boot for two again. She can’t get the Krossbreaker and Suruga headscissors her down and out to the floor. Suruga hits a flying crossbody to the floor. Onto the apron where Suruga gets a Tarantula hold. Doublestomp times two gets two for Suruga. Mei gets an armhold which Kross eventually breaks out of by slamming Suruga down. Bicycle kick puts Suruga down and a sitout powerbomb gets a close two. Krossbreaker is again countered into an armbar submission. After Kross makes the ropes, Suruga gets a bodyslam for two. To the top turnbuckle where Mei gets another doublestomp for two this time. Rollup is stopped with a gourdbuster and kneestrike for two. Suruga counters a powerbomb into a rollup for the win and the title to end it. **1/4

Bo-Dash talks about their history with DPW.

Match Seven: Dog Collar Match – Erick Stevens vs. Mad Dog Connelly

The match starts as a brawl during the entrances with Stevens tossing a chair at Mad Dog’s head. They exchange some clotheslines inside, with the dog collar not yet connected. Connelly clotheslines Stevens to the floor, then hooks the collar around Erick’s neck. Dog uses the chain to choke Stevens then beats on him in the crowd. Connelly tosses a chair in the ring and then grabs a screwdriver and jabs Stevens in the head with it busting him open. With both ends of the chain now attached to the competitors, they duke it out in the middle as Connelly continues to go after the cut. He charges right into a suplex from Stevens into the buckles. Erick with a couple of stiff lariats for two, then gets a double-underhook powerbomb for two. Stevens sets up two chairs back to back and goes for another powerbomb but gets backdropped into them instead. Mad Dog locks on a single leg crab and Stevens crawls to the corner and gets the screwdriver, then stabs Mad Dog in the leg and foot. Connelly tosses Stevens over the top rope, hanging him with the chain, then pulls him back in for a lariat that gets two. Stevens gets back up, disconnects his collar and forearms Mad Dog in the back of the head. Brainbuster onto an open steel chair finishes this one for Stevens to get the win. **3/4

Lee and Priest quick DPW as a result of their frustrations.

Main Event: DPW World Championship – Jake Something (c) vs. LaBron Kozone

Kozone is the National Champion here, and defeating Something last month to earn the World Title shot. Tie-up to start us off to a stalemate. Kozone with a spinning back elbow knocking Jake down, but Something comes back with a bodyslam and series of clotheslines. Northern Lariat gets two for the champion. Kozone blocks the next lariat and hits a rotisserie backbreaker. then a senton splash. LaBron tries a tope suicida but gets caught and thrown into the ring ropes by Something. Back inside, Kozone fights back with a Snow Plow for two and goes to work on the left arm of Something. Jake flips out of a suplex attempt then body blocks Kozone down to even things up. Backdrop and a corner spear. Jake tries for a powerbomb but the arm is too injured so he hits a stiff forearm instead. Something then does a one-armed powerbomb (!) for two. Into The Void attempt is blocked with a series of strikes by Kozone who gets a German suplex. Something has the fighting spirit and hits his own German, but Kozone also fires up and hits Ballgame for two. Jake manages to dump the challenger to the floor and then hits a dive. Powerbomb hits again and Jake hits Into The Void but only gets two. Ezuigiri from LaBron and Jake pops back up and hits another body block sending both guys to the mat. They head up in the corner as Jake gets a headbutt and both topple to the floor. Fans help both get to their feet and beat the count. They go back up with Something falling onto the top rope and Kozone hits Ballgame from the top for the pin and the title! Good for him to go out as the champion. ***1/2

After the match, Trevor Lee and Adam Priest jump both guys. Lee notes he’s the number on contender to the National Title, and thus is now also the top contender for the World Title. Kozone says let’s do it, so Something takes out Priest and tosses him to the floor.

Lee low blows Something and the ref rings the bell, then Kozone immediately hits Ballgame to pin Lee.

The roster empties from the back to celebrate with Kozone as Bocchini thanks everyone who helped make DPW as they sign off with a highlight package to close things out.

Final Thoughts: As unfortunate as it is that DPW is closing it’s doors, they went out with a definite bang on this show. New champions, surprises and great matches for the final US-based Deadlock Pro show ever. The tag matches stole the show for me, but just about every other singles match on the card is worth watching, so I’d say just watch the whole thing and enjoy DPW one more time.