By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Deadlock Pro Wrestling “Spirit Rising Night Two”
April 25, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring
Released May 11, 2025, via DPWondemand.com
The lighting over the ring was good; I really can’t see the crowd to have a sense of how many fans were there. As was the case on night one, there was no commentary; I really thought that would be dubbed in later, especially since this didn’t air live. We have the signature DPW logo on the canvas and it looks sharp.
1. Ryo Mizunami, Miyuki Takase, and “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini vs. Chris Brookes, Emi Sakura, and “Best Bros” Baliyan Akki and Mei Suruga. So, each team has two men and two women. I didn’t hear a bell so I started the stopwatch at first contact, especially as this went on and on with who was going to start for each team. Tiny Suruga leapt into Garrini’s chest but she just bounced off him. Suruga grabbed Brookes’ leg and swung it into Emi’s face. Emi tied Garrini in the Paradise Lock and repeatedly swatted his butt at 2:30.
Brookes worked over Garrini and hit a doublestomp to his chest for a nearfall. They got up and traded chops. Takase hit a missile dropkick on Brookes at 5:30. She tried some leaping chops — he is soooo much taller than she is. He hit a chop on her. Takase knocked him to his knees, then clotheslined him to the mat. Takase and Mei traded rollups. Mei got on Akki’s shoulders, and they fought everyone with her seated there. Lots of comedy.
Ryo hit a clothesline that knocked them over at 9:00. Emi got in and chopped Ryo. Ku hit a fisherman’s buster suplex. Akki hit a springboard senton on Ku. The action had really picked up. Akki stood on the apron and dropped Mei onto everyone on the floor at 12:00. In the ring, Ku hit a spin kick to Emi’s head, but Emi hit a crossbody block on him in the corner. Akki flipped Mei onto Ku. Brookes jumped in and got the cover to pin Ku. That was a lot of fun; the comedy early on worked, but the action really got hot, too.
Chris Brookes, Emi Sakura, Baliyan Akki, and Mei Suruga defeated Ryo Mizunami, Miyuki Takase, and “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini at 12:41. NOTE: Cagematch.net has it at 14:02; that shows how long they stood around and played to the crowd before locking up.
2. Calvin Tankman and Kazuma Sumi vs. Kazusada Higuchi and Yuki Ishida. I admittedly don’t know the Japanese guys in this one. Sumi is thin and has Okada’s blond hair. Higuchi is older and bigger, in plain, black trunks. Ishida has orange and black trunks. Higuchi and Tankman opened and locked up with neither going down. The smaller guys, Ishida and Sumi tagged in at 1:00. Higuchi and Ishida beat up Sumi. Sumi finally hit a dropkick and made the hot tag at Tankman at 5:00. Tankman nailed a running clothesline into the corner on Higuchi, then a swinging backbreaker over his knee and a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall.
Higuchi and Tankman got up and traded chops. They hit stereo clotheslines and were both down at 7:00. Ishida hit a frogsplash on Tankman for a nearfall. He tried to lift Tankman, but of course couldn’t budge him. Tankman easily bodyslammed Ishida. Sumi hit a Swanton Bomb off of Tankman’s shoulders for a nearfall, but Higuchi made the save. Tankman hit a pop-up spinning back fist on Higuchi. Tankman hit a Rikishi Driver-style piledriver to pin the smaller Ishida. Good action.
Calvin Tankman and Kazuma Sumi defeated Kazusada Higuchi and Yuki Ishida at 9:41.
3. Adam Priest vs. Fuminori Abe for the DPW World Title. Priest just won the vacant DPW World Title over Mania weekend in Las Vegas, and he was loudly booed. Abe has competed in the U.S. in a handful of GCW dates. They immediately tied up on the mat. This was intense but not much to describe, as Abe tied Priest in a hammerlock on the mat. Abe switched to a leg lock around the neck at 3:30. Priest stalled on the floor.
They fought up onto the elevated entrance stage at 7:00. In the ring, Priest hit a stiff kick to the spine at 8:30, and they traded chops. Abe was selling pain in his left knee, and Priest targeted it, and he applied a Figure Four at 10:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Priest applied a half-crab. He got a rollup, grabbed the ropes for added leverage, and scored the tainted pin. Good match.
Adam Priest defeated Fuminori Abe to retain the DPW World Title at 13:41.
4. Dani Luna vs. Rina Yamashita for the DPW Women’s Title. I’m admittedly not a fan of the short, ultraviolent specialist Rina, largely because she is so willing to take repeated blows to her head. This is a first-time-ever meeting, and they traded quick reversals on the mat. Rina knocked her down with a shoulder tackle at 2:30. Dani hit a bodyslam, then a shoulder block into the gut in the corner, then a sliding clothesline for a nearfall at 4:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes, then stereo clotheslines. Rina hit a superkick; Dani took her head off with a clothesline at 7:00; Rina hit a German Suplex.
They again hit stereo clotheslines and were both down. This has been really good so far. Dani hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall at 9:00. Dani set up for her second-rope German Suplex, but Rina blocked it. Dani hit another clothesline. Rina put Dani on her back and dropped her weight onto her for a nearfall. Dani finally hit her German Suplex off the second rope, then the Luna Landing (modified, sit-out DVD) for the pin. Good action. Easily the best Rina match I’ve seen, but I’m doubtful I’ve ever seen her in a non-hardcore match.
Dani Luna defeated Rina Yamashita to retain the DPW Women’s Title at 11:23.
5. LaBron Kozone vs. Takuya Nomura for the DPW National Title. Again, Kozone is very much a cross between Trick Williams and Booker T, and I’m a big fan. Nomura wore basic black Young Lion-style trunks; he’s big but also a bit flabby. Standing switches and a feeling-out process. They fought on the floor, and Kozone slammed him on the ring apron at 2:30. In the ring, Kozone hit a flying headbutt and took control. Nomura fired up and hit some clotheslines.
They traded more forearm strikes, and they were suddenly both down at 8:30. Kozone hit a standing powerbomb. Nomura applied a Fujiwara Armbar at 10:30, and he targeted the left arm. Nomura hit some clotheslines with little effect; Kozone nailed the Ballgame clothesline for a nearfall at 12:00, then a pump kick to the chest. Kozone hit a top-rope gut-wrench suplex, and they were both down; he eventually made a cover for a nearfall, but Nomura immediately reapplied the Fujiwara Armbar. They got up and traded slaps to the face. Kozone hit one more Ballgame clothesline and scored the pin. Good match.
LaBron Kozone defeated Takuya Nomura to retain the DPW National Title at 14:52.
* Kozone got on the mic and spoke in English and thanked the fans. Baliyan Akki took the mic and spoke in Japanese and got polite applause.
Final Thoughts: I want to reiterate what makes DPW stand out as the best indy today. It’s not just great wrestling, but it’s the high quality of the lighting and overall production. With that said, it is just so deeply disappointing they released these two shows without commentary. I don’t need it but I certainly prefer it. My fear is that some people will simply skip a good show because they feel the need to have that commentary track. The main event was really good and earned the best match. As I noted, I wasn’t a big fan of Rina (largely because of the hardcore stuff she does), so that women’s match really surprised me and entertained me, and that takes second. A nice little five-match show that came in at under two hours. This show is available for paid subscribers on their website, but DPW does have some free stuff on their YouTube page.
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