Independent wrestling promotion Deadlock Pro Wrestling will be going on an indefinite hiatus in 2026, with just two more events confirmed. On X, the promotion shared that after their 4th Anniversary event on December 12 and an event in Japan in 2026, the promotion will have no future events lined up.
“Hey everyone! The next DPW event will be our 4th Anniversary event in Cary, NC on Friday, December 12th! We will run one more event in Japan in 2026, but this will be the final DPW event for the foreseeable future. We have decided to make the event a fundraiser event to help families in the area as we close the 2025 holiday season & head into the new year.
“All tickets to the event will be $1 (plus Eventbrite fees/tax) to allow anyone who has ever wanted to attend a DPW event the ability to do so. There will be an option to donate on Eventbrite & we will be collecting donations at the event. All the money from the gate & donations from the December 12th event will be donated to a local North Carolina food bank, Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. DEADLOCK itself will match the gate & donations up to $10,000. The Eventbrite page will go up later this week.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to produce DPW events these past 4 years. Thank you to all the fans, wrestlers, & everyone behind-the-scenes that made all this possible. We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished & we are excited to celebrate with a great anniversary event in December! Thank you for everything.”
DPW was founded in November 2021 by Anthony Douglas, James Darnell, and John Blud, all of whom are notable pro-wrestling YouTubers. The name of the promotion comes from the Deadlock Podcast, which is hosted by the trio.
DPW has been host to some notable names including Je’Von Evans, the Motor City Machine Guns, MxM, Mustafa Ali, Masato Tanaka, Konosuke Takeshita, and Roderick Strong. With this hiatus looming, it remains to be seen if fans ever see another DPW match after the 2026 event in Japan.