What is dpw & how does it work?

DEADLOCK Pro-Wrestling (DPW) is one of the top independent wrestling organizations in North America. DPW carefully curates its match cards to showcase the best wrestlers worldwide with the coveted DPW championship titles signifying the best of the best.

Matches become official in DPW only after all participants sign a match agreement contract. Wrestlers are paid for their participation in matches and earn extra money for winning said matches, referred to as the winner’s purse. This highlights the importance of not just making the card and taking matches offered to you but also securing a victory. This means that tag team wrestlers can be offered singles match contracts & singles wrestlers can be offered tag team match contracts. Champions and their challengers in title matches receive even higher compensation.

While winning is crucial, especially in title matches, DPW's matchmakers also value entertainment, standout performances, and displaying a fighting spirit. These qualities can impress matchmakers and fans influencing future match opportunities outside of wins & losses.

DPW matches serve various purposes such as determining title challengers, resolving personal feuds, or even fulfilling wrestler requests. A wrestler's match offers depend heavily on their win-loss record but factors like fan support, match quality, and overall buzz also play significant roles.

DPW brings a unique approach to signing title matches: manadatory challengers & voluntary challengers. Mandatory challengers earn their spot through impressive wins and ranking highly on the internal rankings list or by competing & winning #1 contender/eliminator matches. Voluntary challengers earn a title shot by generating significant buzz or creating a must-see match scenario regardless of their wins or ranking. This includes outside challenges, highly requested (re)matches, or if it gets to that point, an intense grudge between the champion and challenger.

Wrestlers may pay the front office to arrange promotional segments, separate from scheduled matches, during a DPW event. While this is uncommon in DPW, a notable instance occurred when DPW wrestler Chris Danger scheduled a promotional segment at DPW LIVE 4 to announce his intention to become a full-time in-ring athlete on the DPW roster.

WHAT IS THIS MATCH TYPE?

Every sanctioned match in DPW has a set time limit unless mentioned otherwise before the match begins,

• Proving Ground: 10 minutes

• Singles: 15 minutes

• Eliminator: 20 minutes

• #1 Contender: 20 minutes

• X Way (Dance): 20 minutes

• Tag Team: 20 minutes

• Trios Tag Team: 20 minutes

• Championship: 30 minutes

DPW has hosted quite a few different match-types over the years. Here is a breakdown of the more popular ones,

• PROVING GROUND

  • Any time that a current reigning champion signs a non-title match contract, that match is fought under “Proving Ground” rules. 10 minute time limit & if the challenger defeats the champion or the match goes to a time limit draw, the challenger has immediate grounds for a sanctioned championship bout.

• ELIMINATOR

  • A match to determine the next top contender for a championship in DEADLOCK Pro-Wrestling. Two top contenders, usually but not always determined by qualifying matches, battle with the loser being eliminated from current title opportunity and the winner earning a title match with the respective champion.

• #1 CONTENDER

  • A match to determine the #1 contender for a championship belt in DEADLOCK Pro-Wrestling. #1 Contenders are considered top of the division wrestlers & the front office will usually allow them first shots at championship match contracts UNLESS there is a current top contender through the “Eliminator” process or special circumstances that supersede the situation.

• X WAY

  • X wrestlers start in the ring at once. First fall to a finish with NO eliminations. This match has no rules compared to its X WAY DANCE counterpart.

• X WAY DANCE

  • X wrestlers start in ring at once. Wrestlers are eliminated from the match after a pin, submission, or referee stoppage until the last man standing is your winner. As the match is elimination ruling, there ARE rules in this type of match compared to its X WAY counterpart.

• CAROLINA WARFARE

  • No time limit, no rules, no holds barred. This is the ultimate match in DEADLOCK Pro Wrestling - a match that signifies the end. While Carolina is in the name, the match-type can happen outside of North Carolina. The name was kept the same as a homage to the original match & the home of the company.

• BEST OF 3 SERIES

  • 2 teams of 3, 3 singles matches in a row, the first team to achieve 2 wins is the winner. Every match in the series is contested under regular singles match rules.

• SPECIAL X MATCH

  • A match with a special stipulation - usually, but not limited to, a longer time limit. As regular singles & tag matches are assigned 15 minute & 20 minute time limits respectively in DEADLOCK Pro-Wrestling, sometimes a longer time limit is wanted/needed. If this is the case, a match will be signed as a special X match.

• RELAXED RULES

  • No DQ flavor but with regular match rules still applied, such as rope breaks & time limits. Referee’s discretion is key here as the assigned ref understands that the match is expected to get out of hand, but if taken too far, the ref still has the option to throw the match out.

How do I watch DPW?

Every event from DPW past, present, & future is available on our premium OTT service, DPW On Demand.

when does X show go up on demand?

All events are uploaded to DPW On Demand the weekend following the events date. Example: if an event occurs on Sunday, the event will premiere live on DPW On Demand the next Saturday/Sunday. The only events that deviate from this schedule are DPW LIVE branded events which are livestreamed simultaneously.

why aren’t all events just livestreamed?

The short answer is: we don’t have the resources to be live all the time. The DPW production team is a small & focused team that is able to deliver the high-quality events that we do because of the extra time that a tape delay live premiere allows us. We are proud to be able to livestream our DPW LIVE branded events and use these events as learning opportunities that will eventually allow us to livestream all our events in the future. As for now, to deliver the quality & presentation that we envision for DPW, this is the way it needs to be.

Why is DPW On Demand so expensive?

DPW is an independently owned company with no corporate financial backing. DPW On Demand is priced fairly in comparison to how much it cost to run live events on a regular basis. As we continue to grow, you will continue to have more months where you get multiple live events with full access to our ever-growing library of content all for the same fixed price. The more subscriptions to DPW On Demand, the better DPW becomes. It’s as simple as that!