It’s been a minute but Fair City Wrestling have uploaded their May event, taking place at The Empire Zone in Perth. In April the ground shook when it was revealed that Retro Filth’s Ryan Roode was the man behind the death of Randy Valentine’s friend Casey and a new era of filth was due to run roughshod over FCW. An announced in-ring of Tom Atlas following 11 months on the shelf, along with the debut of The Lancadores added a further shake up with ‘ArdlerMania’ on the horizon.

Caleb Valhalla defeated Tom Atlas by disqualification.

The chants of “Caleb’s gonna kill you” filled the Tulloch Institute for the opening match. Valhalla marched towards Atlas from the opening bell but Tom was wanting no piece of the the Viking, tying himself up in the corners to bring in referee Lex Loomis to create some separation.

That space allowed Atlas to rush at Caleb with deep forearms, like a rabid dog he was all over Valhalla who was doing what he could to swipe away a determined opponent. Tom took aim at the knees to cut down the mighty oak, and nipping in quick pin attempts to perhaps catch the former FCW Heavyweight Champion off guard.

Valhalla barrelled his way back into control, clubbing his forearm off the chest of Tom Atlas while the crowd cheered on and demanded another, Caleb beiled Atlas across the ring a couple of times before Tom decided a respite was needed before anymore punishment could come his way.

Caleb followed but as Loomis was paying attention to a scurrying Tom Atlas, Spike Tierney appeared and assaulted Valhalla to give his team mate the upper hand. It didn’t last long with Atlas being charged into the turnbuckle leading him to seek some further advise from Spike at ringside, they looked up to find a roaring Norse God hurtling his way through the ropes to clatter the duo, then unceremoniously ejecting Tierney through the entrance curtain.

Atlas took any inch to try and chop down Valhalla, once again taking aim at the knee. Caleb powered through the pain of his knee and ankle being twisted to push on and send Tom Atlas into the stratosphere with an inverted release fireman’s carry. A wobbly legged Atlas proceeded to get smashed in the corner but a timely kick stopped a spear.

A crucifix driver didn’t quite land as flush as hoped that caused a tangle and required adjustment to get into a pinning predicament, Valhalla kicked out to keep the match going. Tom dove from the second rope but was met with a striking spear. Just as Caleb was looking to end the night with a Helride, Spike Tierney returned to cause a disqualification.

Sebastian Asher and Duke were soon on the scene to put the boots to Valhalla until ADM emerged. DE presented a wounded Caleb Valhalla to ADM, who grabbed Duke and Asher… then threw them out of the ring and lamped Tierney with a lariat. Atlas tried to make the save but was DDT’d while Valhalla got rid of Spike Tierney. DE escaped while a new alliance formed in the ring.

There were a couple hesitant moments from Tom in the opening exchanges, but for being off 11 months he settled into the match quickly. I loved that he targeted the knee of Valhalla, it reminded me of when I first got into ICW and Joe Coffey was coming back from a broken leg, he had a gnarly angle on a half Boston Crab on Grado if I remember rightly because he blamed Grado for the injury. It adds a real bitterness to the character that in his first night back he wished to have someone potentially suffer the same injury he had dealt with.

The match was what it needed to be, showing the unrelenting power of Caleb Valhalla and the ferocity of Tom Atlas. It also added a new chapter on a feud that ripped through Fair City Wrestling in the past with former enemies ADM and Caleb Valhalla uniting against a common antagonist. Good stuff.

FCW Women’s Championship – Moxie Malone defeated Shawna Reed by pinfall to retain the FCW Women’s Championship.

A visibly concerned Moxie Malone told the story when Shawna Reed made her way to the ring, that ignited a larger reaction from Shawna arriving due to the previous month’s antics that saw Malone cash in her Game Changer briefcase during the interval and snatching the title from the hometown girl Eden in despicable fashion. That one moment marked her as a legitimate threat to an audience that may not have known who she was.

Reed got the better of Moxie from the lock up, taking her over for a side headlock, Malone countered but soon found herself once again having her joints manipulated by Shawna Reed, rattling the champion even more.

Following a reset, Moxie went to what brought her to the dance, throwing stiff strikes and getting the match into a brawl, but even then Shawna had an answer to once again put Malone on the backfoot. Moxie wore through the more acrobatic move set to find her spot to dodge a corner splash to strike, stomp, and choke at the challenger. Malone kept the pressure on and a last gasp codebreaker may have giving Shawna Reed some space, but Moxie whiplashed to the outside and would avoid any further repercussions for the time being.

Shawna headed to the outside via a baseball slide, taking Moxie back between the ropes for a fisherman’s neckbreaker. There was a bit of a stumble that needed a second to get back into a rhythm, but once it got back going again Reed dived towards Malone with a spear to leave both catching their breath on the canvas.

Upon returning to their feet, Moxie tried for an Unprettier but was pushed away, running back into a cutter for another close two count. Shawna set the champion up for a Helluva Kick but Moxie grabbed referee Chris Quinn as a shield to stop Reed in her tracks, and to be rolled up with Malone using the ropes for leverage to retain.

This had some nice sequences but also some miscommunication with timings that looked awkward in spots. These two would go on to have a really good match a couple months later that afforded having that foundation of knowledge gained here. Shawna Reed was received well from the crowd that speaks to her charisma and the hatred that Moxie Malone has garnered in her Fair City Wrestling experience. The near falls were bit on well and there was an urge to see Moxie being dethroned.

Junior Heavyweight Invitational – Triple Threat – Botchico defeated Martin MacAlistair, and Stan The Slav by pinfall to advance.

Martin MacAlistair didn’t have the patience for the drinking and dancing shenanigans that Stan and Botchico started the match with, making Stan his target with an all out assault before turning his attention to Botchico by leathering them both with uppercuts.

Once Stan and Botchico got their bearings back MacAlistair found that the numbers were not in his favour and was subjected to a back suplex/neckbreaker combo to wilt his challenge for the time being. Botchico and Stan teed off on each other as Botchico got the best of the exchange, slamming Stan to the mat for a two count. MacAlistair popped up on the apron and while Botchico dealt with that, Stan was able to turn the tide for a pin of his own that saw Martin play spoiler to once again throwing hands and even more uppercuts.

MacAlastair hit hard, and chose his moments wisely for maximum damage, keeping Botchico and Stan separated so he could pick apart his opponents one at a time. Martin drove Botchico with snap suplexes as he slowed the match down to his liking. Stan finally made it back in to get a little traction with a sunset flip to MacAlistair, Martin held the ropes, as Stan found himself being catapulted head first into the two veg of MacAlistair by Botchico.

Although the testicular trauma had Martin on the ropes, he still managed to send Botchico out to the floor, but couldn’t stop the Cheeki Breeki barrage from Stan that lead to a basement dropkick to the side of his skull. Botchico returned to dive off the second turnbuckle for a crossbody that left everyone laid out.

It became a fist fight as all three went back and forth with punches. Stan landed a Vodka Shot running knee to Botchico that wouldn’t sealed it if it wasn’t for MacAlistair once again breaking up the fall. An Eat Defeat had Stan on jelly legs but before MacAlistair could follow up Botchico grabbed both men for a double flatliner for a couple near falls. An Impaler DDT to Stan, and a jumping flatliner to Martin MacAlistair finally wrapped up the match for Botchico.

As a match it felt more like a showcase for the debuting Martin MacAlistair who spent the majority of the time in the ring and controlled the tempo of the match. He and Stan had some smooth interactions that would be worth a revisit. I found that Botchico wasn’t matching the pace and came across like he was overthinking moves so they looked less natural and in turn looked out of place.

FCW Tag Team Championships – DE (Duke & Sebastian Asher) defeated The Lancadores (Kenny B & MRD) w/Tori Fox by pinfall to retain the FCW Tag Team Championships.

Duke waited for Kenny B to have his back turned to strike first, smashing Kenny in the back of the neck with a clothesline to put him on the mat. Kenny fired back with punches and a sunset flip that Duke stood firm on, but he couldn’t stop MRD coming in to drive his face into the canvas.

MRD went straight after Duke, pounding him with punches in the corner before sending Duke across the ring via a monkey flip. The Lancadores showed their tag team prowess to isolate Duke with tandem offense. A double stalling vertical suplex (with a wee wander around the ring for a bit of flair) to Duke had him ready to leave with the titles and Sebastian Asher but their exit was blocked by Tori Fox.

The match descended into chaos, The Lancadores took to the air to launch themselves out of the ring to join DE for a brawl around The Empire Zone. Asher straight punched Tori Fox that got a heated reaction from the crowd.

After being rammed into the ring post, MRD was rolled back into the ring for DE to take charge. MRD leap frogged a spear into the corner from Asher, then used a groggy Sebastian as a launch pad to crossbody Duke and give himself the chance to get the tag for Kenny B to rejoin the fray.

Kenny landed an impressive top rope elbow drop to Duke, the crowd demanded another that he was happy to provide only for Duke to recover and push Loomis into the corner and knock the Lancadore off balance. DE connected with a Hart Attack with the pin saved by MRD at the last second.

A distraction of the referee from MRD let Tori Fox come in to get some revenge, popping Duke with an uppercut and Asher with a fist to the jaw to give Kenny B the opening to drill both of DE down with a double Blockbuster variation from the second rope.

The Lancadores were in the drivers seat, MRD drove Asher’s head into the mat with a stump piledriver, then a spin out jawbreaker to leave Sebastian to be set up for a Pina Collider of their own. Duke jumped onto the apron with Tori Fox being held by the hair to get the attention of Kenny B and MRD.

In the mayhem, Asher clocked MRD with the brass knuckles then speared through Kenny B, with DE putting the finish touch onto the match with the Pina Collider. Spike Tierney and Tom Atlas returned after the bell was rung to provide a four on two beating to The Lancadores until ADM and Caleb Valhalla arrived to even the numbers and chase off the faction.

For a debut, The Lancadores were fantastic. Everything they did was crisp, and for two big dudes they had plenty of aerial attacks to couple with the sheer strength that had them hoisting Duke around and barely breaking a sweat. There wasn’t a whole lot of Sebastian Asher but when he was in it was brute force impact, the out of left field strike to to Tori at ringside during the brawling portion was closed off nicely with one in return later in the match.

Ryan Roode defeated Patryk Peterski by submission.

Following his actions last month and the murder of Casey being revealed, Commissioner Kevin Williams cut off Ryan Roode’s entrance music so he had to enter in silence against Patryk Peterski. That didn’t look to phase Roode initially, who had his eyes locked onto Peterski as soon as he stepped through the curtain.

The two exchanged chops and stalemate shoulder blocks with neither giving an inch to the other. Roode got a little momentum going his way to feel the need to head to the second turnbuckle but caught nothing by the Perth air as Peterski walked out of the way of whatever Ryan had planned.

A Devil’s Kiss and a spinebuster had Roode begging off Big Paddy Cool, Ryan offered a handshake to atone for his sins. A trusting Patryk held his hand out to accept but it was all that Ryan Roode needed to pull Peterski in for a Kimura Lock and the submission victory.

Roode demanded an apology from the commissioner and when that wasn’t received, he put Peterski back into the Kimura. Using his weight to press down on the neck which was uncomfortable and brutal. Stan the Slav rushed out to break the hold as a manic Ryan Roode looked shocked at his own actions before heading to the back.

One of the best matches of the night, and it wasn’t because they did a million things in the ring, it was because in the space of 5 minutes they told the whole story. Peterski was standing up against a bully but still showing empathy to man he considered a friend, Roode was ruthless but even he was shaken by this bitterness that has consumed him to the point of using his bare hands to try and break the arm of a man that dared to confront him.

During the match Patryk was bringing in the crowd, whilst Ryan ignored them to focus on either the task at hand, a contrast to what Ryan had done in the past pre-murder reveal as he was usually met with a lot of love from the FCW audience and he was more than happy to have a laugh to bask in the admiration. It was very black and white on who the hero and villain of the piece was and both successfully put that across in a short period of time.

FCW Heavyweight Championship – Ian Ambrose defeated Paul Hubris by pinfall to retain the FCW Heavyweight Championship.

Hubris got the better of Ian Ambrose in the opening lock up, taking him over and having the champion needing a reset before trying again. The challenger played a wily game, bullying Ambrose into the corner and delivering an open hand slap to the chops that enraged Ian, a furious Ambrose marched with purpose but Hubris tied himself into the ropes to force separation.

Once it get back to the tie up, Hubris once again took control of a frustrated Ian Ambrose. Ambrose rolled through a wrist lock to take Paul down to deliver a stiff punt kick to the spine of The Essential to get some of that pent up energy out and cause some damage in the process. A follow up slam had Paul Hubris searching for a rest as he took a seat in the front row.

The champion tried to find his rhythm but both men had a counter sussed out to stop any real build up of momentum. Counter after counter, strikes back and forth, there was domination either way. Ambrose managed to get some chops together in the corner, with Hubris come back with a Dragon Screw to torque the knee of Ian Ambrose.

A defiant Ambrose goaded Hubris to bring more kicks to the table, and Paul was happy to provide them until one was caught by Ian and was returned with an enziguri to give Ambrose a burst of offense. The match spilled to the outside where once again it swung back in the favour of Paul Hubris.

The momentum continued to shift, Hubris landed a Death Valley Driver but it could only muster a two count. Ambrose tried to bring Skully into play, with Hubris catching Ian with a DDT instead. A missed running knees into the corner set up Hubris for a top rope double foot stomp, Ambrose finished The Essential with a diving cutter from the second turnbuckle to log another defence of the FCW Heavyweight Championship.

It was a long main event and it was noticeable because the crowd were really subdued, and that was the story all night. A hot crowd would have made every big sequence feel like we were watching the best match ever but they weren’t there. The odd troll chant to Paul Hubris was the height of it, which isn’t what a usual Fair City Wrestling crowd is like.

There were pockets of chants here and there but there was no real investment for the show overall. The exception was Patryk Peterski and Ryan Roode who had a clear story, then got in and got out before there was a drop in the noise. Moments like ADM and Caleb Valhalla uniting should have got a bigger reaction, as should have the eight man brawl, and Botchico getting a big win. The hands were being sat on too often, and I think that rattled a couple of performances.

The matches were solid, but without that buzz in the atmosphere that The Tulloch Institute provides it lost something overall.

The full show is available on YouTube: