Christmas is over, pack up the tinsel, put your baubles away, we’re now in 2026 with part one of Fair City Wrestling’s kick off event from back in January. We veered a little off continuity with the festive episodes over the last few weeks with this episode getting right back into the meat and potatoes of what’s ongoing over in Tayside.

A video package hyping up Ian Ambrose versus Sam McMillan opened the edition, leading into the opening match where it was Brodie Adler’s final chance at the FCW Women’s Championship.

FCW Women’s Championship – Brodie Adler defeated Eden by pinfall to win the FCW Women’s Championship.

The pair jostled for an advantage in the opening exchanges but it was the raw strength of Brodie Adler that gained control, slamming Eden to the canvas and following up with a running leg drop for two. The pin attempts went back and forth with the speed of Eden being matched pin for pin by Adler.

Eden rolled to the outside where Brodie was in pursuit, as Eden finally got the upper hand after whipping Adler into the ring post, rolling her back into the ring for a standing moonsault that earned a two count. Eden kept on Brodie Adler with stomps, delivering the handspring back elbow but her bulldog was pushed back as Adler rushed forward to wrap a clothesline through Eden to begin a combo ending with a Samoan Drop that couldn’t keep Eden down for the three.

The champion connected with the codebreaker and scaled to the top turnbuckle. Twisted Bliss missed the mark and Brodie fired Eden into the ropes to receive a Black Hole Slam to collect the count and become the new FCW Women’s Champion.

Brodie had little time to celebrate as the rest of Red Gate emerged. The lights went out, returning to find JD Wilde in the ring to declared that “Daddy home” and gave Eden a TKO to mark her eviction from Red Gate.

It was a solid match, nothing fancy. What was noticeable was how little of the original spooky Eden was left come this match. There were a couple twitches during her entrance but it seemed like the Eden persona was shedded and the final nail in that coffin was JD Wilde returning to punt her from the group. It overshadowed Brodie’s title win, but it created some drama that garnered a audible reaction,

Sam McMillan told the story of him being diagnosed with Crohn’s, how that affected his digestion along with it affecting his joints. Through that one person helped him in coming to training and gave him the confidence to become a pro wrestling, and that was Ian Ambrose.

Sam McMillan defeated Ian Ambrose w/Eddie Devine by disqualification.

Ian Ambrose wasted no time in manipulating Sam McMillan around the ring. Pushing around and pulling Sam in all directions. McMillan pushed back, hip-tossing Ambrose to the mat and connecting with a nice dropkick to send Ian to the outside to regroup. Eddie Devine provided a misdirection that gave Ambrose the chance to re-enter to assault Sam from behind to return to the driver’s seat, driving McMillan down with a Spinebuster for a near fall.

Ambrose kept the pressure on Sam McMillan, doing what he could to keep his opponent on the defensive and grounded. Sam showed spirit to sneak a roll up, and search for an opening to get back into the fight. A traded standing switch saw McMillan get the best of it and lead to a running knee into the corner with a leapfrog bulldog to send Ian Ambrose face first into the canvas.

Sam came back kicking, landing the strikes on Ian Ambrose who sought refuge in the apron, only to find himself at the mercy of a barrelling Sam McMillan hurtling himself at The Infamous. A top turnbuckle diving crossbody caught a two count. Eddie Devine tried to insert himself into the match again that was brushed off with Sam driving his knee in the face of Ambrose. Eddie continued to make a nuisance of himself at ringside before he was sent to the back by the referee.

A snap cutter set up Sam for a double foot stomp that was avoided. McMillan hit the Superman Punch that was retaliated with a Claymore Kick. Ambrose locked in a crossface for Sam to eventually tap out. Ian released the hold for a moment then put it back on again which lead to Patryk Peterski rushing out to send Ambrose to made a hasty exit. The referee reversed the decision due to unsportsmanlike conduct to give the win to Sam by disqualification.

A very good match, Sam McMillan got to show his fighting spirit to keep coming back against an aggressive adversary. Ambrose wasn’t messing about with Skully or anything like that, he was a killer to picked at his opponent and merciless about it. With the built up of Sam pointing out his joint pain I may’ve liked to see that be more of a focus to show Ian take advantage of a weakness that, until recently, he had full awareness of. What was presented was still effective and Patryk got an ovation to chase off the villain.

Tom Atlas defeated Spike Tierney by pinfall.

Spike jumped Tom before the bell, revealing a Manchester United shirt to further draw the ire of Titanium Tom Atlas. Atlas managed to bundle Tierney out of the ring and dived out to meet him at speed. Tom rolled Spike into the ring for the bell to ring to start the match, before immediately sending Tierney back to the outside for a further beating. The match returned between the ropes as Spike weathered the attack to counter a corner leapfrog into an Alabama Slam. Tierney found his target, going straight for the left knee of Tom Atlas, twisting and thumping at the joint while Atlas screamed in agony.

Tierney slowed down the match to jab and stamp at Tom Atlas, who was able to reverse an Irish Whip to throw a forearm, keeping his attack short, using his energy for a Shotgun Dropkick. A dazed Spike walked into the path of a tornado DDT for a two count. The battle headed back to the turnbuckles as Spike drove Tom to the canvas with a second rope sit out powerbomb for another near fall. Atlas went back to the well and hit the Frankensteiner from Bret’s Rope for two.

Tom went for a Poisonrana that was stopped in its tracks by Tierney, as he was swung up onto the shoulders of Spike, Atlas headed forward to package his former DE comrade into a Victory Roll to snatch the win.

Sebastian Asher and Duke ran out to attack Tom as the sound of the bell still echoed around the Tulloch Institute as Sami Sparx and Jay Robin arrived to even the numbers that had DE in retreat.

A well paced match that got the Empire Zone behind Tom Atlas, willing on the underdog to come out victorious with a satisfied elation when the three count was made. The chaos added hype for a future showdown, setting it up nicely.

From an in-ring standpoint this is possibly one of the best episodes of FCW Empire. Three well put together matches, everything was effective, nothing lingered of felt dragged out. The splices of promos were appreciated. One of the best episodes yet.

The show is available on YouTube: