I’m a little behind on the FCW Empire episodes, it’s been a busy time at SWN Towers but we’re back and it’s the second half of Fair City Wrestling’s Kick Off event from January at the Tulloch Institute in Perth. Kevin Williams introduced John Young to bestow a new FCW Heavyweight Championship to Retro Randy Valentine.

ADM stalked out, destroying the goodwill from the end of 2025 but noting that he wasn’t FCW Tag Team Champion because of the weakness of Caleb Valhalla. He put it forward that it was a disgrace that he hadn’t held the FCW Heavyweight Championship. The challenge was made, Kevin Williams confirmed that it would be a ladder match in the main event. ADM sucker punched Randy and the pair brawled to the back.

Backstage Sami Sparx made it clear that he had no interest in teaming with Jay Robin after the fallout of Legends Never Die over the DAPW Championship in 2025.

FCW Junior Heavyweight Championship – Fatal Four Way – Oliver Green defeated Botchico, Phantasm, and Euan G Mackie by pinfall to win the FCW Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Before the match could begin, Oliver Green goaded his way into the defending FCW Junior Heavyweight Champion Botchico accepting his inclusion into the scheduled triple threat match.

Green immediately struck Phantasm with a superkick, then knocked down Botchico and Euan G Mackie with a double clothesline. It looked to be Oliver in control until Phantasm soared into the frame with a front dropkick off the top turnbuckle. Phantasm kicked with some amount of force but Botchico broke the resulting pin attempt, the masked duo dispatched Oliver Green with a double superkick to have a brief exchange themselves.

Mackie returned to the action, sending Botchico to the outside and dealing with Phantasm. A corner hurricurana from Phantasm was countered into a nice stump sit out powerbomb but Euan refused to go for the pin. The match was soon back to ringside with Mackie diving out onto his three opponents that left everyone laid out. The thrills and spills continued as the match heading back between the ropes. It was Euan G Mackie who seated sentoned into the crawling mass of bodies that almost snatched the win. All four recovered and ganged up on Oliver Green, first by simultaneously side stepping a second turnbuckle dive, then a beatdown, and a triple team flapjack to have Green looking black and blue.

Phantasm stopped a Sliced Bread to shove Mackie into the ring post and connect with a backstabber. Botchico drove Phantasm down with a suplex before eating a knee to the side of the head from Green. There was a nasty landing from a Poisonrana that had Phantasm landing on the back of his neck that seemed to jolt the spine of Euan G Mackie which didn’t look pleasant. Phantasm got back up to running into a Flatliner from Botchico. Botchico covered Phantasm until Oliver Green launched himself at Botchico with his chain to rattle the spine of the champion and pick up the scraps to become the new FCW Junior Heavyweight Champion.

It was a decent match, the inexperience of Phantasm was exposed a little bit as he didn’t quite have the transitions worked out, with moments of getting to the next bit but not allowing for any flow, the miscalculation of the Poisonrana could have been a lot worse. I think there’s a good basis to work on though, and improvement will come with time. Euan G Mackie was always on hand to steer the ship, and Oliver Green got rightly booed for his sneaky tactics. The added insult of not even pinning Botchico to take the title from him was a nice subtle bonus bit of arsehole-ness from The Sky Ripper.

FCW Heavyweight Championship – Ladder Match – Retro Randy Valentine defeated ADM to retain.

ADM rampaged towards Randy as the bell rang, but Valentine was prepared to fight back. The match headed to ringside for a skirmish. ADM got the better of it with a back suplex onto the edge of the ring. The Clyde River Killer grabbed a ladder and launched it at Retro Randy to keep the champion on the defensive.

Randy stubbornly tried to stop the torture, but his attempt to halt an Irish Whip just lead to ADM tossing Retro Randy harder across the ring. A double underhook throw had Randy writhing on the canvas. It was a missed ramming of the ladder that had Randy spot the chance to seesaw the steel into the face of ADM, propping the ladder onto his shoulders for a bit of an Funkin’ Airplane Spin to finally see Randy get some momentum going. It didn’t last too long, ADM dodged a corner splash to send Retro Randy Valentine into the propped up ladder for his troubles.

It was back to the punishment, ADM dropped the ladder onto Valentine and followed up with a Senton to sandwich the ladder between the bodies. An Old School unlocked some Retro Rage with Randy throwing the haymakers and a big boot, then delivered a Leg Drop OF DOOM. ADM stopped Randy from scaling to the top of the ladder, but showed no intention of climbing himself. Randy chucked a ladder at a charging ADM, keeping him down long enough to place him between two ladders and connecting with an Elbow Drop OF DOOM.

As Randy once again went up the rungs, ADM was like a Terminator and appeared with a pair of handcuffs. Randy avoided being cuffed to the ropes, managing to get one side locked onto the wrist of ADM, but earned himself being sent back first over and over again into a ladder. A powerbomb into the ladder had referee Lex Loomis checking on the champion. As ADM headed over to finish the task, Randy snapped the empty cuff to the wrist of the referee to leave ADM connected to the official. Valentine went for a forearm but ADM pulled Loomis into the path of the strike, knocking him out of the ring and in turn leaving ADM stranded on the mat.

All ADM could do was watch on as Retro Randy unlatched the title to retain the FCW Heavyweight Championship.

What a creative way to overcome the challenge of ADM, I liked how the pieces fell with the initial clasping to how it all lead to ADM being left having to get a front row view of his championship hopes disappearing.

The crowd in The Tulloch Institute was hot for the match, throwing all their support behind Retro Randy as they always do. ADM’s refusal to use the ladder throughout until he, I imagine, had Randy decomposing in Perth like a fly on a windowsill was a good thread to have which was nicely picked up by “Sugar Free” Matthew Sweet on commentary.

A ruddy good episode of FCW Empire, the soft reboot following the fun of the Christmas episodes has seen the 2026 editions knocking it out of the park so far. Long may that continue.

The show is available on YouTube: