Shoichi Arai (荒井昌一 ''Arai Shōichi'') (December 19, 1965 – May 16, 2002) was a Japanese

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

promoter. Arai ran

Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on July 28, 1989, by Atsushi Onita as (FMW). The promotion specializes in hardcore wrestling involving weapons such as barbed wire and fire. They held thei ...

from 1995 until its closure in 2002.

Career

Arai started with FMW as a backstage assistant. Arai became FMW's ring announcer, and was well known for his high-pitched voice during countdowns of various death-matches. Arai became Chief Executive Officer of FMW, after

Atsushi Onita is a Japanese actor, politician, and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and is credited with introducing Japan to the deathmatch style of professional wrestling. He founded ...

retired in April 1995. As CEO, Arai toned down the number of death matches, and promoted

Hayabusa was a robotic spacecraft developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to return a sample of material from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa to Earth for further analysis. ''Hayabusa'', formerly known as MUSES-C ...

as the main star of the promotion. Onita returned to FMW in 1996, and insisted on becoming the main focus of the promotion. Arai and the FMW wrestlers eventually met with Onita, and declared that Onita needed to leave FMW, due to Onita's ego and attitude towards the younger stars. FMW shifted its focus towards an entertainment-based style, similar to WWE. The shift occurred after FMW secured a television and pay-per-view deal with DirecTV, who wanted a role in shaping the product. In addition, Kodo Fuyuki was named head booker. Eventually, attendance dwindled, and the promotion dealt with several financial issues. In October 2001,

suffered a career-ending injury against

Mammoth Sasaki is a Japanese professional wrestler and retired sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently working for Pro Wrestling Freedoms under the ring name , where he is a former King of Freedom Tag Team Champion, becoming the longest reigning cham ...

. While attempting an Asai Moonsault, Hayabusa slipped off the rope and landed on his head, resulting in immediate paralysis. Arai left the commentary booth, and immediately rushed to the ring. Attendance and revenue continued to dwindle, as FMW finally declared bankruptcy on February 15, 2002. FMW was three million dollars in debt, and Arai also owed the

Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...

another million dollars. Arai went into hiding from the Yakuza, and planned to write a book about his experience of running FMW. Arai released a statement, where he criticized Atsushi Onita for his ego and excessive womanizing. Arai's book intended to generate enough money to pay back the Yakuza. In conversations with Hayabusa, Arai brought up plans to kill himself, because his life insurance would pay off his debt to the Yakuza.

Death

On May 16, 2002, an early morning jogger found Arai hanging by his necktie in Tokyo's

Mizumoto Park is a park in Katsushika ward, Tokyo, Japan. It is the biggest park within the 23 special wards of Tokyo. It is known for its diverse plants and wild birds, and as an attraction spot during the Hanami season. Locals have said that it is home ...

. Arai's

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

resulted in a life insurance payment to his ex-wife and child. However, the life insurance payment did not cover all of Arai's debt. The Arai family continued paying his debt to the Yakuza for years, until his ex-wife's father paid the remaining balance. Shoichi Arai was buried at Saitama Kawaguchi Memorial Garden. Arai's gravestone includes an engraved FMW logo.

References

External links

Deceased Superstars - Shoichi Arai

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arai, Shoichi 1965 births 2002 deaths Professional wrestling announcers Professional wrestling promoters Suicides by hanging in Japan 2002 suicides