Shoichi Arai

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Shoichi Arai
Statistics
Ring name(s)	Shoichi Arai
Born	December 19, 1965(1965-12-19)
Died	May 16, 2002 (aged 36) Toyko, Japan
Debut	1989

Shoichi Arai (荒井昌一 Arai Shōichi) (December 19, 1965 - May 16, 2002) was a Japanese professional wrestling promoter who ran Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling from 1995 until its demise in 2002. He entered the circuit as the company's ring announcer in the early days and was best known for his high-pitched voice that ran down countdowns during various deathmatches.

Arai took over ownership after Atsushi Onita sold the company to him in April 1995 and took a sabbatical from wrestling. During his reign, he began toning down the amount of deathmatches in favour of a more entertainment based product, similar to Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (now WWE). When Onita returned in 1997, he was displeased with the company's new direction. Eventually, he put an end to deathmatches entirely and this resulted in Onita leaving FMW for good in 1998. From that point on, FMW would suffer a decline. With poor attendance figures and little revenue, the company was slowly becoming a shadow of its former self. Things were to get worse in October 2001, when their number one star, Hayabusa, suffered a broken neck in a match against Mammoth Sasaki. Attempting an Asai Moonsault, Hayabusa's foot slipped off the rope, resulting in him landing directly on his head, paralyzing him instantly. Arai, who was doing commentary on the match, would then rush down to the ring to try and aid his major star and friend. Hayabusa was one of only a few in the FMW roster to consider Arai as a friend.

With their top star now gone and in excess of over $2 million in debt, he closed the doors on FMW and declared bankruptcy. He owed money to many FMW workers and stopped paying for Hayabusa's hospital fees. He also owed money to the Yakuza and his wife later divorced him.

On the early hours of May 16, 2002, Shoichi Arai committed suicide in a Tokyo park. His body was found hanging by the necktie of his business suit and with a suicide note. He was 36 years old.