-About Shoichi Arai-


I’ve already told you so much about Arai, but I still have more things to say to him.

Why couldn’t I cut my ties with Arai?

There were reasons for example my income and also I wanted to continue entertainment style wrestling in FMW, but the main reason was because I cared about the staff of FMW. I’m not going to mention names, but I truly appreciate their support .We parted our way, however I really want to thank to all.

What made me decide to leave Arai for definite?

There was not a main reason.

It’s just the small problems between him has been built up so much including about the party. Ok, let’s talk about some of the examples. Then you’ll see what Arai really is. One day there was a Kawasaki Stadium Match.

I was going to be on the main event, but I couldn’t find an opponent. So we discussed together and decided to book Onita. Then only Arai objected and said ‘No way! If we have to book him, I’ll close down FMW.’

I remember thinking what the hell is he saying such a thing? Anyway he was very determined not to book Onita, so we decided to look for someone else. Then Arai suggested Tenryu and asked me to make him an offer and negotiate. I told Arai, ’I understand your relationship with Onita and I totally understand how you feel, but do you understand my relationship with Tenryu?’

I had problems with WAR and I was sued by them. I was a litigant. They must really hated me, they might have wanted to kill me.

Even though Arai asked me to bow to him and asked for the help. I continued.

‘ .....You and Onita don't get along, but me and Tenryu have to? We are in the middle of a court case! Are you still asking me to do this?? To beg him to have a match for us??’

Then Arai just replied.

‘Yes, please.’

I felt like he is obliging me to do it because I’m in a higher position for the company.

He didn’t want to use someone he doesn’t like, but he seemed like he didn’t mind me having to face difficulty. I stared at him and replied.

‘Ok, I’ll do it.’

I had to satisfy our audience with a good match as a main eventer, so there's no excuse.

I thought that as long as I work at FMW I shouldn’t bore our audience and I became patient. Only thing I could do was not book Onita.

I was worried about having to book Tenryu though. But I wanted to keep working for FMW so I decided to beg Tenryu. It felt like a slashing in my stomach. Tenryu was a very generous guy though. He accepted my offer. I was so grateful.

I remember I thought Arai was really dirty bastard. He put himself in a safe place and he threatened me to close down the company. It’s not fair. He is such a coward.

He paid the price...he lost my trust completely. Well I could apologize to Tenryu-san, so I had some benefits from it later on.

Oh, and another one was in 2001,when we had a Hokkaido tour.

Arai said there is a wrestler who can sell a lots of tickets and he is from Hokkaido. (This could only be Tomoya Adachi)

So he suggested that instead of that local wrestler selling a lots of our tickets, book him for our show, later in the card.

In his book, he said he didn’t let wrestlers to sell tickets, but it’s all a lie.

Anyway, that local wrestler was a freelance wrestler and completely unknown to me.

Even though I was in charge, I had no idea which promotion he is from.

Once I said ‘Yes, yes. I understood.’

Randomly though as much as the match making progressed, his match became earlier in the card. I couldn’t put him later in the card. I knew what I was told but I thought it doesn’t matter and just announced he would be in a early match. I didn’t even know how many tickets he could sell anyway.

Then the young local sales manager in Hokkaido area came in and shouted at me.

‘What’s going on!? I’ve been told that his match will be later on the card!’ So I shouted back at him.

‘I don’t know you stupid! What's it got to do with you anyway!? You have no right to change the cards!’

Then he said, ‘Arai promised me.’

What promise??

Then Arai came and pointed at me and said to him,

‘Oh so sorry, I told him but this guy doesn’t do it.’

Wait, ’this guy',???

Why don’t you protect your employees?

The way he called me ‘this guy’ irritated me. Why should I put this boy wrestler later on the cards? Did he buy all of the show tickets? Does he have a strong connection with VIP?? He was making me look really stupid .They should arranged their cards all by themselves! And I left the place.

My match was already announced, so I resumed it. but after that, I left everything with them. That tour wasn’t good at all anyway. I know I was childish, but the problems had been built up and there were also many arguments.

You said this, No I did not, Yes you did...

The event which made me think Arai is such a thick faced man was this.

Arai suddenly called me in 2001.

‘Hi, Fuyuki-san. We’ve been so busy and haven’t had enough time to talk lately!’

Very cheerfully .To me I didn’t have much things to talk with Arai anymore, so I really didn’t care.

But he still continued. ‘Let’s have a talk! Let’s communicate!’

‘Oh, well...’

Then he arranged the meeting and we met. He was talking about weather, news topics...he was talking nonsense.

I was thinking’ Oh come on, what does he want...?’ then all the sudden he enthusiastically lean his body towards me and said,

‘You know next year, there is the Soccer World Cup in Japan, right? I heard it’s so difficult to get those tickets.’

‘Oh really?’

‘Yes! But I can get hold of tickets from some special route!! Not only Japan tickets, also the popular matches tickets, too .You can make so much profit if we re-sell them...Can you introduce me someone to sell?’

I felt so dizzy!

‘You can keep this much percentage...and we’ll sell to this person, that person...’

He was already talking about his selling plans. I’ll never forget his shady smile, but that was all a con. I’m sure the con man ‘Y’ was involved. And Arai was deeply into that money making scum business back then. He might not have been realizing he was a part of the con.

If I was a soccer fan or knew a little bit about soccer, I might have got myself involved. So dangerous. The plan of re-selling soccer tickets continued until FMW closed.

Even after that, Arai was still doing some shady business. He was asking not only to me, so many others as well.

Towards the end of FMW, Arai was working so badly. He couldn’t manage at all. It was worse than how Onita did his management job. He didn’t understand company organization. He was a real amateur.

For example, FMW used to pay lunch money to wrestlers. It was 2,000yen ($20) per wrestler per day, but they were paying all together at the end of the tour. I found it strange.

Because it’s lunch money. They have to eat before the match. They should have paid upfront and wrestlers would be happy. So I just suggested to Arai about it but I knew it could be financially difficult, so I told him as just an ‘idea’.

Then he was like ‘Ok, Let’s do it.’ he answered so easily.

I sighed and said ‘Are you sure? Because it’s going to be cash payment. You actually need cash to pay. Do we have enough pooled money? No. We don’t have cash before the show.’

All Japan was the same. When they had to pay wrestlers at the show but not enough cash with them, they were using merchandise sales from the day, but FMW was using a independent merchandise company. So there was no cash to be handed. That’s why I asked him isn’t it difficult', but his answer was still the same.

‘Yes! We can!’

I had to explain to him like explain to a child.

‘Okay, once you tell that to wrestlers, they will depend on you. If you can’t pay it upfront, find another other way. Or maybe think of another excuse, but Arai was too stubborn to listen to me.

So he started paying them upfront, but it only lasted a few times. I suppose it was his show off. He wanted to show how understanding he was, and the wrestlers salary used to be 9 matches guaranteed a month.

It means you still get paid for 9 matches even there were less than 9 matches in a month. For example when we only had 5 matches in a month, I still got paid for 9 matches. In contrary, they only pay for up to 9 matches even if there were 12 matches in a month.

They should really pay for those extra 3 matches. But Arai was insisting that ‘Because we paid more in a past month, it doesn’t matter.’ Arai was doing those vague calculations, so I told him to change it to a fixed monthly salary system because it’s confusing.

That way is more stable for the promotion and make it easier to plan shows. Also it’s better for lower ranked wrestlers. If there’s no match that month, they don’t have a job.

If you are a middle class or top wrestler, they are busy with press interviews, but if you are lower class wrestler, they’ll have to get a part time job.

I’ll repeat again. All wrestlers should work within a promotion. No wrestlers should have a side job. I suggested him making our salary monthly fixed and it will stabilize all wrestlers living.

It’s good for the promotion and it would demolish the vague 9 matches guaranteed system. So we introduced the monthly salary system aiming 25th of the month is becoming our payday.

But I was so concerned because of Arai.

He always says he can do it even if he cannot accommodate in reality.

Not being mean to him, I was just trying to protect our staff, so I called him and said,

‘Are you sure it’s ok to be monthly salary?

All the other promotions are struggling doing this. You really must be prepared for it.’

‘It’s ok. It’s ok.’

‘So you know what...’

His reply sounded very blank.

It was so painful to say, but I continued.

‘For example, if we have a big show just after 25th of the month, you really can’t afford to do the show unless you have enough pooled money. Are you sure if FMW can do this? Even other promotions beg the wrestlers to wait to be paid. Can you beg to wrestlers like that??’

‘Yes, it’s ok. It’s ok.’

Maybe Arai thought I was very annoying because I am making sure of this even this is what I suggested. I didn’t want to disturb the plan. It was good to be heard and my ideas are used, but I was worried that he hasn’t got much consideration what it is going to be in the reality.

He looks like he can take the responsibility, but apparently he won’t.

He shouldn’t say it’s ok if it’s not ok.

He is a grown up adult and a company CEO.

He will be done if his word ‘Leave it to me’ becomes meaningless, he is disqualified as a boss.

That new monthly salary system only lasted a few months.

They had an accountant, but I guess he must have been annoyed by Arai’s disorganized mess. However, Arai was always saying that he’ll get the money, so we all believe that he has back up money somewhere. We thought this because he used to go on vacation abroad before he got divorced.

He went to Hong Kong, Hawaii...

He said ‘We didn’t have a honeymoon, so we are going now.’

I don’t care if he goes or not.

I just assumed he is rich. even if his company was in trouble, he could go on vacation abroad.

How did he end up like this??

I knew Arai goes on vacation abroad with his family twice a year. He didn’t tell me, I just found it out by accident. He used to take his international mobile phone with him when he goes abroad.

I called the office to talk to him once, but the female staff answered and said

‘He is out at the moment. He’ll ring you back.’ Then I could see the number was from out of area. It was his secret trip.

Maybe because he felt awkward if he tells that to the others. Even if he says I used my own money, not the company’s money...employees and wrestlers wouldn’t believe him.

They would probably think that why Arai is doing such a careless things even if his company is in the difficult situation, but I’m telling you, he should not have care what the others say. He was a boss, so he didn’t need to hide anything. Even if he was using company expenses for yourself, he should behave as normal. He seemed like he didn’t use company expenses for it, so it’s so wrong that he behaved like he did a bad thing.

It’s true that FMW employees would say him taking vacation was unbelievable. But it’s quite common in another promotion that a CEO buys a new car even while failing to pay to his own staff. Just be brave, behave like nothing is wrong. Just spend without hesitation.

Just say ’I have money, but my company doesn’t have money!’

You can’t survive in this industry unless you have a forgivable unique character.

I wonder how much Arai got paid.

I have no idea .Was it better than me or some one in a higher position?

No, I’m sure his salary was much lower. There was a rumors that his salary was the lowest ranked. I’ve been to some meetings with Arai. It was a meeting for hiring a wrestler for FMW. There was his PA and he was also joining FMW.

He asked us how much his salary would be.

Arai suggested how much it would be.

He was so shocked. He said ‘Is that it?’

Arai said ’Oh yes, the company is struggling Our staff can not get paid much. We are not wrestlers.’

I don’t remember how much it was exactly, but I think it was ridiculously cheap price. If adults hear the price, they’ll be so shocked.

Why was Arai trusted so much by fellow FMW wrestlers? Hmmmm...I don’t know, but I can tell you that he was the best apologist. If wrestlers had a problem with media, people are like ’Let’s ask Arai to apologize and he’ll solve the problem.’

He was very trusted for that kind of trouble shooting .I often heard that people applaud Arai as the best apologist.

So if his job role was the General Affairs or Public Relation, he could be the best.

He was doing his negotiating job perfectly, and he was so good at talking with right vocabulary and correct manner.

It sounds a little different if I say ‘Sorry’.

If someone like him, a very nice person says ‘I’m awfully sorry’, you wouldn’t get mad.



-Arai’s likes and dislikes-


I don’t think he was choosing people to give better opportunities and gaining his reputation. However, he had likes and dislikes very much.

I once witnessed him renewing a contract for some wrestler. He strongly asked me, ‘Please don’t put his salary up and don’t promise him we will raise his salary next year if he has good matches. Don’t change the offer.’

He also said fire him if he doesn’t accept the salary. He had that kind of likes and dislikes. To me he was working the same as everyone else. On the other hand, he gave some wrestlers pay rises even if he was still not good enough. How did he decide that? It wasn’t down to the abilities of wrestling.

I heard he didn’t like bullies. I heard he said he cannot stand with bullying and he publicly said that FMW is bully free.

He had a strong sense of justice.

The reason why Arai was so determined to work as a management is obstinacy against Onita and Company F as he mentioned in his book.

Company F was deeply related with Onita from the early days. Arai’s feud between Company F was huge and they were looking down at FMW so much.

We were the position that getting paid by them, but Arai extremely hated F so much.

As I mentioned earlier, when I suggested to book Onita, I said to Arai that if he doesn’t want to negotiate with him, I would do it, but he angrily said, ‘No, you can’t!! FMW will lose money to Onita and will be just a disadvantage for us!!’

He didn’t need to get that angry though.

There was the other way we could use Onita.

He was the same to F.

When FMW had got bankrupt, I had a talked with F’s boss. He said they tried to buy out FMW and used accountants to find out how much debts FMW had. But unfortunately it was too big to take. So he said to Arai ‘You need to get an adjudication of bankruptcy at the court. You need to disappear with all of those debts at once.

Then I can buy FMW and choose the new CEO. I will protect all of FMW wrestlers.’

That was the only way ,the best way...but Arai said,

‘No thank you.  will sort it out.’

You couldn’t sort it out anything that’s why FMW had bankrupted, right?? Why did he refuse their offer?

That was the only way that could save him and FMW wrestlers. Basically he just wanted to hold on to his position as CEO.

He had no idea of wrestlers life or future. He couldn’t think of any ideas to protect them. He said he dedicated himself to make FMW better in his book, but I think he is very contradicted.

If he really wanted to keep FMW and the wrestlers, he should have listened to Company F. Arai might had his idea somehow, but nobody knows now.

If I talk about this, people might think I am very close to Company F. Not at all.

F is Onita’s side people. Truth is, I only greeted them just before I joined FMW and after FMW got bankrupted.

We didn’t know each other well. So I really don’t know what is the real relationship they had with Onita. I still can’t figure it out.

When I started working for FMW, I got an invitation for F’s director’s daughter’s wedding with Arai & Hayabusa.

Then I thought, ’Why me?’.

Because I was still new and wasn’t close enough to F. I was wondering if it’s really okay to turn up with these faces and as I expected, we got surrounded by a very strange atmosphere.

I found out that originally Onita was invited but Arai didn’t want to go with him.

The owner of F wanted Arai and Onita to mend their relationship, but Arai totally refused it. So there was an empty seat. That’s how I got invited.

I thought it’s ridiculous. He shouldn’t have brought his personal grudge into celebration event. It’s so rude to the Bride and Groom, but now, F and Onita have a bad relationship. You never know what’s going on in this world.

Then there is something I cannot stand with WMF. I heard F is involved in it also. There is a terrible guy there that is more than a con man than 'Y' is.

I am extremely angry about it...but I’ll talk about this another time if there’s a chance.


-Having a chat with Arai only two of us-

Everyone thought Arai was a nice guy and we were all listening to him. The people who listened to him, helped him ended up having lost something.

I guess because of everyone’s generosity, FMW lasted longer. Otherwise it could have closed down sooner.

After his death, I saw articles about him but only I see is ‘He was a good man.’

But that means he had no other personality. It’s true, he had nothing really!

He wasn’t mean or anything. He had nothing.

After FMW changed to entertainment style, he got in the ring, but it didn’t help FMW at all.

He just ended up walking around us during the match or outside of the ring. The only thing he could do was a ring announcing job. However he even stop being a ring announcer. He didn’t even know how to row the chairs at the venue.

First time when we had a chat?

When was that...I cannot remember.

Maybe it was the first meeting when Fuyuki promotion was going to work for FMW.

I don’t remember he was involved in the meeting because he wasn’t the CEO back then. I think there were other people in it.

When did I meet Arai first time?

It was probably just before or after I joined FMW, I didn’t know anything about Shoichi Arai before. Even his position.

Since I joined FMW, we started talk about the business but that happened more after I became permanent employee.

I remember his first greeting ‘Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu’. (Pleasure to meet you/Please look after me/Pleasure to work with you)

I should have said that before him because I was joining as a new starter.

I don’t know why but he was always saying it first, so I got a little surprised and I was obliged to him and saying ‘me too’.

Our meeting were taken place at the cafe or Denny’s. The FMW office didn’t have a CEO office. It was just a chat. We talked something that I don’t want to discuss in front of other wrestlers. About wrestlers wages, positions for wrestlers, sponsors asked this and that...We also talked about sorting staff’s arguments. To me there were a lots of unimportant talks. Arai was very conscious about people’s eyes.

There were only two people in the office at the end of FMW. It was such a small office although they used to be a top indie promotion. Even the peak time there were only 7 or 8 people working at the office and a few left from FMW later. So it’s so funny that Arai wanted to keep our talks very secret with such a small number of staff attending at the office.

Also an admin girl joined FMW, so I asked Arai if I can use her. He said yes.

That’s how I end up to having a Fuyuki promotion office.

Then he started moaning when our talks were not going as well as he wanted.

‘Please don’t be so selfish. I am letting you use my office, you know?’

Was he kidding me? I was using that space as his favor.

I couldn’t say that, but I told him, ‘Letting or renting or whatever, we are not talking about it right now. It’s a different matter and let’s be more grown up.’

Arai became silent.

I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault on this.

Arai brought us into FMW by letting us use this office, and I could work at FMW using this office. It’s a fair trade.

As time goes by, Arai borrows so much money from everyone and the lenders started getting into trouble. Financially Arai won in a way.

He was a winner of everyone. I am amazed how undamaged he was from it all. I worked so closely with him and saw nothing bad ever happen to him.


-Staff who appeared then disappeared-


I mentioned about Y before, but there is another guy and I think he was so very unlucky. This guy was introduced by Arai but he never worked in the wrestling industry before. However, Arai liked him and he got him for higher position in FMW.

But he had zero experience in wrestling of course and he couldn’t do his job properly and Arai got very frustrated and said, ‘Ah he’s such a useless man! I’ll fire him!!’

Arai was the one brought him in!

Then the guy got angry and he left FMW.

By the time he left FMW, he had signed a loan agreement for Arai stating that a loan shark would get 6 million yen ($60,000) from FMW and he had already helped lend 1 million yen ($10,000) to FMW which was his own money.

On top of that, his salary wasn’t paid for months.

Maybe Arai just hired him to use him as a guarantor. I heard he is still chased by loan sharks. Poor guy. Anyway, that was Arai’s winning story.

By the way, there was a weird guy calling himself a promoter to everyone in FMW. Arai was so happy for him to buy a FMW show for 800000yen. ($8,000) Only 800000yen...Arai’s excuse was this. He gathered wrestlers and staff and then he said, ‘His company will pay us by putting that money in the stock market and after 3 years. That 800000yen will jump up to at least 2400000yen ($240,000)! I’ll ask him to buy all of our shows from now on.’

Everyone was so shocked. It wasn’t a right decision that a man who has problem feeding himself and expecting profits.

Three years later? It didn’t happen after all, but it’s not normal that CEO is even talking about this silly story in front of the wrestlers.

There are a lots of stories like this at the end of FMW, but there wasn't any pennies being robbed because FMW didn’t have money for real.

There were more people in and out at FMW, and I really didn’t know who really they were at all. The only person who knew them was Arai. He didn’t even introduce any of them to me until the end. It felt like he was avoiding me to know them. Sometimes I got to know them through other wrestlers gossips.

‘Oh, Mr. Fuyuki, don’t you know him? His name is *** He works as *****.’

I never been informed any of their information even I was a part of management.

Click here for Part 6 of Kodo Fuyuki's book