What Happened ?

[jalsmokey]

Hello everyone. I am a new fan of Puroresu and recently watched some All Japan and Noah tapes i purchased, then while in Best Buy last week i picked up 3 of the FMW dvd's. Whatever happened to this promotion ? I am guessing they shut down.

[Muiyan]

yes they had shut down.

Hayabusa is paralyzed in a ring accident and the promotion drew horribly.

[jalsmokey]

I knew he got hurt, but i wasnt sure why the promotion closed....thats too bad. Thank so much for the info.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I heard that the promotion was in poor financial health before Hayabusa's injury. The change from "death match" format to the "sports entertainment" format lost fans, and Shoichi Arai made a few bad loans from some (... ahem...) shady sources. Hayabusa's injury was the last straw, so to speak. All of this lead to Arai's suicide and the closing of FMW. If you want to read Arai's obituary, go to www.puroresupower.com . Zach Arnold wrote a huge story about it.

[jalsmokey]

Thanks for the info....i read the obit and it was very informative.

[liquid01]

Those shady sources, if I remember correctly, happened to be the Japanese Yakuza. I read about FMW's history. If Onita hadn't of sold his share of the company to Arai, this would have never happened. But at the same time I really don't blame Arai himself either. He tried doing what was best, knowing that deathmatches had grown old. It was time to bring FMW into the future and that's exactly what he did. But had he been alive to see Onita revive it would have brought tears to his eyes, seeing his old boss bring back the company he loved.

[AbBY]

Arai got some help on ticket sales from the Yakuza but ended up owing them like 1 million dollars or something like that and he declared the FMW's bankrupcy in 2001 I think.

[Rizzob]

There last show was in February of 2002, i remember it was either that show or the show before it when sabu dressed up in a similar outfit to what Hayabusa wore except it looked like an american flag.

[Kinnikuman131]

Hello everyone. I am a new fan of Puroresu and recently watched some All Japan and Noah tapes i purchased, then while in Best Buy last week i picked up 3 of the FMW dvd's. Whatever happened to this promotion ? I am guessing they shut down.

Whao, you found fmw dvds at best buy? what section? Im gonna go look now all over my bestbuy.

[BusaLiger Dragon]

Is there a picture of sabu looking like hayabusa but in a american flag version out there somewhere??? Does someone on this message board possibly have a picture of him???

[Pheonix_Chi25]

Once Hayabusa went down, FMW went with him. One of the things I wish they had never did was listen to, or go along with, the whole "Sports Entertainment" idea at all. It wasn't FMW at all.

[One to Remember]

Is there a picture of sabu looking like hayabusa but in a american flag version out there somewhere??? Does someone on this message board possibly have a picture of him???

is it a pic of him lookin up? If so I think I do.

[BusaLiger Dragon]

Can you post it one to remember?

[One to Remember]

If income tax day ever comes ill try to buy a scanner then put it up. I have the pic from a PWI issue.

[AbBY]

you can try looking for them at www.bahufmw.com there is a picture of him on the history of FMW part