Dead Wrestler Wednesday: Test

On a cool October night in 1998, Mötley Crüe was performing live on an episode of WWF Sunday Night Heat.  When an overeager fan attempted to rush the stage to meet the heavy metal icons, he was tossed from the ramp by a large, blond bodyguard.  That bodyguard was Andrew Martin, and he’d soon be introduced to the World Wrestling Federation and its fans as Test.

Aligning himself with the villainous Corporation, Test spent the first few months of his career as a heavy to the WWE Chairman and his friends.  Soon, though, he was removed from the group and began wrestling as a fan favorite.  It was during this time that Test engaged in a romantic relationship with Stephanie McMahon, which culminated in a wedding between the two that was interrupted by Triple H.  The events that transpired during the wedding spawned the McMahon-Helmsley regime and left Test without much to do.  He soon formed a short-lived tag team with Albert, collectively known as T & A, and the pair was managed by the debuting Trish Stratus.

After the disbanding of T & A, Test embarked on a pursuit of singles gold, winning the Intercontinental, European, and Hardcore Titles within a few months of each other.  As part of the Alliance, Test also captured the Tag Team Championship alongside Booker T.  Following the conclusion of the Invasion angle, Test joined the UnAmericans, a stable of Canadian wrestlers who regularly defamed the United States.  The gimmick existed only briefly, and following its downfall, Test became the onscreen beau of real-life girlfriend Stacy Keibler.  During their onscreen relationship, Test formed a now infamous tag team with Scott Steiner.  The duo became noted for their male chauvinism and their cruelty to Keibler, who they treated like a slave.

Following an injury, Test disappeared from the WWE for years, eventually returning to the rebooted ECW brand in 2006.  Test was pushed fairly aggressively in ECW, even receiving a World Title opportunity against Bobby Lashley at the 2007 Royal Rumble, but was ultimately suspended due to a wellness policy violation.  He was subsequently released.  Following his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, Test competed briefly in TNA before retiring in 2008.  A year after his retirement, on March 13, 2009, Andrew Martin was found dead of an accidental overdose in his Tampa apartment.  An autopsy revealed that he suffered from the same type of brain damage as Chris Benoit brought on by repeated concussions.