Test (wrestler)

Test
Born Andrew James Robert Patrick Martin
(1975-03-17)March 17, 1975[1]
Whitby, Ontario, Canada[1]
Died March 13, 2009(2009-03-13) (aged 33)
Tampa, Florida, United States
Cause of death Oxycodone overdose
Occupation Professional wrestler, actor
Years active 1997–2009 (wrestler)
2001–2009 (actor)
Ring name(s) Andrew Martin[1]
Big Foot[2]
Martin Kane[1]
T.J. Thunder[2]
Test[1]
Billed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[3]
Billed weight 280 lb (130 kg)[3]
Billed from Toronto, Ontario, Canada[3]
Trained by Leo Burke[1]
Dory Funk Jr.[1]
Bret Hart[1]
Debut 1997[4]
Retired 2009

Andrew James Robert Patrick Martin[5] (March 17, 1975 – March 13, 2009) was a Canadian-American professional wrestler and actor. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE) under the ring name Test.

During his nine-year tenure with the WWF/WWE, he found his greatest success as a singles performer, winning the Intercontinental and European Championships once each, and the Hardcore Championship twice. Martin found additional success in the tag team division, twice becoming a World Tag Team Champion with Booker T by winning the WWF and WCW World Tag Team Championships once each.

Early life

Martin was born on March 17, 1975, in Whitby, Ontario.

Professional wrestling career

Training and early career

In the mid-1990s, Martin met professional wrestler Bret Hart in a restaurant. After Hart offered to train him to wrestle, Martin spent eight months training under both Hart and Leo Burke. Martin debuted in 1997, wrestling on the Canadian independent circuit under the ring names Martin Kane and T.J. Thunder. Martin continued his training with Dory Funk, Jr. at Funk's Funkin' Dojo, a training center in Ocala, Florida.[1]

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

The Corporation (1998–1999)

Martin debuted in the World Wrestling Federation on the October 25, 1998, episode of Sunday Night Heat as an unnamed bodyguard for the band Mötley Crüe, who were performing on the show. In a scripted event, Martin threw an overzealous fan off the stage during the band's rehearsal. On the December 14, 1998, episode of Raw is War, Martin aligned himself with WWF Champion The Rock by attacking The Rock's rival Triple H.[1] A week later on the December 21 episode of Raw, Martin made his in ring debut teaming with The Rock to defeat Triple H and X-Pac by DQ. Martin went on to join The Corporation, a wrestling stable consisting of numerous other wrestlers. During this time, he received the ring name "Test".[6]

On the January 11, 1999, episode of Raw is War, Test competed in a Corporation vs. DX Corporate Rumble, which was won by Chyna, making her the 30th entrant in the upcoming Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble, Test competed in the Royal Rumble match but was eliminated by Steve Austin. On the March 8 episode of Raw, Test defeated X-Pac. At WrestleMania XV on March 28, Test teamed with D'Lo Brown in a WWF Tag Team Championship title match against Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart where Jarrett and Hart retained their titles. Along with Triple H, he helped Shane McMahon retain the European Championship against X-Pac at WrestleMania XV. After being removed from the Corporation, Martin joined The Union who were known to carry 2x4 boards of wood with them. The group briefly feuded with the Corporation and at Over the Edge, The Union defeated The Corporate Ministry in an Eight-man elimination tag team match, before quietly disbanding.[6]

Relationship with Stephanie McMahon and T & A (1999–2001)

Martin then began an on-screen relationship with Stephanie McMahon that would lead to a "Love her or Leave her" match at SummerSlam. He went on to defeat Shane McMahon at SummerSlam in 1999, gaining Shane's blessing, which led to an on-screen engagement between Stephanie and Martin.[6] Later in the storyline, The British Bulldog hit Stephanie with a trash can, which caused her to develop amnesia. Plans for the wedding continued however, and on the night of the wedding Test defeated Triple H with a quick 3-count from a referee in a Vince McMahon mask. Triple H later showed a video which revealed that he had drugged Stephanie and had taken her to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he married her in a drive-through ceremony. Stephanie then turned on Test and aligned herself with Triple H, ushering in the McMahon-Helmsley Era.[6] Test then had a short feud with DX. On the December 6 episode of Raw, Test and Kane were defeated by Triple H and X-Pac. DX would go on to break his nose and force him into matches like a handicap match against Big Boss Man and Albert. On the December 12 episode of Heat, Test faced Al Snow in a losing effort. The next night on Raw is War, Test teamed with Triple H to face The New Age Outlaws resulting in Triple H turning on and assaulting him. The next week on Raw is War, Triple H would continue to torment him by putting him in a handicap match against The New Age Outlaws, calling it a "Christmas present". On the January 17 episode of Raw is War, Test defeated The Big Boss Man to win the WWF Hardcore Championship. At the Royal Rumble, Test competed in the Royal Rumble match where he was eliminated by The Big Show. Test then lost the WWF Hardcore Championship to Crash Holly on the February 24 episode of SmackDown!. Test then turned heel and formed a tag team with Albert. The two were known as T & A (Test and Albert) and were managed by Trish Stratus. At WrestleMania 2000 they defeated Al Snow and Steve Blackman. Then at Backlash, T & A (with Trish Stratus) defeated The Dudley Boyz. At King of the Ring, T & A were defeated in a Four corners elimination match for the WWF Tag Team Championship by Edge and Christian. At Fully Loaded, T & A and Trish Stratus loss to The Hardy Boyz and Lita in a Six-person mixed tag team match. At Unforgiven, Test competed in a Hardcore Open Invitational for the WWF Hardcore Championship which was won by Steve Blackman. At No Mercy, T & A and Trish Stratus competed against The Acolytes Protection Agency (Bradshaw and Faarooq) and Lita, which ended in a no contest because of T & A attacking The APA before the match. At Survivor Series, T & A and Trish Stratus faced Steve Blackman, Crash Holly and Molly Holly in a losing effort.

The Invasion and various feuds (2001–2002)

On December 28, 2000, Albert attacked Test at the orders of Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, effectively disbanding T & A and turning Test face again.[6]

Again a singles wrestler, Test eliminated William Regal during the 2001 Royal Rumble match and subsequently defeated him the next night on Raw is War to win the WWF European Championship.[6] Test then feuded with Eddie Guerrero, losing the championship to him at WrestleMania X-Seven following interference from Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn. On the April 30 episode of Raw is War, Test defeated Triple H by disqualification after Triple H hit him with a chair and powerbombed him through the announce table[6] At Judgment Day, Test competed in a Triple threat hardcore match for the WWF Hardcore Championship which was won by Rhyno.

During the Invasion storyline, Bradshaw and Faarooq were suspicious of Test's friendship with Shane McMahon, prior to Shane's heel turn and the formation of the ECW half of the Alliance.[6] They decided to attack Test because they thought he was the mole within the WWF, only to find out he wasn't. In retaliation, on the August 9, 2001, episode of SmackDown!, Test joined The Alliance by helping Alliance members Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon defeat the APA for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Teaming with The Dudley Boyz, Test went on to pin Bradshaw at SummerSlam to defeat the APA and Spike Dudley in a six-man tag team match. The next day on Raw is War, Stephanie approached Test with the task of beating Chris Jericho after Rhyno failed to do so at Summerslam. Despite past conflicts, they shook hands, thus finally resolving the grudge between himself and Stephanie. After Test won the match against Jericho he would defeat Kane at No Mercy. He then began teaming with Booker T regularly in September 2001. Together they defeated The Brothers of Destruction on the September 27 episode of SmackDown to win the WCW Tag Team Championship. However they would go on to lose the titles to The Hardy Boyz on the October 8 episode of Raw. On November 1, Test and Booker T defeated The Rock and Chris Jericho on SmackDown to win the WWF Tag Team Championship, which they would go on to also lose to The Hardy Boyz 11 days later on Raw.

Following this, Test returned to singles competition and began feuding with Edge. After defeating Edge to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship, Test lost the title back to him in a unification match at Survivor Series for the WCW United States Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Championship.[6] On the same night, he won a battle royal which granted him on-screen immunity from being fired for a year after attacking and taking the place of Scotty 2 Hotty. For the next few weeks, a storyline was built around Test using that immunity to justify attacking fellow wrestlers but the storyline went nowhere and shortly after the year turned it was dropped. At Vengeance, Test and Christian were defeated by Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert. At the 2002 Royal Rumble, Test competed in the Royal Rumble match, but was eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin. At No Way Out, Test and Booker T faced Tazz and Spike Dudley for the WWF Tag Team Championship but failed to win the titles.

At the 2002 Draft, Test was drafted to the Smackdown brand. On the May 2 episode of Smackdown, Test and Christian defeated Mark Henry and Faarooq. On the May 9 episode of Smackdown, Test defeated Mark Henry. On the May 23 episode of Smackdown, Test defeated Randy Orton. On the May 30 episode of Smackdown, Test defeated Triple H. On June 13, Test defeated The Hurricane in a King of the Ring qualifier on Smackdown!. The next week, Test defeated Hardcore Holly in a Quarterfinals match but would go on to lose in the semi-finals of the King of the Ring tournament to the eventual winner, Brock Lesnar. On the July 25 episode of Smackdown, John Cena poked fun at him so he slapped him which led to a match where Cena won. On the July 4 episode of Smackdown, Test, Christian and Lance Storm formed The Un-Americans. on the July 29 episode of Raw, The Un-Americans left Smackdown and joined the Raw brand later the night they attacked The Undertaker.

His next big angle saw him teaming alongside fellow Canadians Lance Storm and Christian as The Un-Americans, a stable of Canadian wrestlers that claimed they were mistreated by Americans. Originally a Canadian-centric group, England native William Regal was later added to the stable. The storyline culminated in a match at Summerslam where The Undertaker defeated Test.[6] The Un-Americans lost to the team of Kane, Goldust, Booker T and Bubba Ray Dudley at Unforgiven and after a series of losses The Un-Americans divided, and the stable split in brawling fashion and disbanded in September 2002.

Relationship with Stacy Keibler (2002–2004)

In October 2002, after the Un-Americans dissolved, Test received Stacy Keibler as his on-screen girlfriend and "image consultant". This began by Keibler telling Test he should embrace his fanbase and call them his "Testicles", in line with The Rock's fan group, the "People", Kane's "Kaneanites", and Hulk Hogan's "Hulkamaniacs". This eventually culminated with Test cutting off his long hair and trading his trademark leather pants for normal wrestling trunks. The couple were originally heels, but due to the popularity of the gimmick, quickly became fan favorites.[6] At the 2003 Royal Rumble, Test competed in the Royal Rumble match, but was eliminated by Batista. In May, Test formed a tag team with the returning Scott Steiner, at the request of Keibler, and at Judgment Day, they faced La Résistance in a losing effort. Later in the night, he went on to compete in a battle royal for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship, but it was eventually won by Christian. Test and Stacy eventually split-up due to the ongoing mistreatment of Stacy at the hands of Test, while turning him heel again. At Bad Blood, Scott Steiner defeated Test for Stacy Keibler's managerial services. On August 18, Test defeated Steiner on Raw, winning the services of Stacy and announcing his intentions to "make her a whore". At Unforgiven 2003, Test again defeated Steiner, forcing him to become his manservant.[6] Steiner then attacked Stacy, blaming her for the loss and for him having to take orders from another man. Test then freed Steiner from his obligation, and the pair became a tag team once again, as now both treated Keibler like a slave. The two challenged for the World Tag Team Championship on multiple occasions but came up short each time. The pair were then fired by Mick Foley (therefore freeing Stacy Keibler from their control), who was the on-screen guest General Manager for two nights, thus finally ending the year-long angle. They were then re-hired by Eric Bischoff, upon his return to the position of RAW General Manager. At Armageddon, Test and Scott Steiner competed in a Tag Team Turmoil match for the World Tag Team Championship but failed to win the titles.

Test then had a short feud with Steven Richards in January 2004, which started after Test kicked Victoria (Richard's on-screen girlfriend) in the jaw. They fought several times on Sunday Night Heat, with Richards winning every match. On the January 19 episode of RAW, Test competed in a Triple Threat Royal Rumble Qualifying Match against Goldberg and Scott Steiner. After Goldberg won the match Test and Steiner would officially disband. At Royal Rumble, Test was found knocked out backstage by some officials and the RAW Sheriff Stone Cold Steve Austin when it was his turn to enter. Austin ordered someone to quickly replace Test as the 21st rumble entrant. The person who attacked him and replaces him was revealed to be Mick Foley. Test would gain some revenge on February 2, when he and Randy Orton attacked Mick Foley in a backstage area. Test would start competing against the likes of Rico and Stevie Richards regularly on Heat. on the On March 1 episode of Raw, Test and Matt Hardy were defeated by Rob Van Dam and Booker T. Test would go on to compete on house shows until he reaggravated the neck injury that had kept him out of action the past few months.

Martin had spinal fusion surgery performed by Dr. Lloyd Youngblood in July 2004. On November 1, 2004, it was announced that he was released from his WWE contract along with A-Train and Billy Gunn.[7]

Independent circuit (2005)

Test returned to the ring in May 2005, and began accepting bookings with various independent promotions. One of his most notable victories during this tenure was against former TNA wrestler Samoa Joe. His most prominent role in the independent circuit was in the Nu-Wrestling Evolution promotion in Italy, where he took on the ring name "Big Foot", due to his "big boot" finishing move.

Return to WWE (2006–2007)

Test making his entrance on ECW

On March 22, 2006, WWE announced that Test had verbally agreed to return to WWE. He began competing in dark matches before officially returning on Raw and SmackDown!.[6] Subsequently, vignettes began to play during ECW on Sci Fi, announcing that Test was debuting on the ECW brand. He officially made his debut on July 4, 2006, defeating Al Snow on ECW.[6][8] Contrary to the arrogant heel he portrayed during his initial run in the company, Test instead portrayed a vicious and intense competitor, which also saw him gain a fairly large push as he won several matches during 2006. Test's first real angle in ECW placed him as part of a feud between new and old ECW stars. He allied with the fellow ECW newcomers, such as Mike Knox, Big Show, and Matt Striker to feud with the "ECW Originals", which consisted of Rob Van Dam, Sabu, and The Sandman.[6] On August 1, Test and Mike Knox defeated Sandman and Tommy Dreamer in an Extreme Rules match, with Test pinning Dreamer. On the September 5 episode of ECW, Test and Mike Knox lost to Rob Van Dam and Sabu in an Extreme Rules Match. On October 3, Test defeated Rob Van Dam in an Extreme Rules Match on ECW.

On November 7, Test defeated Tommy Dreamer to earn a spot in the Extreme Elimination Chamber at December to Dismember. Test was a member of Team Big Show (Big Show, Test, Montel Vontavious Porter, Finlay and Umaga) facing Team Cena (John Cena, Kane, Bobby Lashley, Sabu and Rob Van Dam) at Survivor Series. During the match, Test eliminated Rob Van Dam but was eventually eliminated by Sabu. At December to Dismember, he eliminated Hardcore Holly and Rob Van Dam in the Extreme Elimination Chamber match for the ECW Championship, before being pinned by the eventual winner Bobby Lashley.[6] On the January 16, 2007, episode of ECW, Test competed in a triple threat match for the ECW Championship, which was won by Bobby Lashley. The following week, Test faced Lashley for the ECW Championship but failed to win the title. He would fail to defeat Lashley for the title on two further occasions, at the 2007 Royal Rumble and on the January 30 episode of ECW.[6]

Following these defeats, Martin would seemingly disappear from WWE television. Raw commentator Jim Ross, confirmed that Test had been suspended for 30 days for violating the WWE "Wellness Program".[9] A week after Ross made the announcement, it was reported that Test was officially released from his WWE contract.[10][11] Martin released a statement through his MySpace saying that the release was mutual and he had requested it.[12]

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and retirement (2007–2009)

After his departure, Martin debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a face under his real name on the August 2, 2007 episode of TNA Impact!. He allied himself with Abyss and Sting and helped them defeat A.J. Styles and Christian Cage in a tag team ladder match.[4][13] At Hard Justice, Martin wrestled his first and only match for TNA, as he teamed with Sting and Abyss to defeat Christian's Coalition (Cage, Tomko, and AJ Styles) in a Doomsday Chamber of Blood match, after Styles was slammed into a pile of broken glass and pinned by Abyss.

On December 19, 2007, Martin announced his retirement from professional wrestling.[14] Martin finished his retirement tour in France, losing to Rene Dupree in a series of matches, and in February 2009 Test defeated Mitsuya Nagai in his last match.

Personal life

On September 14, 2007 and April 5, 2008, Martin was arrested for driving under the influence in Hillsborough County and Pasco County.[15][16][17][18] He was booked into jail both times, but was released the following day after posting bail.[15]

Death

Martin was found dead in his Tampa, Florida home on March 13, 2009, four days prior to his 34th birthday.[14][19] Police were called after a neighbor reported it seemed to appear Martin had been motionless for several hours after seeing him through a window outside his condominium. Police retrieved his body after scaling the apartment balcony and discovering that he was indeed dead. He is believed to have died the previous day.[20][21] His death was ruled an accidental overdose of oxycodone. It was later determined by forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu that Martin had severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy, caused by repeated concussions and subconcussive head injuries.[22] He was cremated and his remains were flown to his family at his hometown of Whitby, Ontario, Canada.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Medium Raw: Night of the Wolf Benjamin Jacobs Television film; posthumous release
2007 Grindhouse Nazi Boxer Film; segment: "Werewolf Women of the SS"; uncredited
2003 Girls Gone Wild: Live from Spring Break Himself Music video
2002 Kim Possible Steel Toe (voice) Television series; episode: "Pain King vs. Cleopatra"
2002 Fear Factor Himself Television series
2001 18 Wheels of Justice Nicolas James Barton Television series; episode: "The Cage"
2001 Biography Himself Television series documentary; episode: "The Life and Death of Owen Hart"

Championship and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Oliver, G. "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Test". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Cagematch profile".
  3. 1 2 3 "Test Profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
  4. 1 2 Finch, B. (August 5, 2007). "Who Is Andrew Martin Out To Punish In TNA Wrestling?". TNAWrestling.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2007.
  5. Andrew James Robert Patrick Martin Obituary. Toronto Star (March 13, 2009). Retrieved on 2013-08-24.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Capsule Profile 335: Test". The Wrestler/Inside Wrestling. Kappa Publications. June 2007. p. 18. Volume 15, 2007.
  7. Clevett, J. (November 1, 2004). "WWE releases Gunn, Albert & Test". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  8. "South Philly Screwjob". WWE. July 4, 2006. Retrieved January 6, 2008.
  9. Ross, Jim. "Hall of Fame.. Big Show.. Woody/Iraq.. AD/NFL.. Taker's Gloves.. Texas Hold 'Em.. Texas Dolly.. Last Voice Heard on Nitro.. Cornette's Temper". J.R.'s Blog. Archived from the original on October 4, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2007. Yes, Test has been suspended for violating the WWE Wellness Program. I assume this is a 30 violation.
  10. "Test released". Retrieved February 27, 2007. As first reported by WWE Mobile Alerts, WWE has come to terms on the release of ECW Superstar Test (Andrew Martin). We wish Test all the best in all future endeavors.
  11. MacKinder, M. (February 27, 2007). "Test turfed by WWE". Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  12. "Andrew "Test" Martin issues statement on his release from WWE today". WrestleView. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  13. Wojcik, A. (July 31, 2007). "TNA Impact spoilers from Orlando". Wrestling Observer. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  14. 1 2 "Former WWE wrestler found dead in Tampa". March 14, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  15. 1 2 "Former World Wrestler Andrew "Test" Martin arrested for DUI". ABCnews. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  16. Bluth, Michael (April 7, 2008). "Andrew "Test" Martin Arrested For Driving Under the Influence (DUI)". Lords of Pain. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  17. "Individual's Charge Report: Martin, Andrew J." Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008. . Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. June 6, 2008.
  18. Cookler, Chad (March 15, 2009)"Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 21, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009. . abcactionnews.com
  19. "Former WWE Wrestler found dead in Tampa apartment". 10 Connects. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
  20. "Test passes away". World Wrestling Entertainment. March 14, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  21. "TNA Remembers Andrew "Test" Martin". March 14, 2009. Archived from the original on March 17, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  22. Garber, Greg (December 9, 2009). "Andrew "Test" Martin suffered from postconcussion brain damage, researchers say". ESPN.com.
  23. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 – 2001". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
  24. "WWE Hardcore Championship history". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
  25. "Test's first European Championship reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
  26. "Test's first Intercontinental Championship reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  27. "Booker T and Test's first World Tag Team Championship reign". Archived from the original on December 9, 2012.
  28. Royal, Duncan; Will, Gary. "WCW – World Championship Wrestling WCW World Tag Team Title History". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
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