The Wrestler Test Bibliography

Copyright (c) 2010 Davide Botticelli

During the Attitude Era of the WWF in the 90's, it was always going to be difficult for a young superstar to burst on the scene and make a name for themself. But that's exactly what Andrew "Test" Martin did, and this was down to his great athletic physique, coupled with his ability to make his presence felt when he was connecting with the fans. Martin caught the eye of WWF management, and it was from there that his career became phenominally huge, with fans from all around the world mourning his sad and tragic death in 2009.

During the 90's, Test met up with Bret "The Hitman" Hart and it was from here that he made the decision to begin training to join the WWF. With Bret Hart only recently becoming a victim of the Montreal Screwjob at this point, it seemed that he was keen to get his protege, in the form of Andrew Martin, performing in the company that he had been headlining PPV's for, over the past decade. As well as from Hart, Martin also had help in developing his wrestling skills frmo Dory Funk Jr., who also trained superstars such as Edge, Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle, who were also breaking through at the same time as Test.

Test made his debut as a bodyguard, but soon after that he aligned with the World Wrestling Federation Champion at the time, being The Rock. This was a storyline that got Martin noticed instantly, and unlike the Hardy Boyz who came through the ranks at a similar time, Test was becoming a household name overnight. This showed that World Wrestling Federation management recognised from early on that Test had the charisma and in-ring ability necessary to compete in the ring with the best. At Summerslam 1999, Test defeated Shane McMahon to earn himself the right to marry Stephanie McMahon on-screen, and this was the first indication that Test was going to be a main event fixture.

As Test was about to marry Steph, Triple H interrupted the marriage and declared that he had already married her, backing it up with video evidence. Even though he had already been thrust into the public eye by his involvement with the McMahon family, Test was now involved with one of the best superstars at the time, and even to this day, in Triple H. During this time, Test developed his in-ring skills, as well as his microphone skills. This proved pivotal, as he would later go onto become one of the most consistant superstars on the roster during the most successful era in the history of the WWF. Subsequently, Test moved into the tag team division, where he and Albert would be managed by Trish Stratus, as they added a new, more powerful dimension to the division that was dominated by high fliers prior to their arrival.

Post-T&A, Test moved back onto the singles division, and once again he was extremely successful, due to him being somebody who could carry a match on his shoulders, and still make it look good to the fans. It was during this period that he won the majority of his championships, including the Intercontinental, European and Hardcore Championships. Despite him no longer being in the main event picture, this was the era in which Test showed himself to be reliable in the ring and on the microphone.

During the biggest storyline in the history of professional wrestling, that being the Invasion storyline during 2001, Test moved back into the tag team division, this time with a man who had already established himself in World Championship Wrestling, Booker T. Test and Booker went onto win the World Championship Wrestling tag team titles on two occasions, on one point defeating The Rock and Chris Jericho, emphasising just how much that management trusted Test at a high level, by mixing him with three seasoned main eventers. He then went onto feud with Edge, in one of the primary feuds of the entire storyline. Outside of the 5-on-5 main event, Test's match with Edge at Survivor Series was was of the most anticipated matches on the card, and these two superstars justified this. Test would earn on-screen immunity on that same night, as the World Wrestling Federation recognised that having Test remain on-screen over the coming months, before they began introducing everybody bac! k into programming, would do nothing to harm their ratings.

Test formed the Un-Americans with Lance Storm, Christian and William Regal in 2002, and after a tag championship reigh, the stable soon broke down, and Martin aligned himself with Stacy Kiebler, and moved back into the singles division, where he was best appreciated by the fans. Test was now a changed man, with a different haircut and a new ring attire, and in addition to that, Stacy had dubbed his fans the ["e;]Testicles["e;], a play on Hogan's ["e;]Hulkamaniacs["e;]. This soon concluded, and by this point Test's career in the World Wrestling Entertainment was a dying flame, as he was now jobbing to Steven Richards on Sunday Night Heat.

As any other superstar would do, Test got released from his World Wrestling Entertainment contract in 2004, but after a couple of years on the independant circuit, he returned to World Wrestling Entertainment, but this time on the Extreme Championship Wrestling brand. Test had numerous championship matches, but each time he was defeated by Bobby Lashley, who was getting the push now. He was released soon after, and it wasn't long before he began wrestling for the World Wrestling Entertainment rival promotion, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Martin now adopted the ring name The Punisher Andrew Martin, but never really got the push that has career with World Wrestling Entertainment had merited. In 2007 Martin announced his retirement, and only 2 years later, Martin passed away due to an accidental overdose.

All in all, many will look back at Andrew Martin's career and although he won many championships at a midcard level, it can still be said that he was never quite given the push that would've shown his full potential. It is only after his retirement and subsequently his death that people have realised the fact that WWE wasted a top start by holding him at the midcard level for almost a decade.

I've been James D, and you've been reading the career of one of the most underrated superstars of his generation.

R.I.P Andrew "Test" Martin 1975-2009