Andrew James Robert Patrick Martin (March 17, 1975 - March 13, 2009) was a European-Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE) under the ring name Test.
On March 13, 2009, Martin was found dead in his Tampa, Florida home 4 days before his 34th birthday. He is believed to have died the day before.
Around a month or so ago we found out the terrible news that former WWE Superstar Andrew "Test" Martin passed away. Some were claiming different reasons of why he died. Some said steriods, some said pain killers, etc. But no one knew for sure until the autopsy was finished and the results were released.
Let's delve into the details surrounding his untimely death.
Test at WrestleMania 23
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Cause of Death: Accidental Overdose
Now that the results are released here are the findings: Andrew “Test” Martin’s cause of death was Oxycodone intoxication and ruled the manner of death was accidental overdose, the Hillsboro County medical examiner told the UK Sun.
Findings by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner have determined that an overdose of the painkiller Oxycodone, known slangly as “Hillbilly Heroine” led to the death of Canadian pro wrestler Andrew “Test” Martin. As reported by the United Kingdom’s paper, The Sun, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Vernard Adams filed Martin’s autopsy report, determining that the ingredient caused Martin’s passing. Dr. Adams further described the death as, “accidental.”
Dick Bailey, the manager of Operations at Hillsborough County told the Sun Dr Vernard Adams, Chief Medical Examiner, conducted the autopsy of Mr. Andrew Martin on March 14 2009. Additional studies were required to determine the cause and manner of death.
On April 9 2009, Dr Adams completed the required studies and issued the following cause and manner of death opinions. “Cause of Death: Intoxication by Oxycodone." “Manner of Death: Accident."
So we at least know that others who said steroids were the cause jumped the gun a bit. Officers did discover steroids and pain killers in his Tampa apartment, but we know now that they were not the cause of his death.
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Drugs were the cause, which is unfortunate. And that will be hard for his family to take I am sure.
Background and Career
After training under Bret Hart and Leo Burke, Martin began wrestling on the Canadian independent circuit in 1997. In May 1998, Martin signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). During his nine-year tenure, he won the WWE European Championship and WWE Intercontinental Championship once each, the WWE Hardcore Championship twice, and the WCW World Tag Team Championship and WWE World Tag Team Championship with Booker T once each.
Martin got his big break in wrestling in the late 1990s with the then WWF. Throughout his two tenures with the Fed, Martin would capture numerous titles with the company and be part of several long-running feuds, the most high profile being his engagement to Stephanie McMahon, which led to Vince’s daughter marrying Triple H.
Titles Held by Test:
| Championship | Times |
|---|---|
| WWE European Championship | 1 |
| WWE Intercontinental Championship | 1 |
| WWE Hardcore Championship | 2 |
| WCW World Tag Team Championship | 1 (with Booker T) |
| WWE World Tag Team Championship | 1 (with Booker T) |
Martin's Struggles and Release
He had been released from the WWE and TNA regarding drug issues. He was in the WWE for many years and they gave him several opportunities for him to stop, even offered rehab.
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Martin was a successful WWE Superstar in his career. Martin ended up pushing them to far, and they were forced to release him.
The Whitby, Ontario, native had recently completed a rehabilitation program. Speaking with SLAM! Wrestling on March 15, Martin’s father, Bob Martin, described that Test, “was putting a real fight up. He did that. He was here at Christmas, and he was just great and we had a great time. January, February, March, he phoned. We had great chats about a lot of things.
Reactions and Reflections
However, former girlfriend of Martin and WWE Diva Kelly Kelly wrote about her feelings towards Martin on her Myspace. They broke up a few months prior to Martin's death and remained friends.
"[It was] his biggest opponent - drug addiction. He couldn't win, he didn't win, and it killed him," Ross said. Ross then pointed out how many wrestlers forget that downers tend to be antidepressants and worsen mental issues like depression.
"The boys forget that s**t's antidepressant, so, if you have depression issues, and you're in the pill bottle too much, you're digging your own grave. Looking back on Martin's career, Ross suggested that the late star's dream became a nightmare.
"Andrew got swept up in the hype. He was living his dream but it was just sad it became a nightmare. It wasn't a dream anymore," Ross noted. "We never tapped into what he could've done. He could've been a bigger star than most people ever dreamed he could've become, but we never got to see that.
Forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu later examined Martin's brain and determined that he suffered from severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain condition caused by repeated concussions and subconcussive head injuries.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy