Professional wrestling is a lot like the music industry, in that it can be a cruel, cruel mistress. When every young gun with fire in his eyes makes his way into the business, he has dreams that maybe he'll be a legend, that his legacy will long outlive him and be remembered for decades to come. Sadly, that's not always the case. Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" showed just how depressing this story can end for some people. The limelight dims, the audience stops paying attention to you, and eventually you fade away into obscurity. Doesn't really seem fair, does it? For every wrestler like Eddie Guerrero or Chris Benoit, whose legacies will forever be remembered for better or worse, there are countless former stars who died unnoticed and who today may very well be forgotten. Here we look back at some of those talents who are tragically no longer with us. Hopefully, you've noticed.
10. Test
Andrew "Test" Martin debuted for the WWF in 1998 as a bodyguard for Motley Crue. He quickly rose to prominence by joining Vince McMahons Corporation stable, and later on was involved in an onscreen relationship with Stephanie McMahon. This relationship was quickly dissolved as part of the McMahon-Helmsley storyline, and Test would never be as close to the top of the card again. He remained a fairly popular fixture on television throughout the early 2000's, pairing with Albert (now Tensai) and Trish Stratus as T&A before teaming with Lance Storm and Christian as The Un-Americans, as well as a storyline which paired him with Stacy Keibler, during which he began to refer to his fans as his "Testicles". He was released from WWE in 2004 and competed on the indie circuit before returning two years later as part of the new ECW brand. He would last just under a year before violating WWE's Wellness Policy and requesting his release again. He briefly competed in TNA before retiring in 2008 for medical reasons. On March 13th 2009, he was found dead on the balcony of his Florida home from an accidental overdose of pain medication. He would have been 34 a few days later.
Stephen Maher has been a rock star, a bouncer, a banker and a busker on various streets in various countries. He's hung out with Robert Plant, he was at Nelson Mandela's birthday and he's swapped stories with prostitutes and crack addicts. He once performed at a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras by accident. These days, he passes the time by writing about music, wrestling, games and other forms of nerdery. And he rarely drinks the blood of the innocent.
