WWE: 10 Wrestlers Whose Lives Were Ruined By Substance Abuse

5. Test

Andrew James Robert Patrick Martin, a popular wrestler known as Test, wrestled for the WWE and also TNA during his career. He won six titles with the WWE including the Intercontinental and Hardcore championships. He also had tag team success with Booker T, but generally fared better as a solo wrestler. Martin will be remembered for his 1999 on screen romance with Stephanie McMahon and his other romance with Stacy Keibler. With Keibler he turned face and formed a tag-team with Scott Steiner. Test was concerned about the nature of Steiner's relationship with Stacy and there was a lot of kerfuffle between the two men for her affections which led to them both treating her like a slave when they reformed. Steiner and Test competed for the tag team championship many times but were not successful. Eventually the Keibler angle was dropped and Test would go on to feud with Steven Richards. He had back surgery and was let go from the WWE, but he returned as a villain in the WWE brand of ECW in 2006 - a year in which he was rarely beaten. Test had significant substance abuse problems which blighted his career. He virtually disappeared from the screen in 2007 and Jim Ross announced that he had been suspended for 30 days for violating the terms of the WWE's Wellness Programme. A week later it was confirmed that Test had been released from his WWE contract. He wrestled for TNA for a while, but there were concerns about his physical size and TNA was under investigation by Congress so he was let go. He was booked for driving under the influence in 2007 and then again in 2008. He avoided jail by posting bail both times. Test announced his retirement but on March 13th 2009, a couple of days before his 34th birthday, one of Test's neighbours phoned the police because they had observed that Test had been in one position without moving for several hours. The police gained entry into Test's house and found him dead - he had most likely been dead from the day before. Tests showed that he died of an accidental overdose of potent prescription painkiller Oxycodone. Test achieved a lot in the world of wrestling, he was never going to be World Champion but his career was as successful as his abilities. His death will be notched up as another statistic concerning wrestlers and substance abuse.