WWE SmackDown Debut Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?

Test was never the best technical wrestler in the world, but as far as WWE’s “big men” go, he was far from the worst. At 6’7” and 282lbs, it was easy to understand what Vince McMahon saw in him, and he was a pretty solid power wrestler with a mean Big Boot finisher. His biggest push came as Stephanie McMahon’s onscreen lover at the turn of the century, and he notched an impressive six midcard title reigns throughout his run.

Test lost to the Big Show in an embarrassing 47 seconds on the first SmackDown, and his career took a downturn over the next few years. He was part of the moderately successful Un-Americans with Christian and Lance Storm following the Invasion, then entered an odd relationship storyline with Stacy Keibler, before playing a prominent role on the ECW brand from 2006 to 2007.

Sadly, Test passed away days before his 34th birthday in March 2009. Neighbours reported that he hadn’t moved from the same spot in his apartment in several hours, and he’d already been dead for over a day by the time the police found him. An accidental overdose was revealed as the cause of death, but it was later determined that Test had suffered from severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy in his final days: the Alzheimer’s-like form of brain damage that Chris Benoit suffered from prior to his own passing.