Wrestler's death a familiar story

It's a story we've seen plenty of times over the years. Too many times.

A professional wrestler, in the prime of his life, is found dead. Prescription drugs, including painkillers and steroids, are found on the premises. Friends and family are stunned. They all had been convinced that the victim had his demons on the run.

Somehow, though, the story plays out as it has so many times in the past. And another wrestler falls prey to what Roddy Piper calls "The Sickness" - a disease that destroys the minds and bodies of some wrestlers and makes them live to excess until the inevitable tragedy strikes.

Last Monday would have been Andrew Martin's 34th birthday. It was the day he had planned to leave for a European tour of France, Sweden and Belgium.

But three nights earlier Martin, who wrestled in the big leagues under the ring moniker "Test," was found dead in his Harbour Island, Fla., condo.

A concerned neighbor had noticed a man lying motionless inside his home the previous evening. She thought nothing of it until the following day when she noticed he hadn't moved.

"I kept thinking, 'I hope he gets up,' because I could tell he was young and I thought, ' I hope somehow he's OK.' But just knew in my heart he just wasn't," she told a Tampa station.

Authorities were summoned and confirmed the neighbor's worst fears. Andrew Martin was dead. Detectives saw no signs of trauma, but did say they found a large amount of painkillers and steroids, enough to order toxicology tests. Definitive results are not expected to be released for several weeks.

There is, of course, extreme sadness from friends and colleagues. Headlines of a young wrestler dying are nothing new in this business. It's become all too familiar in the modern age of wrestling where performers use steroids, HGH (human growth hormone) and other muscle-enhancing drugs to achieve "the look," and relaxers and painkillers to deal with recurring injuries and nagging ailments.

Can't-miss prospect

Discovered by Bret Hart and tutored by such veterans as Dory Funk Jr., Tom Prichard and Leo Burke (Leonce Cormier), Martin had been in the business for more than 10 years. Six-foot-six and 280 pounds of muscle, he achieved some level of stardom in WWE where he was christened with the ominous ring name "Test" (short for testosterone).

The Canadian-born wrestler held numerous titles, but was best known for his storyline romances with Stephanie McMahon, daughter of WWE owner Vince McMahon, and Stacy Keibler. Martin and former WWE diva Keibler, now a Hollywood actress whose credits include "Dancing With the Stars," enjoyed an off-screen relationship as well before parting ways several years ago.

While Martin had the body Vince McMahon liked in his superstars, the wrestler didn't exactly ooze charisma nor was he particularly strong on the mic.

He underwent spinal fusion surgery in July 2004 and was released from his WWE contract that November while still recovering from a broken neck.

Martin had last worked for WWE in 2007 when he failed a drug test and was suspended under the promotion's wellness policy. He received his release shortly thereafter.

Martin, billed as "The Punisher" Andrew Martin, debuted for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in August 2007. He was soon released, however, over concerns about his size while a government investigation into drugs and the wrestling business was brewing.

Wrestling casualties

It's not the first time that a pro wrestler, long before his time, has been found dead in the Tampa area. Like Martin, they had all encountered problems with steroids, painkillers, alcohol or other drugs.

Brian "Crush" Adams, 44, died Aug. 13, 2007, in his Tampa home. An autopsy report found a mix of prescription drugs, a pain reliever muscle relaxer and anxiety medication. On Jan. 19, 2007, Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow, 45, died in his home in Hudson, Fla. An autopsy revealed he had multiple drugs in his system at the time of his death, including lethal levels of cocaine and an anti-anxiety drug. He also was suffering from heart problems.

Michael Alfonso, who wrestled as Mike Awesome, committed suicide at the age of 42 at his Tampa home on Feb. 17, 2007. Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig, 44, was found unconscious in a Florida hotel room just before a scheduled bout on Feb. 10, 2003. The coroner's office attributed his death to acute cocaine intoxication, while his family maintains steroids and prescribed painkillers also contributed to his demise.

"Road Warrior Hawk" Michael Hegstrand, 46, died of heart failure at his Indian Rocks, Fla., home on Oct. 19, 2003. An admitted steroid user who suffered from drug- and alcohol-related problems, he was diagnosed with a heart condition that had halted his wrestling career in 2001.

Friends say Martin was increasingly worried about his own mortality after seeing his colleagues pass away at young ages.

In an eerie message delivered in 2007 and posted recently on YouTube, Martin talked about how wrestling destroyed lives and about the epidemic of young deaths in the wrestling world. In the interview for an upcoming wrestling documentary titled "The Circus," which looks at premature deaths in the wrestling business, he tells the filmmaker, "This has been the worst year of my life, without question."

The interview now comes across as a cautionary message.

"I just turned 32 years old and went to eight funerals. As bad as it may sound, it made me open my eyes and take my foot out the grave. I don't want to join that club. Either you clean up and straighten up, or lay down beside them," he said.

It was clear that Martin was fearful of joining that list.

Nobody retires

Martin attended last year's Wrestlemania 24 weekend activities as a guest of his then-girlfriend Barbie Blank (WWE diva Kelly Kelly).

Former WWE talent relations head Jim Ross, who signed Test to his first WWE contract along with fellow Canadians Edge (Adam Copeland) and Christian (Jay Reso) during the late '90s, spoke at length with Martin that weekend.

"He seemed very happy and looked to be healthy and in great physical condition," Ross posted on his blog. "He spoke of his real estate endeavors and the fact that he was strongly considering going back to school and becoming accredited as a physical therapist."

According to Ross, Martin was looking forward to getting his physical therapy license, leaving his wrestling career in the rear-view mirror. He says he had never seen Martin happier.

Martin, though, was arrested a week later on a DUI charge near his Tampa-area home. The officer who pulled him over noticed his speech was slurred and his eyes were glassy, leading to his arrest for DUI and driving with a suspended license. Martin refused to submit to a urine test and was taken to jail. The officer also noted in his report that Martin kept falling asleep in the police car on the way to jail.

Martin announced his retirement from pro wrestling last December. It was short-lived, however, as earlier this year he completed a tour of Japan.

"They say nobody retires from wrestling. I can't tell you how much I hate to hear guys say 'it's all I know' and keep working long after they should and die or be permanently disabled," Martin wrote on MySpace. "You have to come to terms when you ask yourself what is your health worth? To me? You can't put a price on it. So what are you wrestling for? One man's greed so he might throw you a bone? I loved wrestling, it was good to me. I'm still young, I'm in the shape of my life I've got some money tucked away. I never got into wrestling to be rich and famous."

He had told friends he didn't want to wrestle past the age of 35. He also had signed up for a course in personal training that was to begin in April.

To WWE's credit, Martin was allowed to enter the company's rehab program last summer for former workers dealing with substance abuse issues. From all accounts, Martin not only successfully completed the program, but had been a model participant. He and his former company reportedly kept in touch with regular phone calls.

Rumors of a relapse, however, began circulating, and there were reports of an overdose.

Road to recovery

His parents were among those who thought Martin was well on his way to recovery.

"He was putting a real fight up. He did that," his father, Bob Martin, told Greg Oliver of the SLAM! Wrestling site. "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. He knew it was going to be a struggle with him forever but he was willing to do it."

His relationship with Blank reportedly had ended in part due to her busy WWE travel schedule. The two were no longer dating, she said in a February interview, but the two remained close friends.

"You were my world, my best friend, the one I always ran to. You were always there for me," Blank wrote on her MySpace page last week. "What happened to our plan ... Why did God take you away from me ... My heart is always with you and you only ... I know you're in heaven watching over me now my angel."

His ex-girlfriend blowing a kiss skyward before her match on last week's Raw was the only sign of a tribute from a company plagued by so many similar deaths in the past. There were no graphics or mention of his death on the show. The company's lone acknowledgement was a four-sentence statement on its Web site.

Martin had been due to go to Europe last Monday on a wrestling tour.

"This is with the crew from Ireland," he wrote on his MySpace page. "These guys hold a special place in my heart because they stuck by me when I was going through some hard times and we all ended up becoming good friends."

A check-up call from the WWE office ironically was placed to Martin on the day he was found dead. A message replied that his voice mail was full.

Bret Hart posted on his Web site that he was aware of his former student's battle with drug addiction and wished he could have helped him. He had last seen Martin during a two-week tour of France last November. He seemed to be a "new man," Hart said, with a new lease on life and a renewed focus.

"We talked about him becoming the poster child for wrestlers that desperately needed a voice urging, 'If I can beat this, so can you.' Andrew convinced me he had the commitment and the determination to make a difference."

"I'm sorry I didn't see his pain and suffering; had I known I'd have tried harder to save him," Hart wrote. "He slipped and we lost one of the good ones. Nobody has anything but the nicest things to remember about Andrew Martin. I will miss him. He was a dear friend, one of very few I had left in a profession where too many die too young ... Somehow, as hard as we all tried, we lost another good soul forever."

Reach Mike Mooneyham at (843) 937-5517 or mooneyham@postandcourier.com. For wrestling updates during the week, call The Post and Courier Info Line at (843) 937-6000, ext. 3090.