Premature pro-wrestling deaths are bad for business.
The passing of Andrew "Test" Martin serves as another unfortunate reminder.
Martin, 33, was found dead in his Tampa, Fla., apartment last Friday. Autopsy results are pending.
Despite being a World Wrestling Entertainment staple for most of this decade, the promotion failed to acknowledge Martin's death with a graphic -- the standard salute for deceased performers -- on this week's "Monday Night Raw" telecast. WWE issued a four-sentence statement about Martin in the "industry news" section of its Web site, then posted nothing more in the days that followed.
The only sign of a tribute on "Raw" was a subtle one. Kelly Kelly, Martin's former girlfriend and a close friend, blew a kiss to the sky before her match.
WWE's low-key stance toward a prominent grappler who held numerous titles during an eight-year stint may seem callous. But it's understandable why the promotion would want to distance itself from Martin. Large amounts of steroids and prescription pain medication were found inside his residence, according to police.
The drug-tainted deaths of Martin's WWE contemporaries -- most notably Chris Benoit in a 2007 murder/suicide involving his family -- created a public-relations nightmare. WWE clearly hopes to avoid more negative scrutiny, especially with the year's biggest show ("Wrestlemania 25") on the horizon.
To its credit, WWE paid for Martin's drug-rehabilitation program last summer even though he was 1-1/2 years removed from working for the company. Other notable stars like Sean "X-Pac" Waltman and Jake "The Snake" Roberts have taken advantage of the promotion's standing offer to foot the bill for any current or former WWE performer who asks for help. WWE implemented this policy following the Benoit tragedy.
By then, Martin was well on the road to ruin.
Size and a jacked-up physique got the 6-foot-6, 280-pound Martin fast-tracked for WWE stardom in 1998 when the promotion was turning a blind eye toward steroid abuse. During a 2001 interview, Martin told me he had only worked "10 or 15" matches on small independent shows before being thrust into bouts with WWE headliners like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Paul "Triple H" Levesque.
Martin's first WWE stint ended in late 2004. He was rehired in early 2006 and quickly regained a top spot on WWE's Extreme Championship Wrestling brand. Martin was then granted his WWE release in February 2007 after being suspended under the promotion's "wellness" program for a failed drug test.
He struggled adjusting to life after WWE. TNA Wrestling soured on Martin after one 2007 appearance. He worked sporadically on overseas tours while trying to find a post-wrestling career.
Martin was arrested on DUI charges in September 2007 and April 2008. Former WWE star Kevin Nash told the three8six.com Web site that Martin had developed a dangerous addiction to the combination of "muscle relaxers and pain pills." In 2001, Martin told me he was still hurting from rupturing four discs the previous year but was continuing to wrestle. Martin underwent spinal-fusion surgery in 2004.
Those close to Martin were optimistic that he had recently turned a corner. Bob Martin told Slam! Wrestling (www.slam.canoe.ca) that his son was set to begin taking courses to become a personal trainer.
During an interview conducted in 2007 for the upcoming wrestling documentary called "The Circus," Martin said attending a series of funerals for wrestlers who died young was a sobering experience.
"As bad as this may sound," Martin said, "it opened my eyes, made me take my foot out of the grave and say, 'What am I doing? Do I want to join that club?'
"Hell no, I don't. Either you clean up or you lay down beside them."
Martin would have turned 34 last Tuesday.
(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro-wrestling column for Scripps Howard News Service. E-mail him at alex1marv(at)aol.com.)
Editors: Kelly Kelly in fifth graf is CQAlso moved Category S
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