“Test”ing the limits

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked has to do with death in wrestling and how I could continue to be a fan. Typically this question comes from someone who, despite the long list of deaths in the music industry, continues to listen to music. Or watches Animal House once a year “just for John.” But at the end of the day I guess it’s a valid question and of course I wouldn’t be thinking about it if someone hadn’t just died.

I remember thinking Test (known to himself as Andrew Martin) was sort of adorable back in the day when he was courting Stephanie McMahon.  I was one of the small group of people who really liked his T&A tag team with Albert – so long as Al kept his shirt on.  I always love a decent tag team and I liked their chemistry.  I generally enjoyed almost everything he did in wrestling to some degree.  And I was one of many who was genuinely disturbed by how massive he was when he showed up in TNA and ECW.

I’ve known men who, with daily workouts and heavy lifting, ended up being naturally massive.  Test was naturally big.  I don’t think he was naturally massive.  And I have no doubt his size was one of the reasons for his WWE release during a time when they were again experiencing some backlash about steroids.  A body like that just looked wrong.

I figured Test would do some modeling, wrestle occassionally and hopefully bring himself down a bit to a healthier body size.  I, like many wrestling fans, did not want to consider that someday he might be found dead too young.  But he was, at 33.

Toxicology reports aren’t back yet and it’s never good to assume a cause of death.  Sometimes hearts just stop.  In Test’s case, maybe he simply had a heart attack from an unknown genetic condition.  Maybe the same steroids he didn’t condemn weakened that heart.  Maybe he accidentally mixed some prescriptions like so many have, or maybe he was presented with an emotional problem he couldn’t handle.  Regardless what the cause of death may be, no one should be dead at 33.

I am one of many fans who think that WWE should either consider wrestlers full time employees with benefits or eliminate their no compete clauses and outside wardrobe demands among other things.  The company does do good things for the wrestlers on occasion, but despite positive steps there is still too much pressure to work through bad injuries, come back too soon, take too many pain pills and look too perfect.  And if someone does take time off and comes back a bit smaller, he will be ridiculed on television by Triple H, the poster boy for unnatural looks.

The WWE has problems and it may take something legal to force McMahon to make all the changes he needs to make.  Other wrestlers will “test” the limits of my ability to comprehend my own fandom.  But at the end of the day there’s a long, long, long list of guys who don’t screw up or decide to abuse themselves, and who entertain me tremendously.  That’s why I keep watching.