Vince Russo reveals reason behind Andrew Martin's Test name in WWE (Exclusive)
Test, real name Andrew Martin, worked for WWE between 1998 and 2004 before returning for another run from 2006 to 2007. Vince Russo, the Stamford-based promotion's head writer when the Canadian debuted, recently explained the logic behind his unique name.
In 1998, American heavy metal band Motley Crue performed on Sunday Night Heat and RAW to promote their Greatest Hits album. Test, unknown to WWE fans at the time, worked as their fictional bodyguard during both shows.
Russo spoke about the origin of several wrestlers' names on the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo. Discussing Test, he said the six-foot-six star's name made sense after his character's introduction as a bodyguard.
"He was the [bodyguard] for Motley Crue, so if you wanna get to the band, 'Test me. Go through me,' so that's kinda where that came about," Russo stated. [6:35 – 6:51]
Russo also played a part in naming the Pretty Mean Sisters (Jacqueline, Ryan Shamrock, and Terri Runnels). In the video above, the veteran writer reacted to Runnels criticizing his decision to shorten the group's name to PMS.
What happened after Test's WWE debut?
Shortly after the Motley Crue segments, Test joined Vince McMahon's villainous Corporation stable. He was due to marry McMahon's daughter Stephanie in 1999 as part of an elaborate storyline. However, the wedding was sabotaged when it emerged that Triple H had already tricked The Billion Dollar Princess into marrying him.
Although Test won the Intercontinental, European, and Hardcore Championships, he spent much of his career involved in tag teams. The towering superstar held tag titles with Booker T. He also formed alliances with Albert, Christian, Lance Storm, and Scott Steiner.
In 2009, Test passed away aged 33 following an accidental overdose of the painkiller oxycodone.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
