Former WWE star Andrew “Test” Martin wrote in a blog on his MySpace page on Tuesday that he plans on retiring from professional wrestling after a wrestling tour in Ireland next March. He has been wrestling since 1997 and he will be turning 33 years old at around the time of his final tour. Here are some excerpts from his blog regarding his forthcoming retirement:
“I’ve talked to my “Better half” and we decided that Ireland will be my “last hurrah.”
“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 [sic] disabled. 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.”
After talking about a story regarding Bret Hart: “Bret left with his head high and still with the respect of the “boys” and I’m talking the “real boys,” the ones that wouldn’t stab you in the back and shake your hand to your face! This business is full of those people, “PIRATES,” “all for one and one for all…”
“I was told my problem was I never “kissed enough ass.” As we all know wrestling is not real and it is very political backstage and as a man I could never bring myself to consort with the people that I didn’t care for even if that meant making less money and not getting a world title. The world title is not real but my dignity was and I feel I never comprimised it. I said “no” to Vince a few times which I was told is unheard of and the kiss of death. I personally don’t have bad things to say about Vince. I can appreciate what he’s done! I wonder what it’s like to have everyone [sic] who works for you tell you yes and your ideas are great because they are terrified about losing their job. I will never know nor do I want to.”
“So what now [sic]? Start a real existence. Get married, have some kids, work a normal job (I’m not someone who can sit around, I did it for 8 months there is nothing satisfying about it), maybe get a belly from Babs’ cooking but that will be hard to do since I do all the cooking. Their are few guys that can walk away from this business with their health and a little wealth but like I said, “what’s your health worth?”
“Thanks to all my fans and please stay in contact I still love to hear from you. I am at peace.. I have no bad words to say about anything or anyone. That doesn’t mean I won’t have a few chuckles with “the real boys” at peoples’ expense, who I’m sure know who they are.”
At the end of his blog, Martin states that he never changed his middle name to Test. As the old rumor goes, he supposedly changed it so that he could continue to use his wrestling name after his first release from WWE: “I saw on Wikipedia [sic] or whatever it’s called that I legally changed my middle name to TEST so I could have the right to it. For the record, “please” I would never disrespect my parents by changing Andrew James Robert Patrick Martin.”
