From a storylinestandpoint, Martin was left out of the top mix of the company's rosterand never got as high in the hierarchy as he did during that era. Hewas repackaged as heel, teaming with Albert (current New Japan starGiant Bernard) as T&A, managed by the debuting Trish Stratus, whowas just breaking into the company as a former fitness model wholegitimately was a huge wrestling fan before being signed. After theteam broke up, Martin was back as a babyface and won the Europeanchampionship from William Regal in 2001. He dropped the title to EddieGuerrero at Wrestlemania 17 in Houston after interference from theother Radicalz.
Martin ended up a heel yet again as part of the WCW/ECW Alliance laterthat year, holding both the WWE and WCW Tag Team belts with Booker T aswell as the WWE Intercontinental championship during that period. Atthe 2001 Survivor Series, Martin lost the IC belt to Edge, who unifiedit with the WCW United States championship. He also had a short runwith the hot potato Hardcore championship. With the idea that theAlliance vs. WWE war was coming to an end and those who lost could befired, Test went on to insert himself into an "Immunity" Battle Royal,which he won with the gimmick being that he couldn't be let go by WWEfor a year.
In 2002, he bounced around a number of different storylinegimmicks. He was part of the Un-Americans with Lance Storm, Christianand William Regal. He was Stacy Keibler's charge as she tried tochange his image and claim his fans were his "Testicles" in an all-timeso bad it was good idea. He went to the finals of that year's King ofthe Ring tournament, later losing to eventual winner and current UFCchampion Brock Lesnar. The relationship with Keibler eventually turnedinto a real life one for the couple. After she left the company andbecame an ABC darling via "Dancing With the Stars", Martin would laterwrite online how proud he was of her success and that he often told herwhile they were dating that she would go on to do something bigger thanprofessional wrestling.
Scott Steiner was brought into the company. Despite being one of thetop names in WCW when it imploded in 2001, Steiner was sent to themid-card after a feud with then WWE champion Triple H and put into atag team with Martin. The two ended up at odds of Keibler's servicesbut later reunited with the idea she was their slave.
Martin ended up out of action with a neck injury and was forced toundergo spinal fusion surgery that would keep him out of action for atleast a year. In a move that was heavily criticized at the time, WorldWrestling Entertainment released Martin on 11/1/04, four months afterthe surgery and at least eight months before he would be able toreturn. At the time, WWE's John Laurinaitis promised to give Martin alook when he was ready, but the very idea that Martin, who had spenthis entire professional career with the company and had broken his neckworking there, could be fired as he recovered, sent a shockwave throughthe company's roster.
Exactly a year later, Martin discussed the release while writing aboutthe November 2005 passing of former WWE champion Eddie Guerrero,commenting, "Lookat me. I break my neck in the ring had to have two discs taken out ofmy neck and a steel plate put in and was told at the time by Johnny Acewhen I asked if my job would be in jeopardy, 'We don't fire people withinjuries like that.' Hmm, that's funny, because two months aftersurgery I got fired because I wasn't working. My seven years of bustingmy *** for them and putting over the boss's son while my foot wasbroken in a cast was all forgotten about.When Johnny Ace called me andtold me they were releasing me - which of course he put all the heat onVince - I said to him, 'What kind of message are you sending the boysthat if they get hurt they are going to get fired?' So all the guys whodon't want to lose their jobs, what do they do? Pop a couple ofPercocet or Vicodin and mask the pain because god forbid they say theyare hurt and lose their job. I'm not going to name any names, but Iknow at least a dozen or so wrestlers who are addicted to these thingsfor that very reason. Get hurt, lose your job. I just turned 30, myback aches everyday, I have a metal plate in my neck, and yes I got inthe business at the right time and have a lot of nice things, but is itall worth it? You guys don't see the ugly side of this business. Yes,wrestling is entertainment, but the bumps and bruises are real andsometimes they don't go away. So think long and hard before you get inthis business because I can tell you first hand that if you're notworking or making them money they don't give a ****." |
發表於 2009-3-14 03:50 PM
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