diff --git a/st2actions/tests/test_runner_container.py b/st2actions/tests/test_runner_container.py
index 588639a523..5ac7495ca0 100644
--- a/st2actions/tests/test_runner_container.py
+++ b/st2actions/tests/test_runner_container.py
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
-from st2common.models.db.action import RunnerTypeDB
+import datetime
+
+from st2common.models.db.action import (ActionDB, ActionExecutionDB)
+from st2common.models.api.action import RunnerTypeAPI
+from st2common.models.api.actionrunner import LiveActionAPI
+from st2common.persistence.action import (Action, ActionExecution, RunnerType)
 from st2tests.base import DbTestCase
+
 import tests.config as tests_config
 tests_config.parse_args()
 
@@ -10,11 +16,112 @@
 
 
 class RunnerContainerTest(DbTestCase):
+    action_db = None
+    runnertype_db = None
+
+    @classmethod
+    def setUpClass(cls):
+        super(DbTestCase, cls).setUpClass()
+        RunnerContainerTest._setup_test_models()
 
     def test_get_runner_module(self):
-        runner_type_db = RunnerTypeDB()
-        runner_type_db.name = 'run-local'
-        runner_type_db.runner_module = 'st2actions.runners.fabricrunner'
+        runnertype_db = RunnerContainerTest.runnertype_db
+        runner_container = RunnerContainer()
+        runner = runner_container._get_runner(runnertype_db)
+        self.assertTrue(runner is not None, 'TestRunner must be valid.')
+
+    def test_dispatch(self):
+        runner_container = RunnerContainer()
+        runnertype_db = RunnerContainerTest.runnertype_db
+        action_db = RunnerContainerTest.action_db
+        params = {
+            'actionstr': 'bar'
+        }
+        actionexec_db = self._get_action_exec_db_model(params)
+        actionexec_db = ActionExecution.add_or_update(actionexec_db)
+        liveaction_db = self._get_live_action_db_model(actionexec_db.id)
+        # Assert that execution ran successfully.
+        self.assertTrue(runner_container.dispatch(liveaction_db, runnertype_db,
+                                                  action_db, actionexec_db))
+        actionexec_db = ActionExecution.get_by_id(actionexec_db.id)
+        result = actionexec_db.result
+        self.assertTrue(result.get('action_params').get('actionint') == 10)
+        self.assertTrue(result.get('action_params').get('actionstr') == 'bar')
+
+    def test_dispatch_override_default_action_params(self):
         runner_container = RunnerContainer()
-        runner = runner_container._get_runner(runner_type_db)
-        self.assertTrue(runner is not None, 'Runner must be valid.')
+        runnertype_db = RunnerContainerTest.runnertype_db
+        action_db = RunnerContainerTest.action_db
+        params = {
+            'actionstr': 'foo',
+            'actionint': 20
+        }
+        actionexec_db = self._get_action_exec_db_model(params)
+        actionexec_db = ActionExecution.add_or_update(actionexec_db)
+        liveactionapi = LiveActionAPI(**{'actionexecution_id': str(actionexec_db.id)})
+        liveaction_db = LiveActionAPI.to_model(liveactionapi)
+
+        # Assert that execution ran successfully.
+        self.assertTrue(runner_container.dispatch(liveaction_db, runnertype_db,
+                                                  action_db, actionexec_db))
+        actionexec_db = ActionExecution.get_by_id(actionexec_db.id)
+        result = actionexec_db.result
+        self.assertTrue(result.get('action_params').get('actionint') == 20)
+        self.assertTrue(result.get('action_params').get('actionstr') == 'foo')
+
+    def _get_action_exec_db_model(self, params):
+        actionexec_db = ActionExecutionDB()
+        actionexec_db.status = 'initializing'
+        actionexec_db.start_timestamp = datetime.datetime.now()
+        actionexec_db.action = {'name': RunnerContainerTest.action_db.name}
+        actionexec_db.parameters = params
+        return actionexec_db
+
+    def _get_live_action_db_model(self, actionexec_id):
+        liveactionapi = LiveActionAPI(**{'actionexecution_id': actionexec_id})
+        liveaction_db = LiveActionAPI.to_model(liveactionapi)
+        return liveaction_db
+
+    @classmethod
+    def _setup_test_models(cls):
+        RunnerContainerTest.setup_runner()
+        RunnerContainerTest.setup_action_models()
+
+    @classmethod
+    def setup_runner(cls):
+        test_runner = {
+            'name': 'test-runner',
+            'description': 'A test runner.',
+            'enabled': True,
+            'runner_parameters': {
+                'runnerstr': {
+                    'description': 'Foo str param.',
+                    'type': 'string',
+                    'default': 'defaultfoo'
+                },
+                'runnerint': {
+                    'description': 'Foo int param.',
+                    'type': 'number'
+                }
+            },
+            'runner_module': 'tests.testrunner'
+        }
+        runnertype_api = RunnerTypeAPI(**test_runner)
+        RunnerContainerTest.runnertype_db = RunnerType.add_or_update(
+            RunnerTypeAPI.to_model(runnertype_api))
+
+    @classmethod
+    def setup_action_models(cls):
+        action_db = ActionDB()
+        action_db.name = 'action-1'
+        action_db.description = 'awesomeness'
+        action_db.enabled = True
+        action_db.content_pack = 'wolfpack'
+        action_db.entry_point = ''
+        action_db.runner_type = {'name': 'test-runner'}
+        action_db.parameters = {
+            'actionstr': {'type': 'string'},
+            'actionint': {'type': 'number', 'default': 10},
+        }
+        action_db.required_parameters = ['actionstr']
+        RunnerContainerTest.action_db = Action.add_or_update(action_db)
diff --git a/st2actions/tests/testrunner.py b/st2actions/tests/testrunner.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..941f8bf155
--- /dev/null
+++ b/st2actions/tests/testrunner.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+try:
+    import simplejson as json
+except:
+    import json
+
+from st2actions.runners import ActionRunner
+
+
+def get_runner():
+    return TestRunner()
+
+
+class TestRunner(ActionRunner):
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.pre_run_called = False
+        self.run_called = False
+        self.post_run_called = False
+
+    def pre_run(self):
+        self.pre_run_called = True
+
+    def run(self, action_params):
+        self.run_called = True
+        result = {
+            'ran': True,
+            'action_params': action_params
+        }
+        self.container_service.report_result(json.dumps(result))
+        self.container_service.report_status(0)
+
+    def post_run(self):
+        self.post_run_called = True
diff --git a/st2tests/st2tests/base.py b/st2tests/st2tests/base.py
index 9aa5ef5154..11b760dc95 100644
--- a/st2tests/st2tests/base.py
+++ b/st2tests/st2tests/base.py
@@ -55,7 +55,8 @@ def setUpClass(cls):
     @classmethod
     def tearDownClass(cls):
         cls.drop_collections()
-        DbTestCase.db_connection.drop_database(cfg.CONF.database.db_name)
+        if DbTestCase.db_connection is not None:
+            DbTestCase.db_connection.drop_database(cfg.CONF.database.db_name)
         db_teardown()
         DbTestCase.db_connection = None