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Want to lose that extra fat? Call Simon Dean, and he'll hook you up with the Simon System. When it comes to comedic characters of the Ruthless Aggression Era, Simon Dean is a name that gets often brought up as one the goofiest of that generation. Not long after Mike Bucci joined WWE during the early years of the Ruthless Aggression Era, he took up the comedic "Simon Dean" character, a gimmick still beloved by many fans.
Related: Ex-WWE Superstar Simon Dean Goes On Rant Advocating Steroid Use In Wrestling
Before There Was Simon Dean, There Was Nova In ECW
Best known as Nova from the original ECW during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mike Bucci represented the crop of new talent of the Ruthless Aggression Era when he first signed with WWE in 2002. Upon signing, he was immediately sent to WWE's Ohio Valley Wrestling for the next few years before coming up to the main roster, generating a level of success by capturing the OVW World Heavyweight Championship from John Cena and even becoming an assistant booker behind the scenes.
Bucci was presented as a credible performer in OVW, which is no surprise considering he's well-known as a talented in-ring performer, but he went a completely different route upon his arrival to the main roster, taking up a comedic role that was nothing like the previous personas he portrayed.
Related: 10 Heels From WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era Fans Completely Forgot About
The Fitness Guru Gimmick Of Simon Dean Is Born In WWE
Radically changing his appearance by shortening his hair and losing the facial hair, Mike Bucci changed his ring name to Simon Dean, named loosely after Dean Melanko's real name. As the newly adopted "Simon Dean" persona, his gimmick was of a goofy fitness guru who became obsessed with selling a fitness program, the Simon System. He also has a memorable catchphrase regarding the way he'd introduced himself and his fitness product, by saying, "My name is Simon Dean."
Vignettes of Simon Dean started airing in late 2004 which looked like any other fitness infomercials that one would see on TV. The vignettes would be Simon Dean promoting his Simon System while simultaneously trashing unfit people, thinking it was a clever way to guilt-trip people into buying his product. However, even though Simon Dean hated anyone who was not in good shape in a cartoonish-like manner, he claimed he could make anyone a success story by buying the Simon System.
As he was obsessed with selling his fitness product, it appeared he didn't really care much about winning the WWE Championship or achieving any level of stardom as an in-ring wrestler. It felt like he wanted to use the TV limelight to sell his Simon System, and he'd even tried selling his product to his opponents in the ring, which usually never ended well.
Simon Dean Endured Constant Humiliation From Other WWE Superstars
On a November 2004 episode of Monday Night Raw, Simon Dean made his main roster debut by giving a live infomercial of his Simon System. While doing so, he insulted the fans in attendance by ridiculing their physical appearance, even assaulting one of them in the ring.
However, as one might expect, the Simon System didn't take off as Simon Dean hoped it would. Almost right after making his main roster debut, Simon Dean looked like a complete punch line as he constantly suffered humiliating losses from the many wrestlers he came across. Simon Dean may have thought he was better than everybody else due to his ridiculous ego, but that didn't stop the fact that hardly anyone had any respect for him or his Simon System.
Considering Simon Dean hardly won anything during his in-ring career, there were many instances where he endured nothing but embarrassment. One of the most memorable and funniest moments of Simon Dean's career was the comedic squash match against Batista on a September 2005 episode of SmackDown. Even though Batista gave him an ass-kicking to remember, he was at least nice enough to try Simon Dean's fitness product.
Related: 10 WWE Ruthless Aggression Wrestlers That Were Doomed From The StartSimon Dean getting made to look like a joke was the main appeal of his fitness guru gimmick, as he didn't have to win championships to entertain the fans. When it comes down to it, Simon Dean fit the criteria of the sports entertainment genre that WWE promotes, even if some fans feel he could've been treated better regarding booking. As long as he provided some laughs throughout his career, as his match with Batista is still fondly remembered, the "Simon Dean" gimmick can be considered a success.
