TSC Interviews: Simon Dean (Part I)

Bobby Lashley is another guy I enjoyed working with. I broke him in. I trained him down in OVW, so I was the first guy he was “married” to up there. We did a few house shows together that were really good. One day Vince comes up to me and says he'll put us in a couple of matches on TV. Vince said “It's going to be great. It's bulletproof. You're one of my best heels.” I'm not saying it was the case or trying to pat myself on the back, but a lot of people say Bobby Lashley had his best matches with me. And Bobby's had a lot of matches with some big names, but I've heard from kore than one person he looked the best against me. 

As for managing The Gymini, I had an idea where I wanted to manage a group. I was going to have the Church of Simonology. I was going to have a woman play my wife Jean Dean, who would have been a fitness fanatic. I wanted to “save” people and get them into shape, but then the writers told me I couldn't do it because Vince thought it was too controversial.

TSC: Wait a minute.  Want to stop you there.....Vince McMahon booked an angle/match with Shawn Michaels for Backlash 2006....

Bucci:....With McMahonism and booked HBK's tag team partner to be God. I remember watching that thinking “REALLY?!” I don't think it has anything to do with it, but at least I'm glad that CM Punk is doing that bit now. It's one of those things that you don't dwell on for long, but you do think about what could have been. If you dwell on what could have been, you will be miserable.

TSC: Vince McMahon booking God as Shawn Michaels' tag partner...

Bucci: What would have God done is he showed up that day? (Laughs) Would they have to give God a dark match? Can God even work? I've never seen God work in the ring. What if he didn't know how to call a match? No wonder it was one of the lowest-rated PPVs they've ever had. I guess they don't have to book God anymore, since he's busy. (Laughs)

TSC: Back to The Gymini...You would have thought they would have given you guys a good run...

Bucci: I originally wanted them to be The Bod Squad, but I came up with The Gymini with one of the writers and they liked it. We started off hot. I'd say “Tag in, tag out!” Unfortunately, Todd tore his pectoral muscle right before they were bound to win the tag titles. They were out a couple months. They went down to Florida for awhile. I think a couple of the jabroni writers for Smackdown had hard-ons for them and as soon as they came back they crapped all over them and The Gymini were released. I just didn't know how they could have these two big, kick ass dudes that look the same and have been in the business for a longtime on their roster and then proceed to fire them. It didn't make sense to me. I love those guys. They're great guys. Todd and Michael should have been my bulldozers. I should have be untouchable. We should have definitely had a long run.