Nova, the man who INVENTED TV Tropes!
Michael Bucci, (born June 5, 1972 in Tom's River, New Jersey), is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work in ECW from 1996-2001 as Super Nova and, later, as Nova. He started out with a Superhero gimmick, but shed it in late 1998-early 1999 after his tag team partner The Blue Meanie left for WWE. He made his PPV in-ring debut at ECW Wrestlepalooza 98, teaming with the Meanie in a win over the Full-Blooded Italians (Tracy Smothers and Little Guido Maritato, w/Tommy Rich). After ECW died, he bounced around the indies for a year before arriving in WWE's developmental promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling. On May 15, 2002, he defeated The Prototype (John Cena) for the OVW Heavyweight Title
. He also held the OVW Southern Tag Team Titles with Aaron Stevens. He also had a run as the booker for OVW. He got called up to Raw in mid-2004 under a new gimmick of an evil informercial fitness guru named Simon Dean. He mostly jobbed a lot in this gimmick, including being the first TV victim for both the Boogeyman AND for Bobby Lashley. He later had an offscreen run as the head of WWE's developmental program in OVW, which, he claims, soured him on the business.
Not to be confused with Supernova or the various possible examples for Nova.
"Nova Invented Tropes!":
- '80s Hair: Wore a mullet early on as Super Nova.
- Affectionate Parody: At ECW The Doctor Is In, August 3, 1996, JT Smith opened the show by introducing "KISS!" "Rock And Roll All Nite" played as Stevie Richards (as "Stevie Stanley"), the Blue Meanie ("Meanie Simmons"), Nova ("Nova Frehley") and Donn E. Allen ("Donn E. Criss") came out to the ring. They played fake guitars, with Meanie spitting red mist instead of fake blood, and did the Fargo Strut until the Sandman, who was feuding with Raven at the time and would be challenging him for the ECW World Heavyweight Title later that night, ran in and caned all four guys, singing "I wanna cane your ass all night, and party every day!"
- Alter-Ego Acting: Switched back to Hollywood Nova for a BWO reunion at ECW One Night Stand 2005 and for their subsequent issues with John "Bradshaw" Layfield and the Mexicools, with WWE, at least, making no effort to acknowledge the two gimmicks as the same person. However, when Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten hit Nova with double chair shots at One Night Stand, Joey Styles said, "That was more painful than having to be Simon Dean on national TV. (Beat) Yeah, I'm fired, I know. Lasted a night."
- Arch-Enemy: As a member of Raven's Nest, Tommy Dreamer and the Sandman. As solo or with the Blue Meanie, the FBI (Smothers/Guido/Tommy Rich, etc.) and the team of Danny Doring and Roadkill.
- Ascended Extra: Did some TV jobs under his own name for WWE in 1993.
- Also, his original role in Raven's Nest was as basically a lackey to the Blue Meanie, who was under Stevie Richards who was under Raven. Ironically, when Meanie and him went as an inependent team, Nova would act as a superhero and Meanie as his Bumbling Sidekick.
- Badass Cape: As Super Nova. He was a Superhero, what else would you expect?
- Bash Brothers
- With the Blue Meanie, Stevie Richards, Chris Chetti, Jazz in ECW. Among them, Meanie was the most consistent, followed close by Chetti.
- With Frankie Kazarian and Aaron The Idol Stevens in OVW.
- Big Damn Heroes: On the September 9 (taped August 29), 1998 episode of ECW Hardcore TV, Tommy Dreamer was in a gauntlet match against Lance Wright'snote stable of "Dastardly" Danny Doring, Jack Victory, "The Canadian Tiger" Mike Lozansky and the Equalizernote , with the intention of getting revenge for New Jack, who Victory had put out of action with a ripped groin. Dreamer was fighting against all four guys as best he could until it became obvious that he was outnumbered. With Dreamer down, Doring got on the mic and talked about how he's the best looking guy in the locker room, the most hardcore and the best dancer, and decided to prove it by dancing, with his theme, Soul Coughing's "Super Bon Bon" playing. Then "Let Me Clear My Throat" by DJ Kool hit, and Super Nova ran out with a STOP sign followed by the Blue Meanie with a garbage can full of weapons. Joey Styles called them, "Blue Jack and Novastafa!" Meanie and Nova emptied out the weapons, which included a tennis racket, a chair, a Captain America shield and more. Dreamer DDT'd Victory on the shield, and found among the weapons a bowling ball bag. He placed the shield on Victory's groin and dropped the bowling ball bag there for the pin. After the match, Meanie and Nova dragged Wright into the ring and set him up in the corner with his legs spread. Dreamer then debuted the bowling ball to the groin spot that Al Snow would later use in WWE, with Joey saying, "Steerike!" Dreamer's music, Alice in Chains' "Man in the Box" as he, Meanie and Nova did New Jack's "X" sign, before "Let Me Clear My Throat" came back on and Dreamer, after a brief moment of reluctance, danced in the ring alongside Meanie and Nova.
- California: Billed from the Silicon Valley in ECW.
- Chest Insignia: Check the page photo.
- Church of Happyology: The trio of Simon Dean and the Gymini were referred to at times as the "Church of Simonology." Simon Dean himself was billed from Clearwater, Florida, where the real organization has its headquarters.
- Combination Attack:
- With the Blue Meanie, their tag team finisher was the Blue Light Special, in which Meanie lifted the opponent in a wheelbarrow for a DDT by Nova. Also, among their abundant team moves, they occasionally used a devastating combination of Meaniesault by Meanie and frog splash by Nova.
- With Chris Chetti, they would use the Tidal Wave, a double diving elbow drop from the same turnbuckle, or alternatively a old school combination of diving leg drop and diving splash.
- With Frankie Kazarian, they used the Spanish fly. They also had the EZ Splash, a version of the mentioned Tidal Wave.
- A Day in the Limelight: His trio with the Gymini was pushed as a genuinely powerful stable, even taking out London and Kendrick on their first matches, but after a time, the twins disappeared and Dean was left again as a Butt-Monkey.
- Expy: The Simon Dean gimmick drew comparisons to the Bodydonnas', (Skip and Sunny), evil fitness trainer gimmick.
- Facial Markings: He used to have star-shaped blue facepaint over his eye as Super Nova.
- Finishing Move:
- As Super Nova, the Novacaine (Reverse STO, aka Kanyon's "Flatliner" or Edge's "The Downward Spiral"), the Kryptonite Krunch. In the independent circuit, he also used a head and arm moonsault slam.
- As Simon Dean, Simonizer (Masato Yoshino's "Lightning Spiral") and the STF. In OVW, he used the Curb Stomp, which was pulling back on his opponent's arms in a surfboard position followed by stomping on his head.
- Gondor Calls for Aid: With The One Man Gang beating up on partner Chris Chetti during their match with the FBI (Tracy Smothers and Little Guido Maritato, w/Tommy Rich) on the December 10 (taped December 5), 1998 ECW Hardcore TV, Nova ran to the back and returned with "The Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer! Dreamer actually managed to slam the One Man Gang on his first try. The FBI still won the match, but the thought was there.
- Groin Attack: His Sledge-O-Matic, a release powerbomb followed by an elbow to his opponent's groin.
- Hoist by His Own Petard:
- During his match with Eugene on the "Eddie Guerrero Tribute" episode of Raw, November 14, 2005, he was pulling on his power bands in the corner when they backfired and catapulted him face-first into the turnbuckles, leading to Eugene hitting a Rock Bottom for the pin.
- He gave Batista a sample of his Simon system products to show how well they worked. Unfortunately, Batista was his opponent for the night.
- Hypocrite: Joey Styles suggested that Dean was this for riding his "Dean Machine" scooter to the ring for the above match."It's disgusting, he's a fitness guru. Walk the 25 feet to the ring."
- If It Tastes Bad, It Must Be Good for You: His Simon Dean branded protein bars that his character shilled and challenged people to eat were apparently very unappetizing in Kayfabe.
- Jerkass: The original Simon Dean vignettes had him insulting people because they were fat, and recommending that they use his "Simon System" products.
- Loser Leaves Town: Defeated the heel-turned Chris Chetti in one of these.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: The Simon Dean gimmick was based partly on Real Life fitness guru Jack LaLanne.
- One-Hit Kill: As Joey Styles said during the Meanie/Nova-FBI match at WrestlePalooza 98:"Novacaine, one hit, you feel nothing."
- Power Stable: Raven's Nest and Blue World Order.
- Product Placement: In-Universe, as Simon Dean was introduced as one of Raw's new sponsors.
- Real Men Wear Pink: He wore purple and, who was supposedly using his Simon system, Maven wore pink and also purple.
- Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Was a booker for OVW.
- Superhero: His original gimmick.
- Super Team: His late team with Blue Meanie echoed the old pulp superheroes from The Golden Age of Comic Books. Considering that, their enmity with the Italian mafia team F.B.I. was natural.
- Tag Team:
- With the Blue Meanie
- The Evolution, with Frankie Kazarian.
- Adrenaline, with Chris Cage (Christopher "Caylen Croft" Pavone, not to be confused with a more famous wrestler with a similar name.)
- Heroes of Hardcore, with the Hardcore Kidd (Aaron "Jesus" Aguilera) in Ultimate Pro Wrestling in California.
- Jersey Shore Crew, with Aaron "The Idol" Stevens.
- As Simon Dean, he teamed with Maven.
- Tag Team Twins: Also as Simon Dean, he managed the Gymini (Jesse and Jake, better known as the Shane Twins, Mike and Todd).
- Take That!: Was "Hollywood" Nova as a member of the Blue World Order, with Meanie as "Da Blue Guy" and Richards as "Big Stevie Cool".
- Tom Hanks Syndrome: In-Universe: After Meanie left for WWE, cut a promo where he was in a bathroom standing over a sink wiping off his facepaint while looking into a mirror and saying, "I think it's time that I start taking myself a little more seriously."
- Tournament Arc: Came into the finals and won the 2002 Russ Haas memorial cup held by Phoenix Championship Wrestling, with Charlie Haas as his partner, fittingly enough. Jamal was the one who did most of the work with Charlie prior though.
- Tuckerization: The name "Simon Dean" was based on Dean Malenko, whose real name is Dean Simon.
- Ur-Example:
- He was famous by his high-angle senton bomb long before Jeff Hardy popularized it.
- The wrestling superhero gimmick, later taken by Gregory Helms, was also first seen in Super Nova.
- Many wrestling moves, according to Nova himself.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Simon Dean may not like you, but he believes in you!
- Wrestling Doesn't Pay: As Simon Dean, the wrestling Infomercial fitness guru. He later teamed up with Maven, who is a wrestling infomercial salesmen in real life.
- Wrestling Family: His twin brother Don competed in New Jersey as "Big 80's" Donnie B.
- Wrote the Book: Joey Styles claimed that Nova invented everything in wrestling.
