Reported by Adam Martin of WrestleView.com
On Friday, August 31, 2007 at 8:50 PM EST

PWInsider is reporting that Mike "Simon Dean" Bucci was released by World Wrestling Entertainment today. Bucci had been working in the talent relations department of WWE for some time now and was largely the manager for the developmental territories after leaving his career as an in-ring wrestler for the WWE.

According to reports, Bucci was called in for a meeting earlier today by WWE in the wake of the his name being dropped in an article by The New York Daily News as someone on the list of wrestlers named in the Signature Pharmacy growth enhancing drug scandal. The talk among wrestlers and staff in WWE was that Bucci was let go to show to others within the company that they are serious about the current problem.

The Wrestling Observer is also reporting that Bucci already had "incredible heat" from the company, so his name coming up looked to have been an easy way to make a decision. What makes this situation interesting is that Bucci may have done his dealings with Signature while he was still an active wrestler. So had he not taken on the manager role behind-the-scenes, it is possible he could have been given a one month suspension instead. However, considering the heat he already had, the feeling was that it was a matter of time.