Kevin Dunn Quits WWE
Anyone who's watched WWE the past 30 years have seen this person's impact on the product.
Kevin Dunn, the influential executive who spent more than three decades shaping how generations of fans have viewed WWE on television -- for better or worse -- is leaving the company.
PWInsider reported that Dunn, WWE's Executive Producer & Chief, Global Television Distribution, informed the company during Christmas week that he was leaving. The outlet learned that Dunn's decision to leave came about due to internal changes made after Endeavor purchased WWE. One source indicated that Dunn was "never going to do anything that was dictacted" to him, compared to the manner in which he oversaw the TV production prior to the merger.
Dunn's departure, PWInsider noted, shouldn't come as a surprise post-merger, considering that it's long been rumored that he wouldn't work for anyone other than Vince McMahon, whose power over WWE has been diminished greatly since selling the company.
PWInsider reports that this was the result of "two different versions" of how TV production should be run, as Endeavor looks to cut costs.
More than anyone outside of the McMahon family (which includes Triple H), Dunn has had a major influence on the appearance and presentation of WWE programming for half of its existence. Dunn oversaw WWE programming from 1993, when Monday Night Raw debuted. During his tenure, Dunn became the object of scorn and ridicule from fans and critics for his headache-inducing "zoom and shake" style of camerawork, paired with rapid-fire cuts between camera angles. However, that style became synonymous with professional wrestling to causal viewers as WWE emerged as the last major national promotion standing in 2001.
Fightful Select spoke to "several shocked talent" who were unaware of Dunn's impending departure. Some WWE sources believe Dunn's role in the company will be divided up, which makes sense considering how widespread his duties and influence have become through the years. However, Fightful noted that Dunn's power had decreased during the past year-plus -- not coincidentally after McMahon resigned in disgrace and Triple H took the helm.
Fightful indicated that some in WWE believe that "some in the older guard" would be scaled back in the coming months, with Dunn being one of the biggest names.