Triple H had plans for change in place long before Kevin Dunn exited WWE.
On December 31st, PWInsider reported that longtime WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn had given notice to the company and would be leaving after more than 30 years. Nick Khan later confirmed Dunn’s departure in a company email, and production changes have already been evident.
The company announced Dunn’s replacement in a January 9th press release, revealing that Lee Fitting would be taking on the role of Head of Media & Production.
According to a new report from Fightful Select, many of WWE’s recent production changes include things Kevin Dunn didn’t want during his time in charge. One video that showed evidence of these changes took place on Monday Night Raw and saw Chelsea Green and Piper Niven confront Kayden Carter and Katana Chance at a club, and another example took place on SmackDown with a video highlighting the relationship between Butch and Tyler Bate.
Continuing, the report notes that comparisons to the NXT style of video package are apt, as Triple H permitted Jeremy Borash to put together his own production team in NXT over the past three years, safely under the radar of Dunn. The Game was reportedly pleased with how things turned out, and the door is open to featuring that sort of vignette across all WWE programming now that Dunn has left.
How Did Those Backstage React To WWE’s New Production Style Under Triple H?
Fightful spoke with numerous people involved in producing the vignettes, and they were full of praise for the amount of creativity they were given when it comes to production as well as the process of making the videos. One source reportedly noted that under Dunn’s regime, the videos likely would have cut away multiple times, but the new strategy allows stories to play out and characters a chance to breathe.
The report notes that internal reaction to the new production method has been largely positive.
According to another recent report, things between Kevin Dunn and WWE were getting progressively uglier in the months prior to his exit.