Shortly before the end of 2023, Kevin Dunn reportedly told WWE that he planned to leave the company. He had been with the company for forty years. Following his exit, WWE President Nick Khan issued an internal statement praising Dunn’s time with the company, along with his contributions. Not long after that, WWE appointed ESPN alumni Lee Fitting as its new Head of Media & Production.
Fightful reports, based on one source they spoke with, Dunn was not as hard to work with as they expected, although he did demand the best from everyone he worked with. Beyond that one source, they also spoke with multiple others, who said Dunn had his fingerprints on all production aspects of WWE programming, including aspects that may not have been as noticeable to pro wrestling fans. A few of the areas that he was heavily involved in included graphics, lighting, camera, audio, pyro, and video. If any of those elements could be improved upon, he would provide feedback and serve as “the ring leader” during shows.
Dunn is said to have been at nearly every show but did take off holidays regularly. That is unlike other employees like Michael Cole, who does not miss any shows he is booked for throughout the year. When Dunn was not on-site, Paul “Triple H” Levesque had begun letting a team of NXT producers fill his shoes. That was the case at WWE Survivor Series, which took place Thanksgiving weekend, and it was noted that Levesque was solely in control of the Gorilla position when CM Punk made his surprise return.
The report added that Dunn had a good working relationship with Levesque, Bruce Prichard, Vince McMahon, and other segment producers. While they were all in a high-pressure environment and exchanging ideas, none were stepping on each other’s toes regularly. Dunn’s focus on safety was also highlighted, with an example being given from WWE WrestleMania 38. When Cody Rhodes made his much-anticipated comeback to WWE, Dunn held off on the pyro going off for a prolonged period of time to allow the production team to be clear of the explosions.