WWE legend leaves after 40 years as Vince McMahon’s right hand man-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Vince McMahon gave Kevin Dunn a full time job in 1984 (Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

A long running WWE executive has reportedly stepped down after four decades with the company.

Kevin Dunn, whose most recent title was Executive Producer & Chief, Global Television Distribution, is said to have decided to effectively retire 40 years after Vince McMahon brought him on board full time.

After becoming an associate producer in 1984, he would rise through the ranks and from 1993 onwards, he was executive producer for all WWE programming, as he shaped the company’s signature broadcast style.

Over the weekend, PWInsider reported he was stepping down on New Year’s Day after some internal changes made after the Endeavor acquisition, which saw WWE merge with UFC under the new TKO banner.

A source told the outlet that he was ‘never going to do anything that was dictated’ to him, rather than how he previously oversaw production himself.

It’s said it came down to ‘two different versions’ of how things should be done, with Endeavor looking to cut costs across the board, while McMahon himself has seen his influence limited since the takeover.

Kevin Dunn joined the company full time in 1984 (Picture: WWE)

On Monday, PWInsider and Fightful reported that WWE President Nick Khan had sent a message to the company informing everyone of the move.

‘After 40+ years of helping to build WWE and, hands down, the best production and media unit in the entire sports and entertainment business, Kevin Dunn, will be leaving our company as of today,’ he is said to have written.

Dunn has had a big influence on the ‘look and feel’ of WWE television (Picture: WWE)

‘Before WrestleMania 1, Kevin joined Vince at WWF.  Many of us remember a pre-WrestleMania WWF – a regional wrestling company that looked like a regional wrestling company. Then we experienced WrestleMania 1, whether live, on closed circuit or years later elsewhere.

‘It was magic. A regional wrestling company had become a global sports entertainment juggernaut. Vince led the way, side by side with Kevin Dunn.’

He hailed WWE’s ‘look’ and ‘feel’ as unrivalled, ‘singular and truly special’, adding: ‘No other company can or will do that, and that is because of Kevin and our media team’s hard work, smarts and determination.’

He noted the company ‘are forever grateful’ to him, while it’s been reported the decision to retire was Dunn’s alone, and he wasn’t fired or asked to leave.

Meanwhile, Khan and WWE chief Triple H, whose real name is Paul Levesque, are set to speak to the media team and superstars in two separate meetings before tonight’s Monday Night Raw: Day 1 special.

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