Kevin Dunn is reportedly expected to stay with WWE, despite the sweeping changes to the company’s power structure.
Dunn, WWE’s executive producer & chief of global television distribution, has been with the company since 1984. Since 1988, he has worked as the line producer for all live WWE television shows, and he has also been on WWE’s Board of Directors since 2008.
Even with his lengthy tenure, there had been a belief that Dunn’s time with the company might be coming to an end in the aftermath of Vince McMahon’s retirement on July 22.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reports that Dunn is expected to stay with WWE. One source noted that the company doesn’t believe that it has Dunne’s potential replacement right now, and the likely candidate to do so was released during a previous wave of layoffs. The report notes that the manner of the exit would likely prevent a return. Sapp cited multiple talent who made it clear that they wanted the production style to change. Two sources stated that some aspects of WWE’s production “undermine their in-ring work.”
Additionally, Sapp reports that, during WWE’s run with the ThunderDome at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay, staff and talent noticed that a production truck, which was confirmed to be led by Dunn, had a “Trump 2020” flag taped on its side. Sapp cited one talent who stated that the sight of the flag, in the midst of numerous rounds of cuts. was a reminder that “the talent didn’t matter to the higher ups.” Sources stated that the flag was put up on December 2020, which is when President Trump was denying the results of the 2020 election, following President Biden’s victory in November.
The report, and a subsequent tweet from Sapp, also emphasized that it’s unclear who posted the flag or requested for it to be put up. The truck was confirmed to be located at an area where talent would get their temperature taken before they entered the ThunderDome itself. Additionally, Sapp stated that, according to the talent he spoke to, they think that McMahon would not have been okay with the flag being posted, despite his friendship with the former President, because he wouldn’t have wanted it to be part of the backstage environment. Another source noted that, at the time, McMahon was often in his office throughout the day, and he didn’t tend to leave it as much as he did before and after the ThunderDome era.
Sapp also cited sources that suggested that Dunn made his political beliefs clear when they were around him, and in a general sense, McMahon tended to “actively discourage” this behavior.
It's worth noting, the truck was confirmed to be led by Dunn. We can't confirm he physically posted it or asked for it to be up.
Talent I've spoken to believe Vince McMahon would not have been okay with it being posted, despite his friendship with the former President.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) August 9, 2022
The report also references the episode of WWE RAW in July, when Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil kicked off the show and said that WWE never gets political. Sapp cited some talent who were frustrated by this, given the sight of the Trump flag.
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