WWE announced Tuesday the hire of Lee Fitting, a longtime ESPN exec who oversaw production for programming including “Monday Night Football” and “College GameDay.” He’s taking a role as head of media and production for the pro wrestling industry leader.
“Lee is a phenomenal leader and executive known for work that generates both critical acclaim and mass appeal,” WWE President Nick Khan said in a release. “Lee will be a tremendous addition to our stellar media and production team and play a key role in helping catapult WWE’s growth.”
Fitting’s hire is part of the company’s efforts to replace Kevin Dunn, who served as executive producer and chief of global TV distribution for WWE and left at the end of last year. Dunn was hired by Vince McMahon in the company’s early days back in 1984, taking the reins of executive producer for its programming when flagship show “Monday Night Raw” launched in 1993.
At ESPN, Fitting worked his way up after starting as a production assistant in 1996. He was let go by ESPN last year, ahead of the fall football season, as the company made cutbacks. Now he’s moving from one Connecticut-based brand to another.
Given Dunn’s broad portfolio of responsibilities, Fitting likely won’t be the only one taking on some of what Dunn did for the company. But Fitting is taking on perhaps the most important of Dunn’s duties, helping to manage the look and feel of WWE broadcasts going forward.
The shift follows new management moving in at WWE with last year’s merger between UFC and WWE under Endeavor through its new offshoot, TKO Group Holdings. It also follows reports by PWInsider and others of new management looking to cut costs.
The difference from Dunn’s production style has already been felt in the airing of the company’s flagship “Monday Night Raw” by viewers aware of Dunn’s exit, particularly in the style of how camera shots are called, with a subtler style apparently taking hold. It remains to be seen how the broadcasts will continue to evolve with Fitting moving into the role, but it would appear to be part of a continued shift to more of a sports-style presentation of the scripted world of pro wrestling across both its regular television programming and its premium live events, such as this month’s “Royal Rumble” and the annual “WrestleMania.”
It’s also part of a continued decline in the influence of company founder Vince McMahon. While he remains as TKO chairman following the merger, his influence on the product and presence behind the scenes has declined, with son-in-law and former pro wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque taking charge of the company’s creative and managing things behind the scenes. Dunn was seen as a key, loyal McMahon ally.
Fitting has a big legacy to fill. Beyond Kevin Dunn’s personal influence, he followed in the footsteps of his father, Dennis Dunn, who worked for Vince McMahon’s father in the precursor to the company back in the 1970s.
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