On Tuesday, TKO announced that Lee Fitting, former ESPN VP of Production, will become WWE’s new Head of Media & Production.
Fitting takes over many of the responsibilities from Kevin Dunn, one of the longest-tenured employees at WWE. Dunn submitted his notice to retire as Executive Producer and Chief of Global Television Distribution at the end of 2023, ending a WWE career that spanned nearly 40 years.
WWE President Nick Khan said about Fitting’s arrival, “Lee is a phenomenal leader and executive known for work that generates both critical acclaim and mass appeal. Lee will be a tremendous addition to our stellar media and production team and play a key role in helping catapult WWE’s growth.”
At ESPN, Fitting oversaw production for college football and NFL broadcasts, including the College Football Playoff, Monday Night Football and College GameDay. ESPN let Fitting go two weeks before the start of the 2023 college football regular season after 25 years at the company.
Fitting’s hiring at WWE may come as a surprise to many. Dunn mentored many in the decades he was at WWE, and for years, it was expected one of those people would be Dunn’s successor. AEW Senior VP and Co-Executive Producer Mike Mansury was someone many speculated about due to his time in WWE learning from Dunn and being highly regarded by Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque (Triple H).
While it may be a surprise, hiring someone outside of the pro wrestling bubble may bring some advantages in terms of having different ideas and perspectives to showcasing the on-screen product. Many fans complained about rapid camera cuts and zoom-ins when shooting matches during WWE broadcasts. Zoom-ins may be minimized if Fitting brings more of a sports-centric approach to production. Off-screen, Fitting’s time at Disney, along with his overall experience in the media industry, may strengthen the relationship between the two companies.
