Stevie Richards on Why Kevin Dunn Leaving WWE Was Best for Business

The Stevie Richards Show debuts on KZbin and all podcast platforms on June 28th!
KZbin: / @stevierichardsshow
iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-stevie-richards-show/id1704813354
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1naez8vnDsGqow7m3E4mAG
Stevie Richards on Why Kevin Dunn Leaving WWE Was Best for Business
WSI socials: / wsi_youtube
/ wsiwrestling
/ wsiwrestlingshootinter...
Story Time with Dutch Mantell / @storytimewithdutchman... | Shane Douglas Official / @shanedouglasofficial
BOOK LINKS (Affiliate)
Owen Hart: King of Pranks (The Ultimate Anthology of Owen's Greatest Ribs, Pranks and Stories)
US Link: tinyurl.com/2ahedz57
UK Link: tinyurl.com/35rffufu
Canada Link: tinyurl.com/y77y627b
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: The People’s Champion - From WWE to Hollywood
US Link: tinyurl.com/mrxst8yk
UK Link: tinyurl.com/4nvke5wf
Canada Link: tinyurl.com/mu32uy8b
#WSI #WrestlingShootInterviews #WWE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WSI | Wrestling Shoot Interviews is part of the WSI Network
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WSI | Wrestling Shoot Interviews: / @wsi
Story Time with Dutch Mantell: / @storytimewithdutchman...
Don Muraco Podcast Archive: / @donmuracopod
James Romero: / @jamesromero

[@TheGM-20XX]

Kevin Dunn's camera cuts would give your eyes whiplash.

[@romans3-22]

I think he watched the Bourne identity too much

[@tezzrexx]

Made wrestling unwatchable. Especially on punches.

[@uria2001]

Dunn was great for years, but it was just time for someone else to take over.

[@roccojamison89gooker51]

Jackie Crockett: C'Mere! C'Mere! C'Mere! You Walk In The Middle Of Our .......Shot Again, Or You'll Never Get In This Building Again!

[@mickeyd8768]

Post match beat downs were the worst. I legit got motion sickness from all the camera cuts and had to stop watching

[@famicommike9014]

Whenever I hear KD I think of Cornette calling him Buckee Beaver

[@trevorhembrough1290]

That’s Bucky Tooth Beaver Motherfucker to you, Pal

[@roccojamison89gooker51]

Kevin Dunn: You Know Jim...I Find You Tiresome

[@trevorhembrough1290]

@@roccojamison89gooker51 Did this James Asshole really delete my comment from earlier when I clarified it was actually “Bucky Tooth Beaver Motherfucker?” Really? Well FUCK YOU, James “I’m Too Weird To Use My Last Name!!!” Grow a pair and actually call Dutch out for racist Shit he says once a Century instead of just sitting there while he says as he’s picking bugs out his mustache to eat while his Zoom is closed up on it like you usually do.

[@tonyslicer7399]

Everyone hates him because Everyone ridings Cornett jock

[@dan7478]

​@@roccojamison89gooker51Gotta include the Buggs Bunny chewing sounds in there. 😅

[@smoothpoon86]

The vocabulary and dialogue alone throughout the show is enough to notice his goofy ass isn’t chewing on the switchboard

[@reymondlopez7468]

Worse than the camera cuts were the quick zoom-ins on stomps and bumps. That shit would make me dizzy. Dunn thought himself a major movie directo when he was nothing more than a hack.

[@killwalker]

That shit was the WORST

[@lilbeezyspc]

So true!! I swear I've always hated it. So childish looking... I don't need the camera to tell me that there is action happening, WE SEE IT!!!

[@Br0130]

honestly speaking I liked it😂😂 idk why but thats just the way wrestling was for me for a lot of years and I begab thinking its normal

[@NklaTsla]

This comment reminds me of when Taker got Superkicked and Pedigreed at Wrestlemania, the moment he took the pedigree the camera went ballistic lol

[@bklynzfranchise]

I stopped watching because it was literally making me sick while watching.

[@williamkitchen5783]

Stevie is so knowledgable about aspects of pro-wrestling that wouldn't necessarily come to your mind immediately. Fantastic content James and Stevie!!!

[@Daniel-ml6tl]

Because he's done it so long and loves the business takes interest in in all aspects of it that's why he sees the technical business and production changes

[@averyferalkitten310]

I quit watching for years because of the crazy camera stuff, it gave me a headache. I’ve started watching again around wrestle mania and it’s so much better now. I’ve watched wresting since I was 5 and the camera stuff ruined it for me for way too long.

[@tormmac]

I'll show you..... You'll See!

[@Speedyreedy1218]

Stevie Night Heat.

[@Oldmonstrosityshop]

The spear by Edge at his Royal Rumble return tells you everything you need to know about Dunn

[@MrSkills123]

Stevie is such a good talker, I must have watched all his Heat matches back in the day!

[@BabysitterSky]

With Kevin Dunn it was like watching "Taken", 18 cuts to watch a dude climb over and fence. Now it's like watching John Wick, really long one shot takes that look amazing.

[@A-small-amount-of-peas]

Gotta give props to WCW doing tracking shots in the 90's for practically every Goldberg entrance. My favourite thing about the new set up in WWE is the 4k camera they use when they announce the match with both competitors in the ring and it swivels to show them both doing their thing to camera. Really simple but effective, if WWE get an Emmy Kevin Dunn will be profoundly PO'd but he's only got himself to blame, got stuck in a rut

[@joemckim1183]

Dunn just outlived his usefulness.

[@bassplayer8815]

I've actually got migraines from seeing any WWE during the end years of Kevin Dunn's tenure

[@jonathanbohm6489]

The production is soooo much better now imagine if they did this 10-15 years ago

[@Speedyreedy1218]

Too much production.

[@Beavis-ry6tj]

Stevie mentioned the NFL and how you don't usually see a camera shooting another camera. In fairness though, that's a huge field and you can strategically put cameras around in key locations. Wrestling is a 20 x 20 ring. So seeing the cameras makes it look and feel more like watching a legitimate combat sport such as boxing or MMA. As for Kevin Dunn's camera cuts, his obsession ruined so many moments. Including two of the biggest moments from Royal Rumble's over the last ten years. 2016 - The surprise WWE debut of AJ Styles, and the camera cuts to focus on Roman Reigns rather than AJ's entrance. 2020 - Edge comes back out of the blue for the first time in 9 years. And hits a spear on Dolph Ziggler which is missed due to Dunn's cutting to different cameras.

[@Speedyreedy1218]

2001-Misses HHH'S pinfall to win the IC belt back from Jeff. His music plays and the viewer doesn't see the finish.

[@CraigSmithII]

@WSI | Wrestling Shoot interviews WWE hired one of the main producers from ESPN's Monday Night Football to their production. The same camera angles that you see on MNF is what WWE is using plus some

[@Speedyreedy1218]

MNF stole XFL angles.

[@stingrey1571]

i remember watching the royal rumble a few years ago. i didnt know why my head was hurting. it felt like my eyes were throbbing and my brain was pulsating. it took me a while to realize it was dunn's damn production.

[@stevew7571]

Bucky beaver's time had passed.....years ago....

[@chikowashere]

I remember when I stopped watching NXT, it was because of Kevin Dunn. Shortly before NXT went to TV, there was an episode with so many cameras cuts in a match that I couldn't see a single move. That's when I quit, I knew Kevin was coming to ruin NXT as it went to television.

[@gedillt6498]

The constant zoom in on every punch thrown and bump taken made WWE unwatchable for me....I assume that's been toned down a bit from what I've seen

[@killwalker]

Basically doesnt happen now. C'mon back. It's worth it 😊

[@dnakatomiuk]

I think even Cornette said Dunn was one the reason WWE started going down the shiter

[@cijmo]

Definitely a contribution, I thought it declined with Lawler drooling that the only purpose for the women was dragging snail tracks around the ring.

[@dnakatomiuk]

@@cijmo Yeah those stupid Bra and Panties matches, Jackie, Ivory, Chyna, Victoria I think tried to set a decent women's division but because of Tori Wilson, Kelly Kelly etc it didn't work at all

[@cijmo]

@@dnakatomiuk No, it wasn't because of Vince. There is no way Tori and Kelly would have had any control over it. It was because Vince, Vince and only Vince. He gets off on humiliating women. I don't know if Laurinitis was there at the time but if he was - it was because of him, too. Who else would have made excuses for/allowed all that harassment to happen on the flight from hell? Who else sets breast implants as a condition of employment.

[@SteveAllen-lc5jr]

It does not bother me at all to see the camera men being caught on camera you now they are there so it does not bother me to see them

[@turkN9NE]

feels more organic to me. pretty much for the reason you listed

[@matturner6890]

*know

[@TheChapelx]

WWE legitimately got unwatchable due to the camera cuts. It started giving me motion sickness

[@user-vj9qz3br6l]

I remember avoiding to even give WWE a try again because of all the super fast cuts and camera jerkiness i.e. during punches

[@thekendemetrishow]

The booking is better and the stories are fresher, all true. The best thing about the Paul Levesque era is the visual production of the show. The camera cuts and angles are incredible

[@Revelation6_7-8]

Seeing the other cameras never bothered me, I knew they were there.

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

I could not watch modern wrestling with Dunns crazy camera cuts and zoom ins and zoom outs.

[@Speedyreedy1218]

I still can't watch modern wrestling.

[@zombiewarrior88]

​@@Speedyreedy1218 you mean AEW?

[@Speedyreedy1218]

@@zombiewarrior88 I mean both wwe and aew.

[@TheCorpsehatch]

Kevin Dunn did not know or even care about wrestling. WWE has improved immensely now that Dunn is gone.

[@mushroomsamba82]

Between the constant cuts and shaky-cam bullshit I'm surprised more people didn't get motion sickness from watching the show.

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

Scrolling through the comment turns out it was ridiculously prevalent 😂

[@martingitt4049]

I remember reading in Eric Bischoff's book stating that WWE had set full time camera crews who knew exactly where to be and what to shoot. WCW film crew was assigned by TURNER Broadcasting from Hawks and Braves games. They would get rotated in and out so no one could really master the craft of shooting pro wrestling.

[@uplayedurself]

The last piece in production left to fix are the theme songs. We've been in the dark ages for quite some time. But its looking great for everything else.

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

Fix? They ARE fixed. If fixed means taking them out because the record industry insists on ridiculous fees to play their "IP."

[@mrwil11]

I literally had my Tylenol on hand because of those camera cuts, I would have the sweats followed by headaches after watching some matches, those camera cuts were just AWFUL, glad to know that camera cuts will at least calm down …… hopefully ✌️💛

[@timothypettit32]

That video of a GoPro falling to earth was less jarring than Kevin Dunn’s production style

[@davidslayer]

he was only there to win an emmy, which his lead raw writer won one (she's now in aew) & he didn't.! ~ she liked my tweet to her calling him bucky-tooth beaver. 😆🤣

[@tezzrexx]

I loved seeing the other cameras too, definitely looked more like a sport

[@stingrey1571]

when logan paul did a frog splash. he set it up and the camera angle from above was awesome.

[@CraigSmithII]

@@stingrey1571 When Ricochet did his move from the top, the camera would rotate just like it does in the NFL

[@MARQ23]

This is one of the best discussions I’ve heard about production and how difficult it is and how things should’ve changed for the better. I will never forget that horrible botch of when they missed the camera cut to the tron showing “Phenomenal” and they just kept it on Roman … but yes hopefully from here on out they perfect the craft.

[@seanmcclure]

Dunn hated pro wrestling. He is responsible for the stupidity of those zoom ins and shaky cam.

[@MrTonyJ]

Gotta give Stevie Richard’s his flowers. He is very insightful.

[@thribs]

Now we get shots of wrestlers walking to the arena every bloody show. :)

[@mattm7798]

They're finding their groove, trying different things, which is refreshing. For a long while there, WWE felt very same-y as far as how things were shot, which makes sense when you've had the same director for 30 years.

[@Thecultofwrestling]

It's night and day difference

[@Speedyreedy1218]

They were walking to the arena in 99-01.

[@mr.fantastic1854]

I remember counting some 90 cuts in a short one segment match. I legit stopped watching because of the non stop camera cuts. I swear between Dunn and Vince I thought they were legit trying to keep people from wanting to watch. Everything was awful and the camera cuts made it impossible to enjoy. It's so much easier to watch now.

[@lukasmunzenmayer7489]

one thing i have notes doing this new era, is that we're getting to see gorilla, we saw it twice doing mania with both Sami and Owens entrences. but we also see it more or less byweekly now. in the first 8 years of me watching wrestleing (i started watching when i was 19 in 2015) i can only recall ones seeing Gorilla in a segment and that was when roman had enough of Brock and went into gorilla and starting shouting at Vince (that was also done in one take btw). That is the only time i can recall i saw gorilla that was not a behind the scene stuff.

[@ianvollmer4928]

Stevie should keep this selfishly ... But def should b hired by wwe. Dude gets wrestling and production. Hes an asset to the biz. Pay this man please!!!!

[@mvrtinxz650]

Said absolutely no one ever lmao. He’s fine right here on KZbin lol.

[@Speedyreedy1218]

Probably should squash his heat with HHH first.

[@cijmo]

I love the camerawork now. Sweeping down the stairs, overheads and especially lack of zooming. Who said that was a good idea. It made me sick but I do have epilepsy (as opposed to 'giving me' epilepsy) and instinctively I just couldn't watch.

[@DrHDoofenshmirtzphd]

They cut on action in movies because the actors can't actually fight and it looks like ass. Watch some old Hong Kong films. Far fewer cuts and you see the impact and you can really feel that. So much better than cutting on impact.

[@Payaso_M13]

That zoom in and out was miserable watching it.

[@JOBdOut]

Only thing i disagree with was the idea the dunn cuts were "almost nauseating" - they were absolutely revolting. I remember a few years back there was a vid of the first 60 seconds of a match from that weeks raw, smackdown, dynamite and impact counting the cuts and raw managed over 30

[@ericjackson7632]

I must be really old if New Generation era is now way back. I was expecting something from the 70s lol.

[@Speedyreedy1218]

Same

[@matturner6890]

He's gone?!? AWESOME!!

[@grid462]

It is low bar faint praise and typical of WWE type organisations to see them causing a problem and then gush as they somewhat then very reluctantly remove it. Probably temporarily. They had to improve, probably briefly, only because they were forced to, because they finally had competition and the world finally caught of to the demon class the boss was in. & Just watch they will revert at the first opportunity and stans will wonder why

[@0INFERNO1]

When I worked as a camera man many moons ago, the one thing that was drilled into us was never get another camera operator on camera.

[@misunderstood781981]

Stevie Richards, is one of the great minds of professional wrestling 💯

[@Hypno_BPM]

the photographers ringside also made matches in the 90s/early 00s seem more important or special

[@conradoramos9105]

Stevie wasn't my favorite wrestler as a kid, but as an adult you sure as hell are!!!!!

[@walterhager8626]

Best news Cornettes heard in years 😂😂😂❤

[@afatalvendetta]

Imagine missing a camera angle? Like, could you imagine having the camera on Roman Reigns when AJ Styles debuted at the Rumble?

[@playerroku4412]

The Shakey cam was the worst. The camera men still do it from time to time but it's like out of habit and they quickly stop.

[@WhiskeyFiend]

Still wanna know what happened in the production truck When AJ debuted at the royal rumble.

[@blitzofchaosgaming6737]

The illustration of the limited camera cuts that stands out to me is the debut of the Wyatt Sicks.

[@rendragmedia]

I think Kevin Dunn believed the more camera cuts within a one-minute introduction the better.

[@lockedinnn]

The absolute best thing that could happen

[@Hypno_BPM]

i miss the old outro theme song

[@Hippityhop-13]

Stevie is so entertaining to listen to and his insights are unmatched in these interview sessions, no disrespect to some of the others intended. Count me as one of the fans that could very easily/happily live without the heavy duty production of wrestling telecasts, a bit grittier and unpolished ( much as music should be imo) just feels right for wrestling to me.

[@ericvyskocil7428]

I studied and got an AAS of tv production in college. We focused mostly on news room productions, but were always told that live sports directing was the hardest thing to do.

[@alanwakeish]

Kevin Dunn "Retired"

[@shawnwbronx]

Kevin can finally focus on what he was born to do. He can build dams at his leisure.

[@desisdosis473]

In Backsight it really Vince and Dunn HATE professional wrestling so they destroyed their own product by presenting it in the worst way possible.

[@davidweaver766]

Who doesn’t miss the Kevin Dunn camera cut on every punch during a ten count punch on the post. I really enjoyed my seizure every Monday with that BS.

[@Grudeman408]

Stevie is a great person and great storyteller 👍

[@noiamrich]

They did that top down angle again with Bron and Zayn on raw as he ran the floor to spear him. Incredible shot. 4:58

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

Nauseating was the perfect word I'm a lapsed fan not really watched seriously for 20 years I tried watching WM last year and I actually had to give up 30 minutes in because it was just too much visual noise I feel the same way about the L.E.D boards too I'm high functioning but so much input spins my fucking head out

[@dgthe3]

The thing with frantic cuts being used in moves is that technique was done mainly to splice together multiple takes. Because the odds of a single take having multiple elements in a row all being 'the best' were pretty minimal. In wrestling, the whole ting is a single take. Its the best one, its the worst one. Its all you've got. Use that to your advantage.

[@XTR02]

Overall, the WWE product feels decently more organic. Sometimes, less is more. One of the worst things that businesses can do is incorporate the idea that more is better. Being simple yet effective is what drives business on all counts. Same principle applies to WWE. Adding more upon more on production didn’t enhance the viewing experience but it made for a more complicated yet less desirable viewing experience. It’s not just camera work but also the arena setup. The enormous LED screen felt too distracting. Being a bit minimalistic without sacrificing quality is key.

[@davidratty2242]

I think it would be fascinating to sit in a production truck for three hours and just watch how everyone does what they do.

[@WorkaholicB1]

there should be a video game live theater production simulator.

[@ShinyHubCaps]

1. Once I realized they would always cut before impact, it made WWE unwatchable for me. I legit felt badly for the wrestlers who would take splashes and slams and other moves where there was nothing to hide. Like you take a legit bump and people don’t even see it! 2. The NFL totally shows cameras and other equipment, just not from the hard cam. You always see cameramen and parabolic mic operators when they switch to the sideline and end line free cams.

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

Um, then stop hurting each other?

[@tullyDT]

Kevin Dunn's production have me motion sickness like a Micheal Bay transformers movie

[@desisdosis473]

The overly clean, Disney-ish production of the PG era was almost worse then Vince's atrocious booking decisions.

[@DemetriusOnTheMove]

I LOVE THIS Content

[@DavidxBoyd]

that aerial view of Bron Breaker’s runs around the outside culminating in a spear in front of the announcer desk? That would t happen in the Dunn era

[@dddking9284]

He's a blight who was hated by even the likes of Paul Bearer behind the scenes a person who didn't have tension with many which certainly tells you on how Kevin Dunn was not only a blight on TV but an annoyance to everyone else.

[@jasonelliott7977]

Stevie should have been doing this a long time ago

[@HarbingerOfBattle]

Funny how wrestling thrives when you take the restraints off.

[@Speedyreedy1218]

So they're gonna have their own finishers now and stop doing stunners, pedigrees, and superkicks? Heavyweight champs are gonna be big again?

[@HarbingerOfBattle]

@@Speedyreedy1218 Nearly every finishing move is a variation of something the old timers have seen already. The Tombstone is a kneeling piledriver, the Stunner is a sitting reverse facebuster, the Rock Bottom is just a sideslam, etc. Heavyweight Champions don’t have to be the size of Hulk Hogan. There’s been Brett Heart, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and now Cody. Wrestling comes in many forms and is always changing. Sure people can try to stop it, but it is a fundamental fact of life that change is inevitable. The more we run from it, the harder it will crash into us. The status quo is only what you’ve grown accustomed to. I learned that lesson when John Cena became the face of the company and everything went PG. The late 90s-early 2000s WWE wrestling that I loved was gone, replaced by a new era of kid friendly entertainment…like WWE in the 80s. As you get older, you will recognize these patterns. Especially when you look back to the days before your time.

[@Speedyreedy1218]

@@HarbingerOfBattle Stunner is a jawbreaker. The Rock Bottom is the signature one arm slam Hall did all the time that Rock stole. I stopped watching wwe when Cena was at the forefront. Never liked 80s WWE. It was NWA for me.

[@silverroddo1468]

I feel, WWE could do a re-edit of WWE Pay Per Views with the zoom-ins/outs shots cut-out, and totally relying the hard-camera, but also switch to footage that doesn’t have those stupid zooming.

[@kinginfamousz]

7:10 Nice.

[@longjohn526]

In the NFL the only time you see a cameraman is when they get run over by a player ......

[@tattedmetal_]

I didn't notice it until after watching the new production and then when wwe posted about the history of The Shield how crazy the camera work was. It was so bad I had to turn it off cause I was starting to get nauseous watching it.

[@JackgarPrime]

There was a time when Dunn was a groundbreaking figure in television production, but that time had long passed. Having new eyes and minds in charge has been needed for a long while.

[@mattm7798]

I can definitely see the more varied camera angles now but never really noticed the infamous Kevin Dunn jump cuts. By most accounts, Dunn's ability as a director was never questioned. It seemed he was good at his job...he was just anti social.

[@Ruben-so7pu]

WWE now needs to improve the picture quality, that shitty 1080 has to be upgraded, i´d imagine they´ll have to do it for Netflix.

[@anthonymacgregor9790]

i dont think 4k will be a requirement for netflix but more getting viewers will be.

[@milky2sugars]

Shitty 1080 😂😂😂😂

[@Ruben-so7pu]

@@anthonymacgregor9790 surely better qualty than what they have right now.

[@anthonymacgregor9790]

@@Ruben-so7pu better quality video dose not equate to a better quality product. plus most people don't give a fuck if its 1080p, 4k or 8k they want a decent show

[@Ruben-so7pu]

@@anthonymacgregor9790 sure cause you can´t get both lol.

[@MrCromocrunch]

I love the story of how Kevin Dunn and his kid got and kept their jobs for so long.

[@bbb4228]

Kevin Dunn’s “directing” style was almost enough to make WWE unwatchable for years.

[@ComicBookGuy420]

After some of the things Ashley had to say about him and Vince, good riddance

[@adamsifford6228]

Wow undertaker breaks kayfabe now Stevie. If that's your real name.stevie Callaway? Stevie Michaels. Stevie Blue Raven.....

[@Hashbrowniepie]

Dunn and his nonsense was the main reason I quit watching for so long. It's so much better now.

[@phillysfinest215]

U can tell Stevie a nerd 😂❤

[@mjuzumaki]

TL;DW: Cuz he SUUUUUUUCKED.

[@BVAutoService]

Its still so sad that Kevin Sullivan had to kill the Benoit family. I wish he didnt have to do that.

[@leslie62]

Stevie *chomp chomp* I find you tiresome.

[@tomvu1470]

Corny approves of this comment.😂

[@scottbrown-vc2lp]

im old school i stopped watching in the mid 90's i acutally thought Bret "HITMAN" har meany he was a singer not a real "HITMAN" brett was not as good as he thinks he was....

[@matturner6890]

Incorrect, useless comment.

[@tonyslicer7399]

Notice these people talking about Kevin Dinn barley wrestled in wwe

[@analiysanchez9949]

What are you talking about? Stevie was in wwe for 9 years. What have done in life besides piss and moan?

[@matturner6890]

*barely, barley's what you brew beer with.