Chad Gable: WWE Became So Storytelling-Centric Maybe Some Of The Athleticism Fell By The Wayside

One talent who is seemingly a fan of WWE moving towards more of a sports-based presentation is Chad Gable, with the former Raw Tag Team Champion praising Triple H for how the WWE Chief Content Officer has re-emphasised the physical aspect of pro wrestling. 

Gable told The Athletic: "Levesque [Triple H] has done a great job at showcasing what we do physically again to an audience that had forgotten a bit about that. We'd gotten so storytelling-centric that maybe some of the athleticism had fallen by the wayside."

The move towards more of a sports-based approach coincided with Kevin Dunn's departure from WWE and Lee Fitting's appointment as WWE Head of Media & Production in January 2024. One of the changes has seen WWE TV show talent arriving at the building, similar to what happens in the NFL or what broadcasting partners do for football matches. 

JD McDonagh has noticed this and he added: "We do these shots of us arriving at the arena now. It's just like the Premier League players getting off the bus."

In addition to WWE talent being shown arriving at the building, another change that has been widely praised is the move away from incessant camera cuts that became a hallmark of Kevin Dunn's WWE TV production. Lee Fitting even utilised a long drone shot during the February 19 episode of Monday Night Raw where the camera came from outside of Anaheim's Honda Center and swept through the arena until arriving at the ring. 

Prior to his WWE appointment, Lee Fitting oversaw production on several ESPN properties, including Monday Night Football and College GameDay.