Former WWE Senior Editor, Director of Editing, Technical Director, Director and VP of TV Technology Kevin Quinn recently held a Q&A on reddit to discuss all things pro-wrestling.
Quinn reveals that after 35 years he has been let go, and will now be retiring from the industry. He takes this opportunity to celebrate some of the best memories and stories he’s encountered while working at WWE, including work he is proudest of, what Roddy Piper was like, and how the relationship is between technicians and wrestlers.
At Towson State College in MD there was a teacher that moon-lighted at the facility in Owings Mills, MD that asked me one time to come help him copy and edit some WWE shows. The rest is history.
Of Vince, Stephanie, and Triple H, who is the easiest to get along with? Additionally, is Vince as eccentric as he sounds?
Stephanie was a dream to work with. She’d tell you what she wants, you tell her what you have to make it work and she’s thrilled with it.
Which PPV or show were you most proud of being a part of?
WrestleMania 29 preshow. I directed the preshow which had a match or 2 in it. I’ve edited millions of matches but never directed one live before that.
What’s the relationship typically like between the crew and the wrestlers? Any particular examples of good and bad interactions with some of the talent?
The talent heavily relies on the production team to put them over. Almost never negative interactions.
What’s your proudest accomplishment from your time in WWE?
I directed a WrestleMania preshow which included a match at MetLife stadium. I’ve edited matches since I was a kid but never directed a match live.
Craziest thing you had to edit out?
Jerry Lawler was accused of statutory rape and we had already shot 3 hours of program. We had to remove him from every show already shot. It took 2 over-nights.
What was Piper like behind the scenes?
Extremely friendly.
The thing that WWE does consistently better than anyone else is video packages. They are top notch. Do you have a favorite that you worked on or just one that was done while you were there?
I did a Macho Man Randy Savage video that I was pretty proud of. Also a
Lex Luger video I thought was pretty special.
What would you say is the biggest imprint on WWE that you’ve made?
We did a video where Mick Foley as Mankind introduced Dude Love and Cactus Jack. We used ultimatte and actually had Mankind high five himself as Dude Love. Lots of creativity and lots of fun.
Quinn also shared an interest behind the scenes video, which details the process behind producing the Wrestlemania 22 show-closing music video.
