“We are in Texas and Texas is Guerrero country, but I have been the champ here and I’m pretty over with the crowd as a babyface. What should we do?” MVP recalled. “I told Chavo, ‘Ah, go ahead, man. You take it.’ Chavo was like, ‘No, bro. No, no, you go ahead.’ Me and Chavo had been places and done things. With absolutely no disrespect to Jerry and his company’s title, we weren’t at a stage in our careers where ‘I want to be the champ.’ Being the champ makes your bag heavy, you got to carry that belt, and we’re boys and we’re professionals. It doesn’t matter who wins right here. If you want it or if you think it’s more appropriate for you to get the win here, then take it. If it’s on me, then I’ll take it.”

Unsure of who would be the more fitting winner on that night, MVP and Guerrero ultimately left the decision up to the live audience, specifically based off of their reactions as the match unfolded. As such, MVP instructed the referee to simply count when one of them made a pinfall attempt, and whenever he reached three, he too would know the winner.

In between, Guerrero and MVP kept the line of communication between each other strong, with the pair making many in-ring choices on the fly. Beforehand, they did plan one specific thing, though — Guerrero hitting his signature frog splash. And depending on the audience’s real-time response, MVP would either stay flat for Guerrero to pin him or he’d kick out to continue the action.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Marking Out” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.