No professional wrestling match is the exact same, but all of them have a finish of some sort, even if it's a no contest ruling. According to in-ring veteran MVP, the finish is also the most important aspect, even if the bout attached to it is a throwaway.
"Who goes up, who goes down, how, the reason for it, depending on the story of the match. Sometimes it's just a random match, no reason for it other than we compete, we wrestle. Somebody's got to win; somebody's got to lose," MVP said on "Marking Out." "Three people know the finish in the ring. You, the person you're wrestling with, and the refs. They know how it's supposed to end, so they know when to count three. But there's been this thing where sometimes referees, the finish gets screwed up, and then they hesitate to count to three and then that blows everything. Especially if that was supposed to be three and you don't [count it]."
Typically, finishes of matches, including the winner, are predetermined by the booker behind the corresponding event lineup. On one occasion, however, MVP and fellow veteran Chavo Guerrero Jr. were given the creative freedom to choose the closing sequence to their faceoff at World Class Revolution, an indie promotion owned by Jerry Bostic.
"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.
