Matt: During the angle with Lita and Dean Malenko, there were tentative plans that would have had me becoming so jealous that I freak out and turn heel. I think Stephanie McMahon, who was heading up the creative department at the point, was pushing for that. She really wanted to split us up. But we weren't ready yet. We thought there was plenty of life left in Team Extreme.

Once we made the Chef Boyardee commercial, the plan to break us up was put on the back burner. The commercial was set to start airing in mid-January, and so they had to keep us together.

Jeff: When Dean came back in the beginning of February, we picked up the angle right where we left off. It was pretty funny, because I'm sure when he took off, he was thinking, Whew! Thank God I got out of that one. Now I won't have to put over the girl. And now he had to put over the girl!

They asked us if we thought we could stretch out the angle until WrestleMania, and we all agreed, "Absolutely not."

It would've been one thing if there was a clear picture of where the angle was going, but it was very much one of those things where they were making it up as they went along. And the truth is, we weren't all that comfortable working with those guys. It was a real clash of personalities and wrestling styles.

We just wanted to get through it, and the sooner the better. It was decided that we'd tie it all up at Raw in St. Louis.

Matt: When they presented the idea of an on-air romance to us, they worried that we might have a problem with it, but we were fine with it. We both felt comortable enough that the fans would accept us as a couple.

I think they felt that two people who see each other in real life would be more realistic than a gimmick couple like Spike Dudley and Molly Holly. Plus, the possibilities for physical contact between us is pretty limitless. A gimmick couple can be professional and do what they don't normally do with each other, but there's definitely a line that's drawn. Especially when one of the couples has a husband or wife that's home watching it happen on TV.

By this point, a lot of people in the WWE knew that we were together, but we had always made a point of not being too blatant about our relationship. That day in the arena, Amy and I were outside the dressing room, and I said, "Okay, let's go ahead and figure out exactly how we're going to do this so that we're on the same page out there." Obviously, we'd kissed several times before in real life, but we wanted to be sure that it looked right on TV.

There we were, rehearsing our big love scene in this corridor, making sure that if anyone walked down the hall, we would act like we were just hanging out. We didn't want people to think we were really back there making out.

When it came time for the match, Dean really pulled out all the stops, acting like a total dickhead. The thing about Dean is that he's a great technical wrestler, but he could never get serious heel heat on himself, because in WWE, that comes from your persona more than anything else. When it comes to wrestling, you can't really touch him, but he's just kind of bland when it comes to being a WWE type of character.

But in this match, he really turned it up and got a much better reaction than he'd been getting previously. It might have been because he didn't have to sell for her, except for the three seconds at the end.

Dean picked Lita up for a slam, and as he swung her around, her feet hit the referee, knocking him unconscious. That was my chance to make the save! I ran in and cracked Dean with a chair, and slid out of the ring. Lita got on top for the pin -- 1-2-3! I got back in the ring and we started jumping up and down, celebrating. And, in the heat of the moment, I kissed her.

Lita just stared at me with this surprised look. Uh-oh, I thought, Maybe I shouldn't have done that.

I went to walk up the ramp, and Lita spun me around and laid the big one on me. The crowd just went totally, completely nuts.

I know Vince and WWE executive producer Kevin Dunn were both worried that the kiss wasn't going to work, that it would look forced. When we got to the back, they both thought it was the greatest thing ever. "That was excellent. Great job!"

"The Kiss" became a classic moment. It even made the WWE Desire video.

Amazingly, our real relationship didn't become public knowledge after our on-air relationship began. A lot of people had thought we might be involved, but we never allowed for anything more than speculation. The way we'd interact together backstage was the same as the way Jeff and I work together. Okay, so it was a little better than that, but in theory, we just acted like close friends and business partners.

One of the most twisted things about this business is how truth and fiction are blurred. There's reality and then there's WWE reality. There's probably a lot of people that don't know if Jeff and I are really brothers. When you eatch WWE, you don't always know what to believe, which is how they like it.

My relationship with Amy has been a slow build.We just knew if it was more of a gradual thing, it would be a lot more acceptable to the rest of the locker room. I never had guys giving me a hard time about it. There have been cases where a girl comes to work there, and all of a sudden she's sitting on one of the boys' laps, making kissy face, and they never heard the end of it.

When we went to work, we were there to work. What we did on our own time, we did on our own time. We didn't want to rub our relationship in anybody's face or make a big issue out of it. People assumed what they assumed, but nobody said anything about it to us. A lot of that has to do with the fact that they respected us as workers, so they respected our privacy as people.

Jeff: When Matt's in the back with Amy, there are times when I can see that he's trying to be one of the guys, and not bring himself. I think he loves her to death, but he's not the kind of guy that is comfortable showing his emotions, let alone saying the three little words too easily. He's like our daddy in that way -- Dad won't ever say that kind of stuff, especially to Matt and me. Even though I know he loves us, he's just the type of person that has a hard time letting it out.

But there's not getting around the fact that Matt couldn't asl for a more perfect girlfriend, as far as having a passion for the business like he does.

Matt: The easiest way to describe my relationship with Amy is like having a best friend that likes all the same things I like -- except she's a pretty girl that I have sex with. I think she liked me more than I liked her in the beginning. I admit it -- I'm not the kind of guy who falls in love easily. I've always been the loner type. We didn't have a mom and our dad wasn't very open with his feelings. I knew that he loved me, but in the end, I have to take care of myself. I was of the mentality that I'm all I have in this world, and that's fine. I can do it alone and I'll be cool.

Plus, Amy was so not like the girl I envisioned myself with. We joke about it because I always saw myself with the stereotypical hot blond bombshell, as opposed to a girl with a big tattoo on her arm. At first, I thought, her tattoo is so big! I wish she didn't have it. It was a little hard to get around. It's funny, because I don't even see it anymore.

What really sealed the deal for us was how well matched our personalities are. You would think working and traveling together all the time would create some tension, but we get along beautifully. It definitely helps to travel with somebody you can get along with. If you don't see eye to eye, if there are issues or complications, it makes an already stressful experience all the more aggrevating. But if you're lucky enough to travel with someone you're compatible with, you can do all the things that you both like to do.

The work and travel can be stressful, but not our relationship. Being with Amy is one of the things that helps relieve that stress.