2.0 On AEW Debut: It Took Balls To Put Us In That Spot

It didn’t take 2.0 (formerly Ever-Rise in NXT) long to find a new home after they were released by WWE on June 25. 

Matt Lee (formerly Matt Martel) & Jeff Parker (formerly Chase Parker) made their AEW debut on Wednesday’s Dynamite, teaming with Daniel Garcia to battle Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston & Jon Moxley. 

The duo said that they only had old 3.0 and Ever-Rise gear, which they couldn’t use as they reverted back to their 2.0 name.

“We had a feeling we would be going up to Jacksonville, so we kind of gave her the (heads up) like, ‘Hey, maybe get stuff ready for this period of time.’ It wasn’t ready. When we found out we were going for sure, not sure we would be wrestling, but you bring your gear. That’s one of the first rules you learn. She got it done. Sue. The best,” said Matt Lee on The Show Rules.

When asked how the locker room was compared to NXT, Matt said, “It felt similar to NXT, the locker room part. Easy going, the boys.”

Jeff Parker picked up by saying, “The boys are the boys, no matter where we’re working. For the most part, whether it’s NXT, AEW, I’m sure IMPACT is the same, it’s this group of people who have gone through, in different ways, the same path that converges. It’s the same people. We saw people we still stay in touch with and people we haven’t seen in years but you were friendly with.”

They said they had trouble navigating Daily’s Place and were ribbed at one point by being sent in the wrong direction. 

When asked about the 2.0 name, Jeff said, “I started wrestling a few months before Matt and was teaming with Nova Cain. I started as a referee, a crooked referee, and he would take me and train me as a wrestler. We were Under Construction. As a tag team, we had a crooked ref [Matt] and we became Under Construction 2.0. The heel turn happens, so Under Construction is done. We’re just 2.0.”

They were given the 3.0 name by Mike Quackenbush in CHIKARA before becoming Ever-Rise in WWE. 

Both men loved the energy of the crowd as the majority of their top run in NXT came during the pandemic era. Matt also said he had an idea to have a face-off with Sting, which became one of the top moments on Dynamite as Matt asked, “Are you the real Sting?” before Darby Allin crashed into him. 

“In two days, we did more than we did in two years,” said Lee. “It takes balls to do that. Two new guys in the company, to put that trust in them on national television against three of your top guys. It takes balls.”

Jeff commented, “Our run in NXT was what it was and we made the best of it, we had some good stuff, but it’s not being thrown into a match with the top three (faces).”

Matt clarified that he didn’t want to come off bitter as they both enjoyed their time in NXT. They also said they heard from many of their peers in WWE, who congratulated them on their match. Both men felt things went well and everyone backstage seemed pleased and happy when they got to the back. 

When asked about their future, Lee commented, “We want to be on Dynamite every week and be a focal point of the company. We want to contribute in every way. On social media, on Dark, host shows, pushing Daniel Garcia along. They really gave us a lot of opportunities in two days.”

They also stated set to appear on the upcoming episode of AEW Dark.

Daniel Garcia is set to return to Dynamite when he faces Darby Allin on August 11. 

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