EXCLUSIVE: Ever-Rise "Shocked" By WWE Release, Were Pitching Ideas That Day
The wrestlers FKA Matt Martel and Chase Parker were taken by surprise on 25 June.
The tag team formerly known as Ever-Rise have told WhatCulture that they were "shocked" by their WWE release, revealing they felt like they had their entire careers in front of them in the promotion.
Matt (Martel) and Jeff (Chase Parker) were cut alongside 12 other NXT and 205 Live wrestlers on 25 June. Having been signed to the promotion since 2019, and after inking new contracts earlier in June, the duo were let go just as they were gaining traction on television.
Matt confirmed their surprise:-
"Yeah, [we were] surprised to say the least. Surprised to say the least. It seemed to us that we had our whole careers in front of us in WWE. We were on TV every week doing what we wanted to do."
It should be stressed here that Ever-Rise were in good spirits, speaking without a hint of resentment.
Jeff added the following:-
"Since, like, the month of October, we were doing something every week. Especially on NXT. finally getting, like, those... fleshing out those characters, which was always the idea, but it was a slow start."
Ever-Rise explained that the idea was for them to be introduced as background players before snowballing, saying they felt like they were beginning to pick up steam.
Jeff acknowledged, however, that wrestling isn't always known for its job security:-
"Unfortunately in the line of pro wrestling job security isn’t always something that is a checkmark in the box. Like, we all know this. Entertainment industry in general, it’s very risky, so you know these things, you know when you sign contracts ‘oh, this might not last the time that it’s supposed to.'"
The duo went on, stating that when they heard of Braun Strowman's WWE release, they knew all bets were off. They felt like WWE's decision came from the business side of things rather than the pro wrestling product, and they were caught up in that.
Both men praised the level of communication with NXT, which added to their surprise. Jeff stated that they were working on new material the very day they were let go:-
"For our end, there’s always great communication between... whether it be Triple H, or Shawn Michaels or the coaches at the Performance Center, the writing team, the producers. Great communication all around. So it was… again, that’s kind of why it comes as a surprise because we were still in the process of working on stuff that day. That day!"
We'll have more from the tag team formerly known as Ever-Rise over the next 24 hours, including what it was like working with Brock Lesnar and Goldberg, their next move in wrestling, dream opponents, and more.
For now, be sure to check them out as TheShowRULES on YouTube. They have picked up exactly where they left off.
This is a snippet from our upcoming interview with Matt and Jeff, which will be released shortly. Stay locked to WhatCulture Wrestling's YouTube and podcast channels for that.