5 Things You May Not Know About The Motor City Machine Guns Ahead Of Their WWE Debut

Sid Pullar III | Oct 18, 2024

TNAWrestling.com

The October 18 edition of WWE SmackDown looks to be the long awaited debut date for The Motor City Machine Guns. Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley are considered one of the most influential tag teams of their generation and their arrival in WWE was something many fans thought they may never see.

Before their introduction on the SmackDown brand, there are many things fans may not know about the boys from Detroit, Michigan. Here are 5 things you may not know about The Motor City Machine Guns before their WWE debut.

1. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley are widely regarded as the greatest TNA tag team of all time

After forming their tag team in the Zero-1 promotion and individual singles success, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley formed as a tag team in TNA back in April 2007. Becoming one of the most exciting tandems in the promotion, it was a long journey for the two stars to finally win their first tag team gold. In 2010, they finally won the TNA World Tag Team Titles from Beer Money, Inc.

Embarking on a memorable best-of-five series with Bobby Roode and James Storm, The Motor City Machine Guns elevated tag team wrestling back to prominence in TNA. They then went on to put another all time great tag team on the map with their battles with Generation Me, who fans may know best as The Young Bucks. After leaving TNA, the duo returned in 2020 and went on to win TNA World Tag Team gold on two more occasions, while stealing the show with the likes of The Rascalz, The North and ABC. The Machine Guns earned the moniker of the best TNA tag team ever.

2. Their other tag team success across NJPW, ROH, GCW & more

While their legacy in TNA Wrestling is something that many fans remember the most, it isn't the only place that has felt the impact of The Motor City Machine Guns. From incredible matches to championship gold, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley have left their mark on multiple promotions around the world for nearly two decades now.

In Ring of Honor, the duo are former ROH World Tag Team Champions, putting on classics against The Briscoes and The Young Bucks. While in New Japan Pro Wrestling, Sabin and Shelley won both the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles and the NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships. They have multiple tag team titles in independent promotions from GCW to AAW. Their influence has been felt around the world and across the pro wrestling scene.

3. Chris Sabin is a former TNA World Champion & the most prolific X-Division Champion of all time

For many wrestlers, being a tag team specialist like Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley will keep you boxed into that style. However, both men have accomplished a lot on their own. Shelley is a former TNA X-Division Champion and has won singles gold in over thirteen different promotions.

Meanwhile, Sabin is even more accomplished. Reaching the mountaintop of TNA Wrestling, one half of the Motor City Machine Guns won the TNA World Championship in 2013. Even more impressive, Sabin is the most prolific TNA X-Division Champion of all time with ten reigns. He is also synonymous with TNA's premier stipulation, the Ultimate X match. Sabin competed in the first ever bout and also some of the best in company history against a who's who of performers, such as AJ Styles and The Dudley Boys (Team 3D).

4. Alex Shelley is also a physical therapy clinician

Most days out of the week, I look like this. I read theories about why I wasn’t at @IMPACTWRESTLING for Hard to Kill. They ranged from injury, to illness, to getting arrested, to harming my family members and attempting to cover it up; I am a physical therapy clinician. pic.twitter.com/i68Bg0XHhl

— @Lx $helley (@AlexShelley313) January 28, 2021

When you have been in the pro wrestling business as long as The Motor City Machine Guns, it is hard to step away and achieve other accomplishments. However, that is exactly what Alex Shelley did in 2018. After his contract expired with Ring of Honor, Shelley decided to prepare for life after wrestling by a year-long clinical to become a certified physical therapist.

Shelley became fully committed to the field during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. His career as a clinician led to him stepping away from the pro wrestling business the following year before returning in 2022. Balancing both of his passions has been something many fans and wrestlers alike admire from the accomplished pro.

5. Motor City Machine Guns in AEW....for one match

At AEW All Out 2022, The Motor City Machine Guns made their debut for All Elite Wrestling, teaming with Jay Lethal to face Wardlow and FTR in a six-man tag team match. Despite coming up short on this night, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley's performance and their résumé led many fans to believe it was only a matter of time before they came to the Tony Khan-owned promotion.

When their TNA Wrestling contracts expired in 2024, many fans and reports believed that Sabin and Shelley were close to signing with All Elite Wrestling. However, rumors and reports started to circulate this wasn't meant to be. The Machine Guns were set to join WWE, which was confirmed by vignettes that aired on SmackDown over the past few weeks. A run in AEW will have to wait for now.

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