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Monday, May 18, 2026

The Legacy of the Motor City Machine Guns

The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin), the tag team that is considered by many fans to be the best in the industry, recently saw the end of a full-time run under the WWE banner, and now fans and members of the industry alike are anticipating their next move. To understand why there is so much buzz right now, one only has to look at the Guns' accomplishments and contributions to the industry through the years.

Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin were TNA originals who did not receive the attention that they deserved over the years, with X Division Championship reigns being their biggest accomplishment. Shelley and Sabin finally discovered their TNA niche in 2007, when they were united as The Motor City Machine Guns and eventually won the TNA World Tag Team Championship.



As three-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, ROH World Tag Team Champions, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Champions, and the holders of many other championships internationally, the Motor City Machine Guns have been a dominant force in almost every notable promotion they have been in. With a combination of chemistry, innovation, technical moves, and high-flying maneuvers, the Guns have been show stealers on more than one occasion.



One of the highlights of the Motor City Machine Guns being a part of the SmackDown brand was their matches with #DIY, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Although Ciampa had not been in the ring with the Guns before then, Gargano teamed with former XPW World Tag Team Champion Josh Prohibition to wrestle them at an independent event in 2007. Gargano had also wrestled Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin in singles matches. But the October 2024 Motor City Machine Guns vs. #DIY match was the first.



Another highlight was the Motor City Machine Guns' match with The Bloodline, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. The Motor City Machine Guns appeared in NJPW during the time that Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa were wrestling for them regularly, but the two teams had never faced off. During Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa’s time in NJPW, they held the IWGP Tag Team Championship a record seven times, gaining them the reputation of being a great tag team. With the Guns having an exceptional reputation as well, this match taking place for the first time in their careers was exciting for fans.



Additionally, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, seasoned veterans of the ring, had matches with Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, rising stars who were still early in their careers. The matches between the Motor City Machine Guns and A-Town Down Under were valuable learning experiences for Theory and Waller.



It's also worth noting that before joining WWE full-time in October 2024, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin both worked with WWE in the past. In 2019, they were guest coaches at the WWE Performance Center on separate occasions.




In addition, in 2020, Alex Shelley teamed with Kushida for NXT live events and as a participant in that year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament.

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