The Motor City Machine Guns

Team Information

The Motor City Machine Guns, comprising Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, are an American tag team in the realm of professional wrestling. Formed in Pro Wrestling Zero1 in 2006, the team moniker, which has alternated between 'Motor City' and 'Murder City,' refers to Detroit, the hometown of both Sabin and Shelley. The duo gained prominence through their tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and later through Impact Wrestling’s (TNA) collaboration with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).

Professional Wrestling Career

Formation

Shelley and Sabin began teaming up in Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max in 2006, winning the Zero1-Max International Lightweight Tag Team Championship from Minoru Fujita and Ikuto Hidaka on August 25. Their reign endured for nearly two years before relinquishing the titles to Fujita and Takuya Sugawara. During this period, the duo also briefly competed in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Prime Time Wrestling (PTW), UWA Hardcore Wrestling (UWA), International Wrestling Cartel (IWC) and several other independent promotions in the United States.

TNA (2007– 2012)

In April 2007, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, previously singles wrestlers in TNA’s X Division, debuted as the Motor City Machine Guns. Initially known as the Murder City Machine Guns, they briefly worked with Kevin Nash as their manager before he left the group. Throughout this phase, they also competed in independent promotions, capturing the All-American Wrestling Tag Team Championship.

The Motor City Machine Guns engaged in a heated feud with Team 3D, defeating them at Genesis and later facing them in an Ultimate X match at Final Resolution, where Team 3D controversially used a ladder to win. The feud culminated in a Street Fight at Against All Odds, where Sabin and Shelley, alongside Jay Lethal, secured the future of the X Division, effectively disqualifying Team 3D from future matches. Later, Sabin and Shelley represented Team TNA at the 2008 World X Cup but were defeated by Team Mexico.

On October 30, 2008, the Motor City Machine Guns joined The TNA Front Line along with A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, Petey Williams, Eric Young, and ODB to battle The Main Event Mafia. They turned heel by attacking Lethal Consequences. Shelley later captured the TNA X Division Championship at Genesis, only to lose it to Suicide at Destination X. For months, they attempted to unmask Suicide, suspecting Christopher Daniels of being behind the persona.

Eventually, they turned face again, aligning with Daniels to oppose World Elite. Despite winning a pre-show match at Bound for Glory, they lost several opportunities to claim the TNA World Tag Team Championship, including matches against Beer Money, the British Invasion, and Matt Morgan & Amazing Red.

On July 11 at Victory Road, the duo ultimately clinched the TNA World Tag Team Championship for the first time by defeating Beer Money, Inc. Following this victory, they defended their titles against several formidable teams, including Beer Money, Generation Me, Team 3D, and Immortal. Their 182-day title reign concluded when they lost the titles to Beer Money Inc. at TNA Genesis 2011.

The Motor City Machine Guns encountered a major setback when Chris Sabin sustained a severe knee injury in April 2011, which sidelined him for about a year. They returned on April 5, 2012, defeating Mexican America and challenging Magnus and Samoa for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Despite their efforts, they lost to Magnus and Samoa Joe at Lockdown and subsequently only appeared on house shows before Shelley left TNA, leading to the disbandment of the team.

ROH (2007–2008, 2010, 2016–2018)

The Motor City Machine Guns debuted in ROH on March 30, 2007, attacking the Briscoe Brothers after their tag title win. They briefly competed in ROH before TNA pulled them from future shows. They returned in April 2008, achieving mixed results against various teams, and reappeared in August 2008 for notable matches but were again pulled by TNA from October events.

They reunited on February 26, 2016, defeating The Addiction and challenging for the ROH World Tag Team Championship, but fell short. On September 22, 2017, they captured the titles by defeating The Young Bucks but later lost them to The Briscoe Brothers on March 9, 2018, ending their 168-day reign. However, Shelley’s injury and subsequent departure on July 20, 2018, led to the demise of the team.

NJPW (2009, 2010, 2016, 2022–present)

The Motor City Machine Guns first entered New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) on January 4, 2009, defeating No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro) at Wrestle Kingdom III to capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. They held the titles until July 5, 2009, when they were ultimately defeated by Apollo 55 at NJPW’s New Japan Soul event.

The pair returned on August 21, 2016, but lost to The Young Bucks. They later reclaimed prominence by securing the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships on October 28, 2023, at Rumble on 44th Street, defeating Aussie Open and The DKC & Kevin Knight in a three-way match. However, at the 2023 NJPW Capital Collision, the Aussie Open ended their 169-day title streak in another intense three-way encounter, also involving the team of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada.

Return to TNA (2020–2021, 2022–2024)

At the 2020 Slammiversary, the Motor City Machine Guns made their return to Impact Wrestling, defeating The Rascalz in their comeback match. Shortly after, they captured the Impact World Tag Team Championship for the second time by defeating The North. But, at Bound for Glory, they lost the titles back to The North in a four-way tag team match, which also included The Good Brothers and the team of Ace Austin & Madman Fulton.

On December 9, 2022, the Motor City Machine Guns secured their third Impact World Tag Team Championship by defeating Heath and Rhino. Their reign lasted until March 2, 2023, when they were overcome by Ace Austin and Chris Bey. The duo wrestled their final match for Impact on March 23, 2024, against The System, before their contracts expired on April 1, 2024.

All Elite Wrestling (AEW – 2022)

Debuting in AEW on August 24, 2022, the Motor City Machine Guns teamed with Jay Lethal in a six-man clash against Wardlow and FTR, only to suffer a defeat after Samoa Joe’s early interference disrupted the match’s momentum.

WWE (2024-present)

Shelley and Sabin signed with WWE in September 2024 and are performing as a tag team on the SmackDown brand as of October 2024.

Motor City Machine Guns Championships and Accomplishments