Motor City Machine Guns are All Elite. Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin opened Thursday’s AEW Collision from Detroit’s Masonic Temple Theater by announcing they have officially signed with AEW.
Sabin asked the crowd, “Did you not think we would be here?” before Shelley told fans the team is home and has officially signed with the company. AEW confirmed the signing on its own X account shortly after.
Shelley and Sabin were released by WWE in April as part of a larger round of post-WrestleMania cuts. Their 90-day non-compete clause expired on July 23, clearing them to sign elsewhere. The pair had teased finding a new home in a video posted to their YouTube channel following the release, fueling weeks of speculation that AEW would be their landing spot.
A Homecoming Years In The Making
Shelley and Sabin are Detroit natives, and signs pointed to AEW using their hometown for a debut all week. The promotion ran back-to-back shows at the Masonic Temple Theater, with Dynamite airing Wednesday and Collision following Thursday. Reports had linked the team to AEW since their WWE release.
The Motor City Machine Guns previously appeared for AEW in 2022, teaming with Jay Lethal against FTR and Wardlow at All Out. That match marked their only prior showing for the company, which came while they were still working under a TNA contract.
Shelley and Sabin are among the most decorated tag teams in wrestling history, having held championship gold in WWE, TNA, ROH, and NJPW.
