NXT or Main Roster: Motor City Machine Guns seemingly headed to WWE

The Motor City Machine Guns were a major conversation point on Thursday, September 12. The day started with news that the duo of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin have signed to WWE, and are headed to NXT, with expectations that they will debut during the premiere on CW. But the biggest question arose as to whether NXT was the right place for them at this point in their career. The answer to that can fall on either side of the coin, with both being valid.

NXT has quietly become one of the best products that WWE produces each week. It’s a show that frequently features high-level professional wrestling, characters that keep fans interested, and puts the spotlight on women and people of color each week. There’s a lot to enjoy in NXT, as the show has come a long way after the NXT 2.0 transition badly tarnished the brand.

Yet, NXT is still considered developmental. It’s where names like Trick Williams, JeVon Evans, and Charlie Dempsey cut their teeth before being whisked away to the main roster, if that even happens. While some main roster stars may drop in from time to time, SmackDown and Monday Night Raw are their true homes as the flagship shows.

NXT may be shifting over to CW and will potentially be treated as a bigger deal, but it is still the third brand on the hierarchy scale. That is an issue with MCMG fans who are thinking about seeing these two performers in “developmental.” While there’s an opportunity for some great matches, Sabin and Shelley are 42 and 41 years of age, respectively. They are almost twice as old as several of the top names in NXT today. While those individuals stand to learn a lot from MCMG, the question is how much longer will they be able to perform at their current level? The clock is running, and to some viewers, sending Sabin and Shelley to NXT may be seen as wasting what precious time they have in the ring.

Think about some of the matches that could happen if MCMG were pushed directly to the main roster. They could take on teams like DIY, Pretty Deadly, GOD, Street Profits, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, and others. There are several names available that could stand across from them and be a main event worthy contest. The Lucha Bros are supposedly heading to WWE as well. That’s another match in the near future that would steal the show.

The one match that many are looking forward to is Sabin and Shelley versus Axiom and Nathan Frazer. While that match would be exceptional, there’s no reason for the multi-time champions to have to go to NXT for that to happen. WWE could simply move Axiom and Frazer to either brand, further boosting a tag team division that needs it.

If the news that Sabin and Shelley are heading to WWE is 100 percent accurate, the promotion is not only getting one of the best teams in the world, but also two of the top singles performers available. Opinions on where they should go on the roster will differ, but everyone hopes that they are leveraged in the right way when the time comes.