The Motor City Machine Guns are versatile performers for the WWE roster

The October 18th edition of WWE SmackDown featured the debut of the Motor City Machine Guns. The duo took part in the tournament to crown tag team contenders and they face DIY in a dream match on the next episode. Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley are one of the most important tag teams in recent wrestling history. But WWE is also getting a duo of exceptional singles performers that offer versatility on the roster.

Depending upon the records used, MCMG are nearing their 19th or 22nd year in teaming together. Cagematch has a match from 2003 listed on the team’s record book where they took on the duo of Gutter and Jimmy Jacobs in a tag match. However, most chronicles list their time in ZERO-1 Max as the group’s first entry in tag team wrestling.

Whichever is used, there’s still a wealth of examples where MCMG stands out as one of the top teams in the industry. Together they’ve achieved so much. This includes 11 reigns as tag team champions across nine different promotions. They held the TNA World Tag Team Championship for a combined 357 days, which is where many saw the bulk of their work. But their success carries across companies like GCW, NJPW, and Ring of Honor.

Yet, it is important to recognize what these two men have achieved as singles performers. Both held the TNA World Championship at some point in their career. Sabin held the title for 28 days back in 2013, while Shelley was the champion for 218 across 2023 and 2024. Not only that, but they’ve held a slew of other titles throughout their career. Shelley and Sabin do a great job of not only getting fans invested in their status as a tag team, but what they do as individual performers, making them exceptionally valuable to the WWE roster.

As WWE puts more emphasis on great matches, Sabin and Shelley would be excellent performers to get opportunities to shine on their own. Think about matches like Cody Rhodes versus Alex Shelley. Chris Sabin versus Seth Rollins. Either man against Gunther, Ilja Dragunov, or Carmelo Hayes. There are some opportunities for greatness there if they are ever given the chance to do so. They add strong depth to a roster that needs it not only in the tag division but in the men’s group as well.

Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley are two of the best to ever do it and should be treated as such. It will be interesting to see how they are booked on WWE SmackDown. The duo has a lot to offer both as a tag team and as single performers when the time comes.