The Motor City Machine Guns are officially All Elite.
Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin made their surprise arrival during tonight’s AEW Collision from the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit, Michigan, opening the show in front of their hometown crowd before confirming that they have officially signed with AEW.
Shelley and Sabin walked onto the stage together as the Detroit crowd immediately erupted. The moment was deliberately kept simple. There was no unnecessary angle, lengthy interruption or forced attempt to manufacture drama around a team whose reputation already speaks for itself.
The Motor City Machine Guns told the audience that they were home, officially confirming their next destination following their departure from WWE earlier this year. AEW later released its traditional “All Elite” graphic, removing any remaining doubt about their contractual status.
It was the right city, the right audience and the right way to introduce them.
Motor City Machine Guns Finally Arrive in AEW
The Motor City Machine Guns joining AEW has felt inevitable for several months.
Shelley and Sabin became free agents after being released by WWE in April, ending a run that began in October 2024. They made an immediate impact upon arriving on SmackDown, winning the WWE Tag Team Championship in only their second match with the company.
However, their momentum never developed into the sustained run that their name, experience and ability should have produced. WWE brought in one of the most influential tag teams of the last two decades, immediately placed a championship around their waists and then gradually allowed them to disappear into the background.
That was not a reflection of what Shelley and Sabin could still offer. It was another example of WWE introducing a legitimate team without having a long-term direction prepared for them.
Their final televised WWE match came on the March 20 episode of SmackDown, where they defeated Axiom and Nathan Frazer. By late April, both men were gone.
AEW was always the most logical next destination.
The company’s wrestling style fits everything the Motor City Machine Guns have represented throughout their careers. AEW also provides access to teams from Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, CMLL and potentially other partner promotions, creating far more possibilities than a standard run through one isolated tag division.
Shelley and Sabin have already worked with several members of the AEW roster during different stages of their careers. They will not need an adjustment period, a complete character reinvention or months of introductory matches before being treated seriously.
They can enter the division immediately and belong near the top.
Why AEW Needed the Motor City Machine Guns
AEW does not necessarily need more wrestlers.
Tony Khan’s roster is already crowded, and the company has repeatedly struggled to maintain consistent television time for every talented performer under contract. Signing another recognizable name does not automatically improve the product when existing wrestlers continue rotating in and out without sustained creative direction.
The Motor City Machine Guns are different because they fill a specific need.
AEW’s tag division has tremendous individual talent, but it has lacked a consistently focused identity. Adam Copeland and Christian Cage currently hold the AEW World Tag Team Championship, while the Young Bucks remain heavily involved in the title picture. Those are established stars, but AEW cannot rely entirely on nostalgia, reunions and familiar rivalries to rebuild a division that was once considered one of the company’s greatest strengths.
Shelley and Sabin bring credibility without needing to be manufactured.
They are not two singles wrestlers temporarily placed together. They have spent nearly two decades refining their timing, chemistry, double-team offense and ability to structure tag-team matches. Their influence can be seen throughout modern wrestling, particularly in the faster and more fluid style that AEW regularly presents.
They can work as championship contenders, veteran gatekeepers or the centerpiece of a deeper rebuilding process.
That versatility makes this signing more valuable than simply adding another famous act to the roster.
AEW Must Avoid Repeating WWE’s Mistake
The signing only matters if AEW has an actual plan.
The excitement surrounding the Motor City Machine Guns will disappear quickly if Shelley and Sabin receive a few showcase victories, challenge for the titles once and then spend months appearing randomly on Collision.
AEW has enough teams that feel important for two weeks before vanishing from television. The company cannot treat the Motor City Machine Guns as another surprise debut designed to generate one strong social-media reaction.
Shelley and Sabin should immediately become part of the division’s central story.
That does not mean AEW must place the championships on them immediately. It means their matches, victories and rivalries need to lead somewhere. Their arrival should force every established team to respond because two of the most respected tag-team wrestlers of their generation have entered the company.
The Young Bucks are the most obvious first major opponents.
A renewed Motor City Machine Guns versus Young Bucks rivalry would come with years of history from TNA, Ring of Honor and the independent scene. Both teams helped reshape tag-team wrestling long before AEW existed, and presenting that rivalry on AEW television would not require an overly complicated explanation.
Copeland and Christian are another major possibility. Shelley and Sabin challenging two fellow veterans for the AEW World Tag Team Championship would give AEW a legitimate marquee match built around four wrestlers with established reputations.
FTR, the Bang Bang Gang, the Death Riders, JetSpeed and several other combinations could also produce completely different programs.
The opportunities are obvious. Execution remains the question.
Could the Motor City Machine Guns Wrestle at All In London?
AEW All In London takes place on August 30 at Wembley Stadium, giving the company one month to establish the Motor City Machine Guns’ first major direction.
Placing Shelley and Sabin on that card would make sense, but AEW should avoid rushing them into a meaningless multi-team match simply to include them. Their first Wembley appearance should have a purpose.
A direct championship program would immediately establish their importance. A major match against the Young Bucks would also carry enough history and name recognition to feel worthy of AEW’s biggest event of the year.
There is also no reason to stretch their first match out unnecessarily. Fans already understand who the Motor City Machine Guns are. AEW can allow them to wrestle on television while gradually building toward a more significant confrontation at All In.
The key is maintaining momentum between tonight and Wembley.
A Major Signing With One Clear Responsibility
The Motor City Machine Guns signing with AEW is a strong move.
Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin remain one of the most complete tag teams in professional wrestling. They bring experience, name value and an established level of chemistry that cannot be recreated by simply pairing two talented wrestlers together.
Their arrival also gives AEW an opportunity to refocus its tag division at a time when the company needs more consistent stories surrounding its championships.
But the signing itself is only the beginning.
AEW must now prove that it signed the Motor City Machine Guns because it has meaningful plans for them—not because two recognizable free agents became available.
Tonight’s hometown introduction was handled perfectly. It was authentic, direct and allowed the Detroit crowd to give Shelley and Sabin the reception they deserved.
Now AEW has to follow it with something that matters.
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I’m the quiet one until the bell rings then I’ve got takes. I live for WWE NXT and TNA, I want every promotion to succeed, and I will absolutely roast the bad decisions on sight (because someone has to). Anime taught me to respect long-term storytelling; wrestling taught me that sometimes the plan is “we panicked” and called it “unpredictable.” The Miz got me into all of this, so yeah I appreciate confidence, commitment, and the art of talking like you’re already the main event. Now I bring that same energy to the page as the main writer for Late Night Crew Wrestling because if you’re not here to be must-see and tell the truth, why are you here?!