All Elite Wrestling has been busy in the free agent market this year. AEW kicked off the year by welcoming Will Ospreay to its roster, officially debuting the Aerial Assassin in February after he wrapped up his New Japan Pro Wrestling commitments. One week after Ospreay’s arrival, Kazuchika Okada made his first contracted appearance, linking up with the Young Bucks to form a new version of The Elite. One week after that, AEW’s worst kept secret was revealed when Mercedes Moné arrived at AEW Dynamite: Big Business. All of these signings have since slotted into storylines: Ospreay is on a collision course with Bryan Danielson, Okada captured the AEW Continental Crown Championship, and Moné has her sights on the AEW TBS Title.
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In the weeks after these three signings landed on AEW programming, AEW President Tony Khan emphasized that he is going to continue to be aggressive in the free agent market throughout 2024.
AEW Signs Motor City Machine Guns
AEW is getting a little Detroit in its soul.
As reported by BodySlam.net, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley have signed with AEW. The duo, collectively known as the Motor City Machine Guns, became free agents at the end of March after they wrapped up their runs with TNA.
The Motor City Machine Guns are championed as one of the most influential tag teams of the modern era. Cutting their teeth in the mid-2000s era of TNA, Sabin and Shelley made names for themselves in their feud with Team 3D (The Dudley Boyz) and their classic contests with Generation Me (Young Bucks) and Beer Money (James Storm and Bobby Roode). They would also tag together in Ring of Honor sporadically before having an extended run in that promotion in the late 2010s.
Beyond their tag title reigns, Sabin and Shelley also have an abundance of singles success to their names. Sabin won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in 2013 while Shelley would capture the same prize 10 years later. The two also have a combined 11 X-Division Title reigns.
Sabin and Shelley join a relatively up-for-grabs tag division in AEW. The AEW World Tag Team Championships are currently vacant, as prior champions Sting and Darby Allin abandoned the titles following Sting’s retirement. The Young Bucks and FTR will battle in a tournament final to crown new champions at AEW Dynasty. That pay-per-view could be a natural fit for MCMG’s debut, as the duo could confront whoever emerges with the tag titles.
