Motor City Machine Guns Receive First Challenge Post-WWE Release

Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, i.e., the Motor City Machine Guns, have received their first challenge since their WWE release.

The former WWE Tag Team Champions were part of a lengthy list of main roster and NXT talents that were let go by the company on Friday, April 24.

Earlier today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling presented Wrestling Redzone, where Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Following that, Eagles, while speaking backstage, challenged the Motor City Machine Guns to a title match.

“But what’s next? Special tag match at the end of this tour. El Desperado, our best friend—joke—not best friend… But Místico’s coming all the way from CMLL to tag with the other masked [guy], and you probably want this, but f*cking earn it, lads, and I saw some news earlier today—last thing I’m gonna say—some news earlier today, some people I know in this industry lost their jobs across the pond. So how about this: Ichiban Sweet Boys, third time, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions versus Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Motor City Machine Guns. I know you guys want it. We’re here, ready. So come and get it. Because you guys may have innovated that division, but we are the mighty, and the mighty don’t [kneel].” [H/T: Fightful]

Sabin and Shelley are one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. They held the belts for 182 days in 2009. The duo joined WWE during the fall of 2024 and quickly won tag team gold on SmackDown.

Despite several attempts, they could never regain the belts. In recent months, the Motor City Machine Guns were barely featured on television. They had just two TV matches since the Survivor Series Style Elimination bout against the MFTs in mid-November.