Before signing with WWE in 2024 and quickly capturing the WWE Tag Team Championships, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley – known collectively as the Motor City Machine Guns – were nearly headed in a very different direction. Behind the scenes, AEW had been planning a major debut and high-profile storyline for the veteran tag team before those plans were ultimately scrapped.

It has now emerged that AEW and the Machine Guns were in advanced discussions last year, with internal pitches being developed for a feud that would have culminated in a marquee match at AEW All In at Wembley Stadium. According to reports, AEW creative was working toward a tag team title program pitting the Motor City Machine Guns against The Young Bucks, one of the company’s top duos.

However, negotiations reportedly went quiet midway through the summer, and AEW officials began to suspect that Sabin and Shelley were opting to sign with WWE instead. That belief led to a creative shift, with All In’s match card eventually being altered. The Young Bucks were later slotted into a different bout against FTR.

Sabin and Shelley did indeed join WWE and wasted no time making their presence felt, securing the WWE Tag Team Titles during their first week on the main roster.

Become a WNS member (free) to comment!

Want to join the conversation? WNS has launched a brand-new commenting system below! Signing up takes just 30 seconds. Once you create your account and verify your email, you will be able to comment on all of our latest news reports and see your score on our WNS leaderboard. Simply click this link to sign up - Become a Member