 Shelley in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Patrick Kenneth Martin[5] (1983-05-23)May 23, 1983 (age 42)[1][6] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Alex Shelley[1] David Decker[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1][3] |
| Billed weight | 215 lb (98 kg)[3][4] |
| Billed from | Detroit, Michigan[3][4] |
| Trained by | Breyer Wellington[1] Truth Martini[1] Joe E. Legend[1] Scott D'Amore[1] |
| Debut | March 2, 2002[1] |
Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983), better known by thering nameAlex Shelley, is an Americanprofessional wrestler.[7] He is signed toWWE, where he performs on theSmackDown brand. He is widely known for his tenure inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is theTNA 2006 World X Cup Tournament winner, a former one-timeTNA World Heavyweight Champion and a former one-timeTNA X Division Champion, but is best known for his work as a tag team withChris Sabin as theMotor City Machine Guns, having become three-timeTNA World Tag Team Champions, and won theGauntlet for the Gold in 2008. He is recognized as thetenth Triple Crown winner in TNA, having won the TNA World Championship, the X Division Championship, and the Tag Team Championship.
Martin first rose to fame on theindependent circuit, and gained breakout success while performing forRing of Honor (ROH), having won theROH World Tag Team Championship with Chris Sabin as one-half the Motor City Machine Guns. He is also known for his tenures in Japan withPro Wrestling Zero1-Max andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where in the latter promotion, he is a formerthree-timeIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion alongsideKushida as one-half of theTime Splitters, and a formerStrong Openweight Tag Team Champion as one-half of the Motor City Machine Guns.[8]
Martin initially started training in early 2002 under Breyer Wellington andTruth Martini.[9] He then joined theBorder City Wrestling's Can-Am Wrestling School, and began training underJoe E. Legend andScott D'Amore.[9] Martin debuted in March 2002 asAlex Shelley, a name he created by combining theforename ofAlex, theprotagonist of the 1962novelA Clockwork Orange, with thesurname ofPete Shelley, the lead singer of the 1970spunk rock band theBuzzcocks.[9] Six months into his career, he was hospitalized with a shattered jaw when he slipped on a wet ring and hit the unpadded ring apron.[10] Shelley had steel plates inserted into his jaw as a result. After eight months, Shelley joinedIan Rotten'sIWA Mid-Southpromotion. He worked in the IWA for six months before joining the Philadelphia-basedCombat Zone Wrestling.[9] Not long after that, he joinedRing of Honor (ROH).[9]
Shelley debuted in Ring of Honor on June 28, 2003, atWrestleRave 2003, facingB. J. Whitmer,Tony Mamaluke andJimmy Jacobs in aFour Corners Survival match, which was won by Whitmer.[11] He appeared with ROH sporadically throughout the remainder of 2003 and early 2004,feuding with Jimmy Jacobs andMatt Stryker.
AtGeneration Next on May 22, 2004, Shelley formed astable, "Generation Next", withAustin Aries,Jack Evans andRoderick Strong.[12] Generation Next, led by Shelley, spent the entirety of the event attacking other wrestlers, claiming that they were "the best that Ring of Honor has to offer". They began feuding with wrestlers with a respect for tradition such as Matt Stryker,Jimmy Rave andR. J. Brewer.
On July 17, 2004, atReborn: Completion, Shelley lost toDoug Williams in the finals of a tournament for the vacantROH Pure Championship.[13] That same night, Generation Next attackedRicky Steamboat during his confrontation withCM Punk, with Punk subsequently siding with Steamboat to fend off Generation Next.[14] This led to a feud between Generation Next and the allies of Ricky Steamboat, culminating in a forty–five-minute-long eight–man elimination match atThe Midnight Express Reunion on October 2, pitting Generation Next against CM Punk, John Walters, Jimmy Jacobs andAce Steel. The match was won by Generation Next, with Shelley and Aries surviving.[15] Following the match, Shelley announced his intention of challengingSamoa Joe for theROH World Championship. Aries then announced he too was going after the title, with Shelley telling him to "remember where your loyalties lie".
On December 26, 2004, atFinal Battle 2004, Shelley and Strong were defeated by CM Punk andSteve Corino.[16] Following the match, Aries, feeling that Shelley was spending far too much time inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) than he was leading Generation Next, came to the ring and demanded that Shelley step–down as the leader. Before Shelley could give an answer, he was attacked by Aries and Strong and kicked out of Generation Next, turning him into afan favorite in the process.[17]
Shelley feuded with Generation Next throughout early 2005, unsuccessfully challenging Aries for theROH World Championship atManhattan Mayhem on May 7.[18] On July 23, Shelley was in a tag match against Aries and Strong, with him choosing a mystery partner. Shelley gave speculation in a backstage promo as to who his partner would be, saying it could be a new wrestler making their debut in Ring of Honor. He later revealed that he did not bring someone in to ROH, but had joined "The Embassy", aheel stable controlled byPrince Nana.[19] Teaming with Fast Eddie Vegas that night, The Embassy won their first match in a feud with Generation Next that would last for the remainder of the year.[20] The feud culminated in aneight–man elimination steel cage match on December 3, with Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Jack Evans andMatt Sydal of Generation Next defeating Shelley, Jimmy Rave,Abyss and Nana of The Embassy.[21]
AtHell Freezes Over on January 14, 2006, Shelley teamed up with Rave to defeat the duo ofClaudio Castagnoli and Azrieal.[22] Later that evening, Prince Nana offered to buy the ROH World Championship fromBryan Danielson after his successful defense againstChris Hero.[22] When Danielson refused to sell it, he was attacked by The Embassy with Shelley giving him aSliced Bread #2 claiming it was his "Kryptonite" as Danielson's long–time rival and former Embassy member,Spanky, utilized the move to defeat him on numerous occasions.[22][23] The following show, The Embassy of Shelley, Rave and Abyss won the 2006 Trios Tournament defeating Generation Next of Jack Evans and Matt Sydal and their partner Jimmy Yang in the finals, and thus each wrestler was granted any match they wanted, with Shelley and Rave both announcing they wanted a shot at the ROH World Championship.[23] Shelley was originally scheduled to face Danielson for the title on February 11, but a severe snowstorm hit theNortheast and Shelley was told byTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling to fly back early toOrlando, Florida, so he would not misstheir pay-per-view the following day.[24] Shelley would eventually get his title shot one month later atArena Warfare, but was unable to defeat Danielson.[25]
Shelley would then wrestle sporadically in ROH for the next few months before quietly leaving in June. His last appearance as a regular in Ring of Honor took place on June 24 when he managed Jimmy Rave andConrad Kennedy III in a losing effort against theBriscoe Brothers.[26]
He returned to ROH along withChris Sabin on March 30, 2007, following theBriscoe Brothers winning theROH World Tag Team Championship. The two challenged Jay Briscoe for a shot at the title on April 28 inChicago, then attacked him after he accepted. The two would ultimately lose the match and leave the company.[27]
In April 2008, Shelley and Sabin returned to ROH, losing toThe Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs andTyler Black) and defeating the Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark) on the 18 and 19 respectively.[28][29]
In August 2008, Shelley and Sabin once again returned to ROH, wrestling Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson to a 25-minute time limit draw and losing toKevin Steen and El Generico on the 1st and 2nd respectively.[30][31] Shelley and Sabin were scheduled to return to ROH on October 24 and 25, but were pulled from the events by TNA and replaced byThe Latin American Xchange.[32]
On February 13, 2010, Ring of Honor announced at their 8th Anniversary Show that the Motor City Machine Guns would return to the company on May 8 inNew York City.[33] On May 8 the Motor City Machine Guns were defeated by the ROH World Tag Team ChampionsThe Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) via disqualification, when the Briscoe Brothers interfered in the match.[34]
Shelley returned to ROH on December 7, 2014, atFinal Battle 2014, where he andKushida unsuccessfully challengedreDRagon (Bobby Fish andKyle O'Reilly) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[35] The Time Splitters returned to ROH on August 22, 2015, losing to the Briscoes atField of Honor.[36]
In March 2005, Shelley joinedPro Wrestling Zero1-Max. He won the vacantZero1-Max United States Openweight Championship on September 19, 2005, in Tokyo, Japan, defeatingSonjay Dutt.[37] His reign lasted until November 23 of that year, when he lost the title to Christopher Daniels.[38]
On August 25, 2006, atKorakuen Hall's Zero-1 Max show, Shelley and Chris Sabin became NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Champions, when they defeated champions,Ikuto Hidaka andMinoru Fujita.[39] They lost the titles to the team of Minoru Fujita andTakuya Sugawara on April 6, 2008.
Shelley signed a non–exclusive contract withTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling on July 8, 2004. He was paired withGoldy Locks and dubbed "Baby Bear" Alex Shelley.[9] Shelley requested his release from TNA late that year afterbookerDusty Rhodes stopped utilizing him.[40]
Shelley signed a new contract with TNA in 2005 after Rhodes resigned as TNA booker, and returned on June 19, 2005, atSlammiversary, losing toShocker.[41] He went on to form atag team withMichael Shane, with the duo losing toAmerica's Most Wanted atNo Surrender 2005 on July 17.[42] Shelley entered theTNA 2005 Super X Cup Tournament, but lost to Samoa Joe in the semifinals on August 7.[43] He then entered theChris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament withSean Waltman as his tag team partner, and won the tournament by defeating Shocker and Chris Sabin in the finals on the September 9 episode ofTNA Impact!.[44] As a result of their victory, Waltman and Shelley were granted a shot at theNWA World Tag Team Championship in a four–way tag team bout atUnbreakable on September 11. After Waltmanno-showed the event, Shelley was left without a partner, but opted to wrestle alone. He was doubled teamed byTeam Canada (Eric Young andA-1) for much of the match untilJohnny Candido, the brother of Chris Candido, climbed onto the apron and accepted Shelley's tag. However, Candido was pinned by Young shortly thereafter, with Shelley being eliminated from the match as a result.[45]
Throughout late–2005, Shelley wrestled in theX Division as avillain, facing Austin Aries on several occasions. In November 2005, he introduced agimmick that saw him bring acamcorder (the "Shelley–cam") to ringside in order to film matches to study later for strategic purposes (in reality, Shelley owned over 200 professional wrestlingvideotapes at the time).[46] In late 2005, he began teaming with his formerGeneration Next teammates Austin Aries and Roderick Strong, feuding with established X Division fan favorites, Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin, andMatt Bentley and demanding bigger roles in the company from road agentJerry Lynn which led to a series of matches in which the re–formed Generation Next came out on top.
In early 2006, after both Aries and Strong were suspended by TNA, Shelley was recruited byJeff Jarrett to obtain candid video footage ofJackie Gayda for the purposes of blackmail.[47] Shelley went on to create the fictional enterprise "Paparazzi Productions" and obtain footage ofSting,Christian Cage and their respective families for the purposes of intimidation. Throughout April and May 2006, Shelley wrestled in the2006 World X Cup Tournament as a member of the victoriousTeam USA.[48] In May whilst the World X Cup was in progress, he interviewedKevin Nash, during which Nash announced that the X Division was mere filler, and that intended to destroy the X Division. Shelley's lack of defense for the division created friction between his team mates and himself, with Shelley ultimately aligning himself with Nash after the tournament's end.
Nash and Shelley made several well–received comedy vignettes (some exclusive toYouTube) mostly focusing on their feud with Chris Sabin. AtSlammiversary, Shelley helped Nash defeat Sabin.[49] Earlier Shelley had been ranked fifth in the X Division after being the second person eliminated in a six–man contender's match.[49] In a post–match interview with Nash, Shelley claimed there was "ten guys, twenty guys – some of them had knives. I think I spotted a couple gats... guns". On July 16, 2006, Shelley teamed with Nash to face Chris Sabin andJay Lethal in a losing effort.[50]
AtHard Justice, Shelley replaced Nash in a match for the number one contendership of theX Division Championship.[51] Shelley and Devine moved into the tag team division until they lost a Triple Chance Tag Team Battle Royal atNo Surrender.[52] Shelley also appeared in Kevin Nash's Open Invitational X Division Battle Royal atBound for Glory on October 22, 2006. He lost the match to Austin Starr.[53]
On the June 29, 2006,Impact!, Shelley recruited formerTeam Canada memberJohnny Devine as aproduction assistant of Paparazzi Productions. Devine was later fired by the Paparazzi. Devine was replaced much to the dismay of Shelley by former Generation Next team mateAustin Starr due to Kevin Nash's wishes. Since this, the three were seen backstage on various episodes ofImpact! in a tournament known as the Paparazzi Championship Series, which he won atFinal Resolution.[54]
Afterwards, he would tape twostoryline attacks by The Latin American Xchange (LAX). One on Brother Rays uncle, another onJohnny Rodz. When he showed the footage of the LAX beatdown on Rodz, he was confronted byBrother Ray. Before a fight could breakout, the LAX attempted to attack Brother Ray. When it seemed Ray had the upper hand, however, Kevin Nash distracted him, allowing Shelley to hit him with alow blow.[55] AtDestination X 2007 Shelley helped LAX win the match by hittingBrother Devon with avideo camera and giving him aFrog Splash through a table.[56]
Shelley lost in the five–manXscape match atLockdown 2007. He was pinned by Jay Lethal. Later, Jay Lethal and Chris Sabin were the remaining two and Sabin escaped, retaining the X Division Championship.[57]
During the summer of 2007, Shelley began wrestling as a tag team in TNA with Chris Sabin. The two had been teaming in several independent promotions under the names Murder City Machine Guns and The Motor City Machine Guns, both names being a play off of one of Shelley's former tag teams, "The Sexy Time Machine Guns" and the fact that both Sabin and Shelley hail from Detroit, Michigan.
In October 2007, Shelley and Sabin started a feud withTeam 3D, during which Team 3D declared a war on the entire X Division and was looking to kill it off. After months of feuding, Shelley and Sabin along with Jay Lethal were able to defeat Team 3D and Johnny Devine in aStreet Fight atAgainst All Odds to save the X Division and to end the feud. With the win, Team 3D were forced to drop their weights under 275 pounds if they wanted to keep on wrestling for the company.[58] Shelley then fought forTeam TNA in theWorld X Cup alongside Kaz, the team captain, his tag team partner Chris Sabin, andCurry Man. On June 19, in the first round of the tournament, Shelley and Sabin defeatedDaivari andTyson Dux of Team International to give Team TNA their first point.[59] In the finals of the tournament, held atVictory Road, Shelley, Sabin and Curry Man represented Team TNA in the twelve–man, four–team elimination tag team match. Shelley made it to the end of the match and finally pinnedMasato Yoshino ofTeam Japan to win the match and give Team TNA the lead ahead of the final round of the tournament, anUltimate X match contested between the team captains. Despite Shelley's efforts, Team TNA was defeated in the final round byTeam Mexico, who won the 2008 World X Cup.[60] A month later, on July 25, 2008, Shelley and five other TNA wrestlers traveled toMexico to compete in theConsejo Mundial de Lucha LibreInternational Grand Prix, contested in a sixteen–mantorneo cibernetico match. In the end, Shelley managed to avenge Team TNA's loss in the World X Cup, by winning the Gran Prix, after pinningÚltimo Guerrero.[61][62] This led to a match on September 19 at CMLL's75th Anniversary Show, where Shelley, Sabin and Sonjay Dutt unsuccessfully challenged Guerrero,Atlantis andNegro Casas for theCMLL World Trios Championship.[63] After the tournaments Shelley and Sabin slipped into the role oftweeners, showing disrespect toChristian Cage,A.J. Styles,Consequences Creed,B.G. James and The Latin American Xchange however still being cheered heavily by the fans towards whom they did show respect.
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On the October 30, 2008,Impact!, Shelley, Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed,Petey Williams, Eric Young,ODB and Chris Sabin formed a faction knows asThe Frontline to battleThe Main Event Mafia ofKurt Angle, Sting, Kevin Nash,Booker T andScott Steiner.[64] Despite their alliance Shelley and Sabin showed disrespect to both their stablemates and the TNA executive shareholderMick Foley.
On the November 27, 2008,Impact!, Shelley took part in the second annual Turkey Bowl, defeatingCute Kip and Consequences Creed in a three–way dance in the semifinals.[65] In the finals Shelley faced the reigning X Division ChampionSheik Abdul Bashir andRhino in another three–way dance where the winner would receive a check for $25,000, and the loser had to wear a turkey suit. Rhino won the match, pinning Shelley following aGore forcing him to wear the suit.[65] Shelley finally agreed to put on the suit after Mick Foley threatened to fire him if he did not. After putting on the turkey suit Shelley gave Foley a middle finger and was laid out with adouble arm DDT.[65]
AtFinal Resolution in December 2008, Shelley and Sabin competed in theFeast or Fired match, but did not win a title contract.[66]
During December 2008 and January 2009, Shelley qualified for the finals in the X Division title tournament after defeating Jay Lethal and Eric Young.[67][68] AtGenesis, he defeated his tag team partner Chris Sabin for his first reign as the X Division Champion.[69] AtDestination X in March 2009, he lost the title toSuicide in an Ultimate X match, which included Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, and Chris Sabin.[70] AtSlammiversary Shelley, Sabin, Lethal, Creed and Suicide competed in the first ever X Division TitleKing of the Mountain match, in which Shelley was unsuccessful in regaining the title.[71]
After Slammiversary Shelley and Sabin went inactive, barely making television appearances. In making a comeback on the July 30Impact! they could be seen in the crowd holding signs that read, "Conspiracy Victims" and "Yes, We Still Work Here".[72] On August 6 the duo interrupted Daniels' backstage interview before his match with World Elite leader Eric Young and agreed to accompany him to the ring in order to get some TV time.[73] Later that night, after being attacked by Sheik Abdul Bashir andKiyoshi of World Elite, Shelley and Sabin aligned themselves with Daniels and other fan favorites in a brawl with the alliance of World Elite and Main Event Mafia, which made them fan favorites again.[73] During September Shelley and Sabin began appearing as occasional commentators alongsideMike Tenay andTaz onImpact! broadcasts.[74][75] In late 2009, Shelley and Sabin gained two shots at theTNA World Tag Team Championship, but were both times defeated by the ChampionsBritish Invasion (Doug Williams andBrutus Magnus), first atTurning Point in a three–way match, which also includedBeer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode andJames Storm) and then in a regular tag team match atFinal Resolution.[76][77] AtDestination X Shelley and Sabin defeatedGeneration Me (Jeremy Buck and Max Buck) in an Ultimate X match to earn another shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship.[78] Shelley and Sabin received their title shot on the April 12Impact!, but were defeated by World Tag Team ChampionMatt Morgan and Amazing Red, who replaced the injuredHernandez in the match.[79]
The following month atSacrifice the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Beer Money, Inc. and Team 3D in a three–way match to earn another shot at the Tag Team Championship.[80] On July 11 atVictory Road the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Beer Money, Inc. to win the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship for the first time.[81] After Victory Road the Motor City Machine Guns entered a Best of Five Series with Beer Money, Inc., contested for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Beer Money won the first two matches, aladder match and a Street Fight, after knocking their opponents out with beer bottles.[82][83] However, Shelley and Sabin came back to win the two following matches, a steel cage match and an Ultimate X match, to even the score to 2–2 and set up a deciding match for the August 12Impact!.[84][85] On the August 12Impact! the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Beer Money, Inc. in aTwo Out of Three Falls match to win the Best of Five Series and retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship.[86] The following month atNo Surrender, the Motor City Machine Guns retained their titles in a match against Generation Me. After the match Generation Me turned heel by attacking the Machine Guns and injuring Shelley in storyline.[87] On the followingImpact!, Generation Me laid claim to the TNA World Tag Team Championship, claiming that the champions would not be able to defend them for 30 days, due to Shelley's injury, before stealing Sabin's title belt.[88][89] Shelley would however make his return two weeks later and promised Generation Me a rematch for the World Tag Team Championship atBound for Glory.[90] At the pay–per–view the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Generation Me to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship.[91] Also at Bound for Glory, Team 3D announced their retirement from professional wrestling, but requested one final match against the Motor City Machine Guns, whom they called the best tag team in wrestling.[91] The Motor City Machine Guns accepted and the match took place on November 7, 2010, atTurning Point, where they defeated Team 3D to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship.[92][93] After Jeremy Buck pinned Sabin in an eight-person tag team match, where the Motor City Machine Guns teamed with Jay Lethal andVelvet Sky and Generation Me withRobbie E andCookie, on the November 18Impact!, the Motor City Machine Guns challenged Generation Me to anEmpty Arena match.[94] The match took place later that same night onReaction with the Motor City Machine Guns coming out victorious.[95] On December 5 atFinal Resolution the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Generation Me in aFull Metal Mayhem match to retain the World Tag Team Championship.[96] The following month atGenesis, Shelley and Sabin lost the World Tag Team Championship to Beer Money, Inc., after Roode rolled up Sabin, following a miscommunication between the Machine Guns.[97] Shelley and Sabin received their rematch for the title on the followingImpact!, but lost again due to a miscommunication.[98] On January 16 Shelleybroke his collarbone during a match inHagerstown, Maryland.[99] Originally, Shelley was advertised to make his return on April 17 atLockdown in a nine-man Xscape match, but on April 7 he was removed from the match and his return postponed.[100] Shelley made his return on April 20 at the tapings of the April 28Impact!, saving Sabin fromMexican America (Anarquia and Hernandez).[101][102] Ironically, the same day Shelley made his return, Sabin suffered a knee injury in his match with Anarquia.[103] Later that same week, Sabin underwent knee surgery, which would sideline him for the rest of the year.[104]
On the June 2Impact Wrestling, Shelley formed an alliance with former rivals Beer Money, Inc., who were looking for a partner to replace the injured Bobby Roode in their World Tag Team Championship defense against the British Invasion atSlammiversary IX.[105] At the pay-per-view, Shelley and Storm were successful in their title defense.[106] AtDestination X, Shelley defeated Amazing Red, Robbie E andShannon Moore in an Ultimate X match to become the number one contender to the TNA X Division Championship.[107] Shelley received his shot at the X Division Championship, held byBrian Kendrick, on the July 21Impact Wrestling, but was defeated following outside interference from Austin Aries.[108] Two weeks later, Aries defeated Shelley in a singles match.[109] On August 7 atHardcore Justice, Shelley and Aries competed in a three-way match for the TNA X Division Championship, but were both unable to win the belt from the defending champion, Brian Kendrick.[110] After a four-month absence, Shelley returned on the January 19, 2012,Impact Wrestling, confronting and challenging X Division Champion Austin Aries.[111] The following week, Shelley defeatedZema Ion to become the number one contender to Aries' title.[112] On February 12 atAgainst All Odds, Shelley was unsuccessful in his title challenge against Aries, after submitting to the Last Chancery.[113]
On March 18 atVictory Road, TNA started promoting the returns of Chris Sabin and the Motor City Machine Guns.[114][115] Sabin returned on the April 5Impact Wrestling, where he and Shelley defeated Mexican America in a tag team match, before announcing their intention of going for the TNA World Tag Team Championship, held by Magnus and Samoa Joe.[116] On April 15 atLockdown, The Motor City Machine Guns unsuccessfully challenged Magnus and Joe for the TNA World Tag Team Championship in a steel cage match.[117] During the next month, The Motor City Machine Guns did not make another appearance onImpact Wrestling, instead wrestling exclusively on TNAhouse shows.[118][119] On May 21, it was reported that Shelley had chosen not to renew his contract with TNA, ending his eight-year run with the promotion.[120] On May 29, Shelley was removed from the official TNA roster page, confirming his departure from the promotion.[121]
On January 4, 2009, Shelley and Sabin defeatedNo Limit (Tetsuya Naito andYujiro) atNew Japan Pro-Wrestling'sWrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome to win theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[122] They followed in the footsteps of American Dragon and Curry Man as the only othergaijin team to win those titles. After three successful title defenses, two of which took place in TNA,[123][124][125] Shelley and Sabin lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title toApollo 55 (Prince Devitt andRyusuke Taguchi) on July 5, 2009, at NJPW'sCircuit 2009 New Japan Soul.[126] On November 8, 2010, NJPW announced that the Motor City Machine Guns would be returning to the promotion the following month, competing at events on December 11 and 12.[127] On December 11 the Motor City Machine Guns were defeated by No Limit in their New Japan return match.[128] The following day they defeated Apollo 55 in the fourth ever match between the two teams.[129]
Following his departure from TNA, New Japan announced on August 13, 2012, that Shelley would be returning to the promotion the following month.[130][131] Before Shelley's return to Japan, he and A.J. Kirsch unsuccessfully challengedForever Hooligans (Alex Koslov andRocky Romero) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on August 26 at a Sacramento Wrestling Federation (SWF) event inGridley, California.[132] Following the match, Kushida saved Shelley from a beatdown at the hands of Koslov and Romero.[133] Shelley wrestled his New Japan return match on September 7, when he,Bushi,Máscara Dorada and Ryusuke Taguchi were defeated in an eight-man tag team match by Alex Koslov,Averno,Low Ki and Rocky Romero.[134] Afterwards, Shelley continued teaming with Kushida with the two forming the tag team "Time Splitters" and scoring several wins over Koslov and Romero in multiple man teamed matches, after debuting their new double-team finishing maneuver, theI-94.[135][136][137] On October 8 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, Time Splitters unsuccessfully challenged Forever Hooligans for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[138][139] On October 21, the Time Splitters entered the2012 Super Jr. Tag Tournament, defeatingJado & Gedo in their first round match.[140] On November 2, Shelley and Kushida defeatedSuzuki-gun (Taichi andTaka Michinoku) to advance to the finals, where, later that same day, they defeated Apollo 55 to win the tournament and become the number one contenders to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[141] On November 11 atPower Struggle, the Time Splitters defeated Forever Hooligans in a rematch to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[142][143] Time Splitters made their first successful title defense on February 10, 2013, atThe New Beginning, defeating Forever Hooligans in the third title match between the two teams.[144] Their second successful defense took place on March 3 at New Japan's 41st anniversary event, where they defeatedJyushin Thunder Liger andTiger Mask.[145] On April 5, Shelley received his first shot at theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated by the defending champion, Prince Devitt.[146] Two days later atInvasion Attack, Time Splitters defeated Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi for their third successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[147][148] On May 3 atWrestling Dontaku 2013, Time Splitters lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship back to the Forever Hooligans in their fourth defense.[149][150]
From late May to early June, Shelley took part in the2013 Best of the Super Juniors, where he managed to win five out of his eight matches with a win overRicochet in the finalround-robin match of the tournament on June 6, earning him a spot in the semifinals.[151] On June 9, after defeating Taka Michinoku in his semifinal match, Shelley was defeated in the finals of the tournament by Prince Devitt.[152][153][154] On June 22 atDominion 6.22, Time Splitters failed in their attempt to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship from the Forever Hooligans.[155][156] On September 29 atDestruction, Shelley and Kushida defeated Suzuki-gun (Taichi and Taka Michinoku) to earn another shot at the Forever Hooligans and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[157] However, on October 7, New Japan announced that Shelley had suffered a back injury, which would force Time Splitters to back out of the title match.[158] Shelley later revealed that he had received a severesciatica taking asitout powerbomb from Taichi, which marked his fourth injury in the promotion since his September 2012 return.[159] Shelley wrestled his return match on January 4, 2014, atWrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome, where he and Kushida unsuccessfully challenged The Young Bucks for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in a four-way match, which also included the Forever Hooligans and Suzuki-gun.[160][161] Time Splitters were victorious in a non-title rematch the following day, after which they asserted themselves as The Young Bucks' next challengers.[162] They received their title shot on February 11 atThe New Beginning in Osaka, but were again defeated by The Young Bucks.[163][164] Time Splitters received another title shot on May 10 atGlobal Wars, a special event co-produced by NJPW and ROH inToronto, but were defeated by The Young Bucks in a three-way match, also involving Forever Hooligans.[165] On May 30, Shelley entered the2014 Best of the Super Juniors tournament,[166] where he won his block with a record of four wins and three losses, advancing to the semifinals.[167] However, after injuring his left shoulder in his final round-robin match on June 6, Shelley was forced to pull out of the semifinals.[168]
Shelley returned to the ring on June 21 atDominion 6.21, where he and Kushida defeated The Young Bucks to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the second time as a team.[169][170] On August 10, Time Splitters made their first successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against the ROH tag team reDRagon.[171] Time Splitters made their second successful title defense on September 23 against Suzuki-gun (El Desperado and Taichi).[172] On October 13 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, Time Splitters made their third successful title defense in a three-way match against Forever Hooligans and The Young Bucks.[173][174] On November 8 atPower Struggle, Time Splitters lost the title to2014 Super Jr. Tag Tournament winners reDRagon.[175] Time Splitters received a rematch for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on January 4, 2015, atWrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome, in a four-way match also involving Forever Hooligans and The Young Bucks, but were again defeated by reDRagon.[176] On February 11 atThe New Beginning in Osaka, Time Splitters received another title shot in a three-way match, but were this time defeated by The Young Bucks, who became the new champions.[177][178] On May 3 atWrestling Dontaku 2015, Shelley unsuccessfully challengedKenny Omega for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[179] Later that month, Shelley suffered ligament damage and anavulsion fracture in his left foot, which forced him to pull out of the2015 Best of the Super Juniors.[180][181] Shelley returned to New Japan ring in September and on September 27 atDestruction in Kobe, he and Kushida unsuccessfully challenged reDRagon for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[182][183] Following the2015 Super Jr. Tag Tournament in November, Shelley left Japan.[184]
On July 31, 2016, NJPW announced that Shelley would return to the promotion on August 21, now again as part of the Motor City Machine Guns tag team with Chris Sabin.[184] In their return match, The Motor City Machine Guns unsuccessfully challenged The Young Bucks for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[185]
After defeating theStrong Openweight Tag Team Champions,Aussie Open on the September 15th episode ofImpact!, Sabin and Shelley made their return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling atRumble on 44th Street on October 28. At the event, the duo defeated Aussie Open to win the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships, in a three-way match, also involvingThe DKC andKevin Knight.[186] The duo retained the titles in February atBattle in the Valley, defeating theWest Coast Wrecking Crew (Royce Isaacs andJorel Nelson).[187] On April 15 atCapital Collision, the duo lost the titles back to Aussie Open in a three-way tag-team match also involving the team ofKazuchika Okada andHiroshi Tanahashi.[188]
On November 20, 2015, Shelley returned to ROH, revealing himself as the mystery man who had been interfering inThe Addiction's (Christopher Daniels andFrankie Kazarian) matches, wearing a mask associated with KRD, a stable made up of The Addiction and Shelley's former tag team partner Chris Sabin.[189] On December 18 atFinal Battle, Shelley teamed withA. C. H. and Matt Sydal to defeat Sabin, Daniels and Kazarian in a six-man tag team match.[190] On February 26, 2016, at the14th Anniversary Show, Sabin turned on Daniels and Kazarian, re-forming the Motor City Machine Guns with Shelley.[191] At the following day'sRing of Honor Wrestling tapings, Shelley and Sabin defeated Daniels and Kazarian in their return match.[192] On May 16, Shelley confirmed he had signed with ROH and would work for the promotion regularly going forward.[193] On June 24 atBest in the World '16, The Motor City Machine Guns unsuccessfully challenged The Addiction for the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[194] On September 30 atAll Star Extravaganza VIII, The Motor City Machine Guns took part in a three-way ladder match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship, which was won byThe Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) and also included The Addiction.[195]
Shelley and Sabin then formed a stable named "Search and Destroy" withJay White,Jonathan Gresham andLio Rush.[196][197]
On September 22, 2017, atDeath Before Dishonor XV, the Motor City Machine Guns defeated The Young Bucks to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the first time.[198] They would retain the titles until March 9, 2018, when they lost them against The Briscoe Brothers at ROH 16th Anniversary Show.
In June 2018, Shelley suffered an injury. On July 20, 2018, it was reported his contract with ROH expired and left the promotion to focus on his wrestling school.[199] Four days after, Shelley announced hiskayfabe retirement;[200] in reality, Shelley started his clinicals forphysical therapy school and devoted his time to prepare for his post-in-ring career.[201]
On June 30, 2019, Shelley returned to ROH and announced he wants a match with the winner of Manhattan Mayhem, hinting that he might come out of retirement. On July 21, Shelley came out of retirement to team up with Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham to beat The Kingdom. On August 9, atSummer Supercard, Shelley was defeated byMatt Taven for theROH World Championship. On December 13, 2019, AtFinal Battle, Shelley defeatedColt Cabana. AtROH Past vs Present, Shelley was set to reunite with hisGeneration Next stablemateMatt Sydal to faceVillain Enterprises. However, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the event was cancelled. Shelley's profile was then moved to the alumni section some time later.[202]
On the January 1, 2020, episode ofNXT, the participants to theDusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic were announced, with the exception ofKushida's partner, whose identity was kept a mystery.[203] On January 8, a surprise announcement was made that Shelley was coming toWWE, as part of theNXTbrand and would be Kushida's partner, reforming theirTime Splitters tag team for the first time since their New Japan Pro Wrestling days in 2015; this is Shelley's first time performing on WWE, after a one-off appearance onWWE Heat back in his early wrestling days in 2005.[204] On the January 15 episode ofNXT, Shelley and Kushida lost toGrizzled Young Veterans (James Drake andZack Gibson) in the first round of the tournament.[205]
AtSlammiversary on July 18, 2020, Shelley made his return to TNA, now known asImpact Wrestling, alongsideChris Sabin as theMotor City Machine Guns defeatingthe Rascalz after answering their open challenge.[206] On the following episode ofImpact!, they defeatedthe North to capture theImpact World Tag Team Championship for asecond time, ending their 383 days reign.[207] Over the next few months, they would retain their titles against the Rascalz, andAce Austin andMadman Fulton. AtBound for Glory, the Motor City Machine Guns lost their titles back to the North in afour-waytag team match also involving theGood Brothers and Austin and Fulton, ending their reign at 97 days.[208] Before the match, Shelley was attacked by the North, leaving Sabin to defend the titles by himself.[209]
Shelley would be taken out of action for a few months after Bound for Glory. They would return on the December 1 episode ofImpact!, defeating XXXL (Acey Romero andLarry D). Shelley was scheduled to team up with Sabin andRich Swann to faceKenny Omega and the Good Brothers atHard To Kill, but helegitimately had to back out due to "unavoidable circumstances", and was thus replaced in the match byMoose.[7] Shelley later revealed that his career outside of wrestling required him to step away from wrestling for the time being until he is able to get theCOVID-19 vaccine.[7] Later, in September 2021, Shelley announced that he left Impact.[210]
On October 2, 2021, Shelley made his MLW debut atFightland where he lost toTJP in theOpera Cupquarter-finals.[211]
September 26, 2021, at the "Threemendous VI" event, Shelley made hisPro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) debut, defeatingJonathan Gresham to become the number one contender for thePWG World Championship. Shelley unsuccessfully challengedBandido for the PWG World Championship. On January 29, and 30, Shelley participated in the 2022 PWGBattle of Los Angeles. He defeatedLee Moriarty in the first round, but lost toDaniel Garcia in the second round.
AtSacrifice on March 5, 2022, Shelley returned to Impact Wrestling to face his studentJay White in a losing effort.[212] AtMultiverse of Matches on April 1, Shelley was defeated byMike Bailey. On the July 21 episode ofImpact!, Shelley defeated Sabin in anImpact World Championship number one contender match.[213] On August 12 atEmergence, Shelley unsuccessfully challengedJosh Alexander for the Impact World Championship.[214] On December 9, 2022, The Guns defeatedHeath and Rhino to capture theImpact World Tag Team Championship for a third time, ending their 62 days reign. On the March 2, 2023, episode ofImpact, the Motor City Machine Guns lost their titles toBullet Club membersAce Austin andChris Bey, ending their reign at 78 days.[215]
On May 26, 2023, atUnder Siege, Shelley defeatedEddie Edwards, Frankie Kazarian,Jonathan Gresham, Moose andYuya Uemura to become the number one contender for Impact World Championship atAgainst All Odds.[216] At the event on June 9, Shelley won the Impact World Championship after defeatingSteve Maclin, winning the title for the first time in his career.[217] On the June 23 episode ofImpact!, he successfully defended his title againstBrian Myers and against Maclin on theImpact Down Under Tour.[218] On July 15 atSlammiversary, Shelley successfully defended his title againstNick Aldis. After the match, Shelley was confronted by the former Impact World Champion Josh Alexander.[219] On August 8 at episode ofImpact, Shelley defended his title against Brian Myers and againstHiroshi Tanahashi on August 20 atMultiverse United 2.[220][221] In the following weeks, Shelley took exception to Alexander calling the Impact World Championship "his" title, since he was never beaten for it. The two would continue to be reluctant allies, however, Shelley would at points abandon Alexander whenever the latter was in trouble, such as atEmergence.[222][223] On Week 2 ofImpact 1000, Impact announced that Shelley would defend the Impact World Championship against Alexander atBound for Glory, which Shelley won the match.[224]
On November 9 at episode ofImpact, Shelley successfully defended his title againstJonathan Gresham.[225] On December 9 atFinal Resolution, Shelley and Sabin were defeated by Alexander andZack Sabre Jr. in a tag team match.[226][227] On January 13, 2024 atHard To Kill, Shelley lost the championship against Moose, ending his reign at 218 days.[228] On February 23 atNo Surrender, Shelley was unsuccessful at winning the TNA World Championship against Moose in aNo Surrender Rules match.[229] On the March 23, 2024 tapings forTNA Impact!, Shelley alongside Sabin wrestled their final matches for TNA in a losing effort against The System (Eddie Edwards andBrian Myers), as their contracts expired on April 1, 2024.[230]
On the August 24, 2022, episode ofAEW Dynamite,Sonjay Dutt announced thatJay Lethal would team with the Motor City Machine Guns at theAll Out PPV, where they would take onWardlow andFTR in a six-man tag-team match, with Sabin and Shelley set to make theirAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut. At the event, Wardlow and FTR would win the match, with assistance fromSamoa Joe, who attackedSatnam Singh early in the match.[231][232]
In September 2024, it was reported that Shelley and Sabin signed withWWE, marking Shelley's return to the company after four years, with his last appearance being a one-off deal in 2020.[233] They made their debut on theSmackDown brand on October 18,[234] winning the WWE Tag Team Championships next week after they defeatedThe Bloodline (Tonga Loa andTama Tonga).[235] On the November 15 episode ofSmackDown, Shelley and Sabin defended the titles againstThe Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins andMontez Ford), but the match ended in a no contest after Ciampa attacked both teams.[236] On the December 6 episode ofSmackDown, Shelley and Sabin lost the titles toDIY afterJohnny Gargano hit Sabin with a low blow, ending their reign at 42 days.[237]
They tried to regain the titles in a2 Out of 3 Falls Match at theRoyal Rumble event, but were not successful.[238] On the April 25 episode ofSmackDown, they would attempt to regain the titles in atables, ladders, and chairs match, where the Street Profits retained.[239][240]
Shelley has appeared in the video gamesTNA Impact!,TNA Wrestling Impact! andWWE 2K25 as part of the New Wave Pack (DLC).[241]
Martin married in 2015. The couple divorced after 3 years of marriage in 2018.
Martin is a fan of punk rock. He has worn the logo of the bandTeenage Bottlerocket on his ring attire and the band has talked about being in contact with him.[242] Aside from wrestling, he is the lead singer of a rock band called The High Crusade, which includesChris Sabin andPetey Williams.[8]
Preparing for a career after his in-ring wrestling days are over, Martin is aphysical therapyclinician. He stated that he wanted to pursue it because of a general lack of physical therapists in professional wrestling and wanting to help people. Following the expiration of his contract with ROH in 2018, Martin started a year-long clinical to become certified.[201] His career as a clinician forced him to miss theHard to Kill pay-per-view due toCOVID-19 and focus on his main work.[7]
REAL NAME: Patrick Kenneth Martin
I was lucky enough to have another school near my house where Truth Martini and Breyer Wellington would go to train, and that's where I first met them.
Alex Shelley: Took a bump out of a wet ring with no padding on the apron, and a wet canvas made of rubber. Thanks, Petey Williams.
BJ Whitmer defeated Tony Mamaluke, Alex Shelley & Jimmy Jacobs in a Four Corner Survival Match
Special K (Izzy & Dixie), TheChristopher Street Connection and The Ring Crew Express went to a No Contest when the brand new faction in ROH, Generation Next (Alex Shelley, Austin Aries, Jack Evans and Roderick Strong) stormed to the ring and broke the match up, challenging Special K to a match
Doug Williams beat Alex Shelley to win the Pure Title
The final confrontation between CM Punk and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat saw both men brawl until Generation Next attacked Steamboat and CM Punk saved "The Dragon" and both cleared house together
Generation Next of Austin Aries, Alex Shelley, Roderick Strong & Jack Evans won the eight man elimination over Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat's team of Pure Champion John Walters, CM Punk, Ace Steel and Jimmy Jacobs
Steve Corino & CM Punk defeated Alex Shelley & Roderick Strong
After the match, Austin Aries walks down and claims Alex Shelley is spending too much time on other projects (TNA). Aries and Strong turn on Shelley, booting him from Generation Next and electing Aries the new leader of the group by process of Natural Selection
Before the match, Alex Shelley explains he spent the last six months apologizing, and it didn't get him anywhere, so he's selling out to the Embassy
Alex Shelley & Fast Eddie Vegas defeated Roderick Strong & Austin Aries
Generation Next (Aries, Strong, Sydal, & Evans) defeated The Embassy (Rave, Shelley, Abyss, & Nana) in a Steel Cage Warfare elimination match
Unfortunately, about two feet of snow fell in New York that day, causing Homicide, Alex Shelley and Jay Lethal to leave early for a TNA PPV on February 12
Bryan Danielson defeated Alex Shelley to retain the ROH World Title
The Briscoe Brothers beat The Embassy (Jimmy Rave and Conrad Kennedy III w/Prince Nana, Daizee Haze, and Alex Shelley) in 12:55
Jay & Mark Briscoe defeated Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin to retain the ROH World Tag Team Titles in an absolute classic that many fans are calling a match of the year candidate
Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black beat Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin
Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe
Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin went to a 20 minute draw. They wrestled an extra 5 minutes and that ended in a draw as well.
Kevin Steen & El Generico beat Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin
Alex Shelley: I asked for my release from TNA when Dusty Rhodes took over the book and didn't use half the X-Division
SHELLEY: Not tons, but a fair amount. I'd say AT LEAST 200, maybe more
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