Alex Shelley

Alex Shelly (birth name: Patrick Kenneth Martin) is a professional wrestler from the USA. The 41-year-old performs on the SmackDown brand, as of October 2024. The former TNA superstar came into the limelight for his career in different independent circuits and at Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max in Japan. Shelly also performed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and won several titles there. Shelly is a part of the well-known wrestling tag team, the 'Motor City Machine Guns'.

Alex Shelly's Early Life

Shelly trained to become a pro wrestler under Breyer Wellington and Truth Martini in 2002 and later joined Can-Am Wrestling School. He debuted in 2002 with his present ring name which he coined by combining the name of a protagonist and a singer. He faced an injury that required him to insert steel plates into his jaws. Following the injury, Shelly joined IWA Mid-South promotion, Combat Zone Wrestling, and Ring of Honor later.

Alex Shelly Professional Wrestling Career

ROH (2003–2006, 2007–2008, 2010, 2014–2015)

Generation Next (2003–2004)

Alex Shelley debuted in ROH at WrestleRave 2003 in a Four Corners Survival match. He formed the stable "Generation Next" with Jack Evans, Austin Aries, and Roderick Strong in 2004. The stable ruled ROH by attacking other wrestlers and fighting with traditionalist wrestlers. He reached the finals of the ROH Pure Title competition yet lost to Doug Williams. Eventually, Aries took over the leadership of the stable and attacked Shelley which prompted Shelley's face to divert and his departure from the stable.

The Embassy (2005–2006)

In 2005, Alex Shelley feuded with Generation Next and later joined Prince Nana's heel stable, The Embassy. Teaming with Fast Eddie Vegas, Shelley, and The Embassy participated in a long rivalry with Generation Next. They faced each other in an eight-man steel cage match, where Generation Next emerged victorious. In 2006, Shelley and Jimmy Rave won the 2006 Trios Tournament alongside Abyss. With this win, Shelley earned a shot at the ROH World Title. However, despite getting his championship match Shelley couldn't defeat Bryan Danielson and left ROH in 2006.

Irregular Tag Team Appearances (2007–2008, 2010, 2014–2015)

Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin (Motor City Machine Guns) returned to ROH several times in the range of 2007 and 2015. After their initial return in 2007, they challenged Jay Briscoe for the ROH World Tag Team Title but were unsuccessful. They kept on competing irregularly, notably facing top teams like The Age of the Fall in 2008. In 2010, they returned to challenge the Kings of Wrestling for the ROH World Tag Team Title however lost by disqualification. Shelley's last major appearance at the promotion came in 2014.

Pro Wrestling Zero-1 Max (2005–2008)

In Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max, Alex Shelley won the Zero1-Max US Openweight Title in 2005, by defeating Sonjay Dutt. However, he lost it to Christopher Daniels in November 2005. The following year, Shelley and Chris Sabin won the NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Title by defeating Ikuto Hidaka and Minoru Fujita. Their reign lasted for just about two years when they lost the titles to Minoru Fujita and Takuya Sugawara.

TNA (2004-2012)

Goldy Locks; X Division (2004–2005)

Alex Shelley signed a non-selective agreement with TNA in 2004. He was at first paired with Goldy Locks and given the moniker "Baby Bear." After momentarily leaving the organization, Shelley returned in 2005 following the departure of Dusty Rhodes. Shelley formed a tag team with Michael Shane and competed in the TNA 2005 Super X Cup Tournament. He reached the elimination rounds before losing to Samoa Joe. Shelley won the Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament with Sean Waltman. However, he was eventually eliminated in a four-way NWA World Tag Team Title match. In 2005, Shelley introduced his "Shelley-cam" gimmick and yet again formed Generation Next with Austin Aries and Roderick Strong, fighting with X Division favorites.

Paparazzi Productions (2006–2007)

In 2006, Alex Shelley became a vital player in TNA's storyline "Paparazzi Productions" to gather blackmail material on various wrestlers alongside Jeff Jarrett. He lined up with Kevin Nash during this time which prompted a comedic feud with Chris Sabin and others in the X Division. Shelley took part in the 2006 World X Cup Competition as a part of the victorious Team USA and later won the "Paparazzi Championship Series". He continued to play a prominent role in the tag team division and supported The Latin American Xchange (LAX) in their matches. He participated in major events like Destination X and Lockdown 2007 and contended in the X Division's five-man Xscape match.

Motor City Machine Guns (2007–2012)

In 2007, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin officially formed the tag team "The Motor City Machine Guns" in TNA. They fought with Group 3D and triumphed in a Street Fight at Against All Odds 2008. Shelley additionally represented Team TNA in the 2008 World X Cup and later won the CMLL International Grand Prix in Mexico.

In 2009, Shelley won his first X Division Title at Genesis by beating Sabin however lost the title later in an UltimateX match. In 2010, Shelley and Sabin won the TNA World Tag Team Title at Victory Road by defeating Beer Money, Inc. They successfully defended the titles in a Best of Five Series and numerous bouts against Generation Me.

In 2011, they lost the title to Beer Money, Inc. at Genesis. Afterward, Shelley faced a collarbone injury, and upon his return, Sabin's knee injury sidelined him until the end of the year. Shelley teamed up briefly with James Storm to defend the World Tag Team Title at Slammiversary IX and pursued the X Division Title yet was unsuccessful. The Motor City Machine Guns reunited in 2012 however couldn't recapture the TNA World Tag Team Title. Shelley left TNA after his eight-year career with the company.

NJPW (2009–2010, 2012–2018, 2022–2023)

Initial Days (2009-1010)

In 2009, at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom III, the Motor City Machine Guns beat No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro) to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title. They turned out to be just the second non-Japanese team to come out on top for the championship. After three successful defenses, including two for TNA, they lost the titles to Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi) in the same year. The Motor City Machine Guns returned to NJPW in December 2010, where they lost to No Limit but secured a triumph against Apollo 55 in their rematch.

Time Splitters (2012–2015)

Alex Shelley returned to NJPW in 2012. He formed the tag team "Time Splitters" with Kushida. They introduced a new double-team finisher and were successful against the Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov and Rough Romero). In 2012, Time Splitters won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title by beating Forever Hooligans. The team successfully defended their titles multiple times before losing the belts back to the Forever Hooligans in 2013.

Shelley additionally participated in the 2013 Best of the Super Juniors. He arrived at the finals however lost to Prince Devitt. After recovering from an injury, Shelley and Kushida recaptured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title in 2014 by defeating The Young Bucks. They successfully defended their titles against the reDRagon and different teams. However, they lost the title to reDRagon at Power Struggle 2014. Time Splitters attempted to recapture the titles on numerous occasions however were unsuccessful. Shelley left NJPW after competing in the 2015 Super Jr. Tag Tournament.

Reunion of Motor City Machine Guns (2016)

In 2016, NJPW reported Alex Shelley's return to the advancement as a part of the Motor City Machine Guns, rejoining him with Chris Sabin. In their return match, the Motor City Machine Guns challenged The Young Bucks for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title yet were unsuccessful.

NJPW Strong (2022–2023)

After defeating the Aussie Open, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley returned to NJPW at Rumble on 44th Road. They won Strong Openweight Tag Team Titles in a three-way match. They successfully held the titles at Battle in the Valley against the West Coast Wrecking Crew. However, at Capital Collision, they lost the titles back to Aussie Open in a three-way tag-team match.

ROH (2015–2018, 2019)

In 2015, Alex Shelley returned to ROH as the mystery man interfering in The Addiction's matches. He later teamed with A.C.H. and Matt Sydal to defeat Sabin, Daniels, and Kazarian at Final Battle. In 2016, Shelley re-formed the Motor City Machine Guns with Chris Sabin, and they defeated The Addiction in their return match. The pair proceeded to compete for the ROH World Tag Team Title, against The Addiction and The Young Bucks but were unsuccessful.

In 2017, the Motor City Machine Guns won the ROH World Tag Team Title, which was their first title reign in ROH. They held the titles until losing to The Briscoe Brothers in 2018. Shelley returned to ROH in 2019 after an injury and teamed with Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham. He had notable matches against Matt Taven and Cabana for the ROH World Title before the Coronavirus pandemic.

NXT (2020)

In 2020, Alex Shelley joined WWE NXT as Kushida's partner and reformed their Time Splitters tag team for the first time starting around 2015. This was Shelley's official debut in WWE, following a short appearance on WWE Heat in 2005. In their first match together during the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Shelley and Kushida were eliminated in the first round by the Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson).

Impact Wrestling (2020–2021)

In 2020, Alex Shelley returned to Impact Wrestling alongside Chris Sabin as the Motor City Machine Guns. They defeated the Rascalz after acknowledging their open challenge. They captured the Impact World Tag Team Title for the second time by beating The North after their 383-day reign. The pair successfully defended their titles against teams like the Rascalz Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. However, at Bound for Glory, they lost the titles back following 97 days to The North in a four-way tag team match. In 2021, Shelley reported his departure from Impact Wrestling.

Major League Wrestling (2021)

Shelly debuted in the promotion in 2021. He competed in a losing effort against TJP at the event of Fightland for the Opera Cup quarter-finals.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2021)

In 2021, Alex Shelley made his PWG debut at the "Threemendous VI" event. He defeated Jonathan Gresham to turn into the main competitor for the PWG World Title however, later lost to Bandido. In 2022, Shelley competed in the PWG Battle of Los Angeles, defeating Lee Moriarty in the first round before losing to Daniel Garcia in the second round.

Impact Wrestling (2022–2024)

Alex Shelley made his return to Impact Wrestling in 2022. He faced his student Jay White however lost the match. He had a series of notable matches, including an unsuccessful challenge for the Impact World Title against Josh Alexander. In 2022 the Motor City Machine Guns won the Impact World Tag Title for the third time. They lost the titles to Ace Austin and Chris Bey in 2023.

Shelley turned into the main competitor for Impact World Title after overcoming numerous contenders. He brought home the championship by overcoming Steve Maclin at Against All Odds. Throughout his reign, Shelley successfully defended the title against Nick Aldis, Brian Myers, and Hiroshi Tanahashi. His rivalry with former champion Josh Alexander finished in a match at Bound for Glory, which Shelley won. However, Shelley lost the title to Moose following 218 days in 2024.

All Elite Wrestling (2022)

In 2022, Sonjay Dutt announced that Jay Lethal would team up with the Motor City Machine Guns for their AEW debut. They were scheduled to face Wardlow and FTR in a six-man label group match at All Out. However, the match finished in defeat for Lethal and the Motor City Machine Guns by the interference of Samoa Joe.

SmackDown (2024–present)

Shelley and Sabin officially signed a contract with the WWE in September 2024 and started to perform on the SmackDown brand.

Alex Shelly Awards and Achievements