Fan-Favorite WWE Tag Team Reacts to WrestleMania 41 Absence
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Made up of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, Motor City Machine Guns have been one of the most beloved and respected tag teams in professional wrestling.
First debuting in 2006, MCMG first started garnering attention as part of TNA before appearing in other promotions like Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
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Surprisingly, MCMG joined WWE in September 2024 and quickly established themselves in the tag team division, winning the WWE Tag Team Championship in October.
Despite this, Shelley and Sabin were absent from WrestleMania 41, and the WWE Tag Team Championship wasn't represented at all.
Instead, they had a classic Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) match for the championship against The Street Profits and #DIY on SmackDown.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 24: The Motor City Machine Guns, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin show team work against Elton Prince during SmackDown at Moody Center on January 24, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 24: The Motor City Machine Guns, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin show team work against Elton Prince during SmackDown at Moody Center on January 24, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
WWE/Getty Images
Needless to say, fans were upset that the match wasn't featured on WrestleMania. However, Shelley and Sabin seemed perfectly ok with missing the event during an appearance on SHAK Wrestling.
In fact, there weren't any plans to have the match at WrestleMania to begin with.
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"If there was I knew nothing of it, we didn't know till the week before on SmackDown," Sabin said. "They told us, 'Next week we're going to do a TLC match,' and that was the first I heard of it. So if there was, I was not part of those talks and did not hear anything about it."
"Yeah, we had so much going on WrestleMania weekend before and after SmackDown. That if the conversations were had, it didn't reach us," Shelley agreed. "Quite frankly, we wouldn't have cared one way or the other, because we're going to wrestle our asses off no matter where it's at."
That being said, both members of MCMG appreciated the support from fans.
"I mean, I just think it showed that the fans cared, which is a good thing," Sabin explained. "Because that SmackDown was in Las Vegas, which is where WrestleMania was.
"So many of the same fans that were at that SmackDown were going to go to WrestleMania so they kind of thought. Maybe, 'Oh, they don't get to see the match live.'
"So, you know, but that just showed that they cared. And then to see the response that we had from the fans and everyone after the match like that I think it worked out the way it was meant to work out, and I was very happy with everything. I wouldn't change a thing."
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"Yeah, and I think it's in one ear, out the other. It's nice that we got these accolades," Shelley said. "But at the same time, those are done with, and they don't benefit us going forward. So we got to stay grounded. We got to stay humble, we got to work even harder, because if there's another one, you better believe we're going to want to top it."
In the end, Motor City Machine Guns and the other teams in the TLC match did prove one thing: they are some of the best teams in the business and they are more than deserving to be at WrestleMania next year.
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