Paging Alex Shelley...

[It's Damn Real!]

I dunno what the deal is with Shelly not being on television since August, but what I do know is that it's bullshit he's not.

TNA teased us with the makings of a Generation Next-like feud between Shelley and Austin Aries at the time, and as I've said on numerous occasions, Alex Shelley is one of the brightest spots in the company, bar none. He has so much charisma and in-ring talent – there's no reason not to push him IMO.

Too much overall talent there not to showcase, especially in the floundering X Division which seems to only be a home for Jesse Sorensen, Austin Aries and Kid Kash of late.

Is he injured? Am I missing something?

 

[Alex]

How long is Chris Sabin out for??

Sabin may be on the mend and TNA probably want to put the Motor City Machine Guns back together, I mean the tag division is in a worse position than the X-Division at the moment so maybe they want to put Shelley in a place that needs more help. So he may be training for a return with Sabin possibly.

 

[Karilas]

I can only hope Sabin's recover is going exceedingly well. There's been nary a word of Shelley since Hardcore Justice and that is frankly ridiculous. Shelley has one of the bigger up-sides of the X-Division, the guy's well over with TNA's fans, largely as a result of his work with the Guns and his in-ring skills are top-notch. Hell, he doesn't even suck on the mic!

I don't know what I'm trying to say here, but I'm certainly missing Alex Shelley in the X-Division, but not half as much as I'm missing the Machine Guns in the Tag Division.

 

[The_Sharpshooter]

Just seems like another example of TNA having too much talent and not enough to do with it. Kendrick's been MIA since BFG. Zima Xion(if thats how you spell it) showed a lot of promise the few times I've seen him, but he's on jobber status. Two men who can continue to establish the X Division with just their presence, rarely seen.

Very few people in TNA has the personality of Alex Shelley, but maybe the execs see a small stature and think "wait until his other small partner gets back, brother. Then we can feed him to Mexican America". Completely unjust

 

[ABMorales787]

For the most, it would seem TNA has decided to keep him on the side until Sabin is healthy once again. The Motorcity Machineguns are in my eyes far more needed right now in the Tag Team Division than Alex Shelley is in the X Division.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I've gotta agree with Killjoy here, Shelly is amazing on his own but TNA needs one of the most popular tag teams in it's history back and not just half of them to compete for the X-Division. They must be waiting for both of them to be good to go before having Shelley come back, I am pissed we havent seen him in so long though and I can't wait until he and Sabin are back to rock the tag team division.

 

[SpecialFNK]

this is definitely a TNA fail. Shelley could greatly be used in the X division.
even when Sabin does return, do they reform MCMG? and feud in the tag team division with??? Mexican America? Ink Ink? British Invasion? and?
TNA could really profit right now by using Shelley in the X division. maybe even give him the title shortly before Sabin returns. then once Sabin does return he can maybe ask Shelley what his plans are for getting back together. maybe Sabin can ask Shelley why he wasn't in contact with him for so long while he was injured. Sabin could be upset, maybe turn heel? Shelley and Sabin could be the Storm and Roode of the X division.

 

[ABMorales787]

this is definitely a TNA fail. Shelley could greatly be used in the X division.
even when Sabin does return, do they reform MCMG? and feud in the tag team division with??? Mexican America? Ink Ink? British Invasion? and?

Why do you think filling that blank isn't a good idea? Balancing your roster should be very important to keep interest in all it's sections.

TNA could really profit right now by using Shelley in the X division.

But not as much as having the MMG in the Tag Team Division.

maybe even give him the title shortly before Sabin returns. then once Sabin does return he can maybe ask Shelley what his plans are for getting back together. maybe Sabin can ask Shelley why he wasn't in contact with him for so long while he was injured. Sabin could be upset, maybe turn heel? Shelley and Sabin could be the Storm and Roode of the X division.

Except there are 2 problems.

1) Sabin and Shelley reunited at Destination X after Alex won a match. Ergo, we know they are in contact with each other.

2) Why do the same feud twice at once? That's just stupid.



Yeah, I kinda wish Alex were on TV alongside Jesse Sorensen. But I get the idea of keeping him away until Sabin can heal. They tried giving Sabin his own push when Alex was injured earlier this year and funny enough, Sabin got injured the same day Alex came back. So I can see there is a sense of concern about keeping him until the time is right.

 

[LegendKiller716]

I almost made this thread a few days ago, but I assumed Shelly was being held out until Sabin returned to help the terrible Tag Division.

IMO Aeries, Shelly and Sabin are the best X-Division wrestlers in TNA, and I think the Guns should break up soon after Sabin returns. Those three guys along with Kash, Kaz, Daniels, and Kendrick could make some great TV.

P.S. Jesse Sorensen is garbage, why is TNA pushing him so hard? He has no gimmick, he's boring as all hell, and his ring work isn't on par with the other guys in the division.

 

[SpecialFNK]

MCMG were/are a great tag team. very classic matches with Beer Money. EPIC.
but with the remaining teams in the current tag team division if they remain there then they are so much greater than any other team.
I personally think Ink Ink are good and think they should have already won the belts well before now, but maybe TNA feels differently.
but insert the returning MCMG into the tag team division which currently has just these 3 other teams? and that really isn't much competition. would it really be beneficial and entertaining to see MCMG just dominate the tag team division?
now maybe if TNA was to create additional teamS in the tag team division THEN MCMG could have more/better competition once then return.

 

[mlp420]

TNA just doesn't have enough tv time for their roster, bottom line. It's really killing them because with 2 hrs of TV time a week and no B show on TV alot of wrestlers are bound to be in Shelly's position. Only way this can change is a 2nd show or book '99 WWF style with 8-10 matches a week mixed with a ton of short backstage segments.

 

[GrandSword]

I was thinking about this the other day... and how it's a trevesty that Shelley isn't on tv. When Sabin hurt himself, we all thought it is unfortuate for Sabin and the Guns, but a huge opportunity to finally allow Shelley to shine and show who talented and entertaining this man is.

TNA went out hired all this new talent like Zima, Sorreson, that British guy, and left true talent like Shelley on the shelf... Atleast we get to see Aries every week, but back to Shelley...

I can only guess that they are waiting for Sabin to retrun and the Guns come back with a big push... and take the belts from MexAm, because that's where Sabin hurt himself against them... so it would be a revenge thing, and that's why Ink Inc haven't won the belts, as TNA wants to hopefully put the Guns back in as Tag Champs...

However in the mean time, Shelley fans have to sit and wait to for him to come back.

Another lost opportunity by TNA to make another of their great talents squander...

 

[Theo Mays]

I agree with the vast majority here that the reason Shelley isn't on TV is due to Sabin's injury and them wanting to bring the Guns back to the forefront of the tag team division. I get that but didn't Sabin tear his ACL? That's like a 6-8 month injury. They could have easily let Shelley roam around the singles division and do some great stuff in the X-Division in the process. Shelley is a machine. The guy goes in the ring and his charisma isn't matched by many. He does well in all aspects and a feud between him and Aries for the X title could have been legit. Instead he is off our screen and just waiting in the wings. Shame really, as Shelley could be a real asset right about now.

 

[Notorious718]

I don't know what to make of this. While I get what Killjoy is saying about keeping Shelley on the sidelines until Sabin makes his return so as to avoid risking an injury, I don't agree that doing so is necessarily right. The X Division could benefit tremendously from having Shelly compete with its wrestlers (especially since the only ones being consistently featured are Kid Kash, Aries, and Sorensen) as well as help in keeping him relevant. I gotta say, I'm pretty upset that he potentially won't be coming back until Sabin returns because it could mean that there won't be a title feud between Shelley and Aries which is something I've been absolutely dying to see.

 

[The "Blueprint"]

My problem with Alex Shelley is that I think he should be the centerpiece of the X-Division. I thought he should've been in the X-Division title match at Bound For Glory as well. Brian Kendrick is great and all, but his whole Hippie Guru/Yoda gimmick is very UN-entertaining. Xima Ion is pretty good, but they don't give him much of a shot. Kid Kash is a really good heel, but he's pretty old for the X-Division in my opinion. Jesse Sorrenson isn't bad either, but again all he reminds me of is Alex Riley and he doesn't scream X-Division to me.

The X-Division is what built TNA with it's young, brash, high flying, no holds barred talent, but now it's just seems like any other division. Alex Shelley has the talent to carry the X-Division back to the spotlight with guys like Kaz, Aries, Soreenson, Ion, and Kendrick until Sabin returns from his injury. The guy has all of what it takes to become a major player in TNA and it starts with the XD.

 

[Lancer]

I really thought that Shelley should have taken Kendrick's place as the "savior" of the X Division against Abyss at Destination X this year, thus becoming the man that would feud with Austin Aries until the present day. He has a deeper connection with TNA fans, and the feud between the two would have been money, as they are two machines in that ring. I never really got emotionally invested in Brian Kendrick's run, as his whole gimmick and just the guy in general does not appeal to me. I think that is a feeling shared by many.

But I digress. It is baffling to see Shelley absent since Sabin has been MIA. Perhaps they are priming another run at the tag titles with the Guns. I agree with many that that would definitely benefit the tag division at the moment. However, when you have pretty much 3 guys representing a "division," that's a situation that cries for help.

All of the talk about which "division" Shelley belongs in, though, is irrelevant. The bottom line is, he is absent from our television screens, and that is not a good thing. When you have guys like Garrett Bischoff (no one cares) and Abyss (not relevant and never will be again) taking up the TV time, while talented guys like Shelley and others sit on the sidelines without so much as a peep...that's an injustice that needs to be fixed. Whatever happened to the "renewed focus" on the X Division? Perfect situation to use Shelley.

 

[three count bout]

Even if IW wants to reform the Guns when Sabin returns I still don't see why he can't wrestle now. He's not injured and he would bring a lot of excitement to the X-Division. They started to hint that Shelley would be inserted into the division full time and suddenly stopped. Similarly Kazarian also just dropped out of the division and its mind boggling how many good matches could've taken place between Shelley, Aries, and Kaz. Alex Shelley is an exciting athlete and he's versatile enough to work anywhere on the card here's to hoping we get to see more of him soon.

 

[shattered dreams]

I noticed this but didn't particularly care. I like what they are doing with the X-division now, that being making it a distinct different bracket of competitors. Then the X-division can have sustained stories that build over time instead of just randomly rotating someone back down the card for a month at a time. In the spirit of that I don't really like the idea of Shelley just biding his time there until he can leave.

On Shelley in general I am not convinced he is as good of a talent as some people believe. That isn't to say he is bad, just that I feel like he might have a limited upside. He is one dimensional on the mic, he doesn't really work a variety of wrestling styles and he doesn't incorporate that much psychology into it. He can still be entertaining doing what he does but I have never really seen what those people that seem to think he could be an AJ or HBK see. The mic work is the crux of the issue.

 

[Clem]

I can see the logic in keeping him off TV until the Motor City Machine Guns are ready to return, but I think he could prove very useful in the time being too.

For instance, imagine if instead of blank slate Jesse Sorensen, you had fan favourite Alex Shelley competing against Austin Aries and Kid Kash for the X Division title.

The fact of the matter is Alex Shelley is ready made talent waiting to be used.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Like others, I've made a few posts regarding TNA's use of Shelley here & there and I can't say I'm very high on it myself.

At the same time, I can't say I'm surprised as TNA has used Chris Sabin in exactly the say way when Shelley was out injured for an extended period of time. It seems that the mindset of the TNA brass is that neither guy has all that much to contribute without the other by his side. I honestly don't see how as both wrestlers have a lot to contribute.

Just because Sabin is out doesn't mean that Shelley can't be useful. The X Division has been in need of talent and I can't for the life of me think why TNA hasn't made better use of him. God knows they need it because without Aries, the X Division is made up of a rookie with a gimmick as generic as it gets and a veteran of the indy circuit that most people either didn't know or forgot even existed up until a few months back.

I can understand the idea of wanting to keep the Guns together when Sabin comes back. After all, I don't think any of us quite saw the tag team picture in TNA as badly as it has. When Sabin was injured, it was revealed that he was going to be out of action for at least the rest of 2011 so it's just such a waste of talent not to have done more, or really have done anything, with Alex Shelley in all this time.

 

[eezy1]

Shellys work was getting sloppy for me. he just looked like he was going through the motions in his singles matches after Sabin got hurt.

Keep him off until Sabins back in buisness and then we can have a big MCMG return. He`s out of sight and out of mind right now so no more damage done keeping him out til Sabin heals up

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Yeah, it is pretty much what everyone else said. Shelley is being kept from television because the impact of MCMG's return will be larger if both members return at the same time.

Shelley was doing great as a singles talent, he was showing a lot of potential but for whatever reason TNA seem to show more spotlight on Sorensen, Kash and Aries than opposed to guys like Ion and Shelley. Kendrick is on a small absence too. However I think Shelly will benefit the return of Motor City Machine Guns better than he'll add to the X-Division.

 

[dadubay]

You guys are talking about Shelley and Sabin being out and not tagging forever. Do you guys realize that just about every indy date that they do is as a tag team? I have seen them tag together at PWG multiple times.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I'm not sure why TNA wants to hold back on Shelley. It would be great to see the MCMG return, but I think both competitors are even better in the X division. There isn't a top face in the X division right now. Sorrenson and Kendrick are poor examples. With Kid Kash and Austin Aries leading the realm, someone like Shelley or even Low Ki would be a great leader.

 

[Colamania]

It's an interesting situation with Alex Shelley in TNA in that, to be honest, it's almost lose-lose. Shelley is an extremely skilled, very entertaining X Division worker, an area in which TNA needs some serious improvement at the moment. It all looked so promising with the rebirth storyling, the Destination X PPV, the 10-man gauntlet thing... and then everything went downhill again and now it's basically just 3 guys - although admittedly I do love Kid Kash. However, overall I'm happy with the likelihood that they're saving him for an MMG comeback. The tag division is the only part of TNA which is going even worse than the X Division is, and now with Jesse Neal having left (which really sucks, I loved that guy) it's in even worse shape. They have the tools to improve the X Division - Brian Kendrick, Zima Ion, Mark Haskins, all sat around doing nothing as far as I can tell. Whereas the tag division needs something, now, and if the Guns are almost ready to come back, that takes priority over a singles appearance to me. Just hope it's not too long until they're back, throwing random competitors together as teams won't help the situation, especially not bunging the tag team titles on them.