Alex Shelley’s Entire 20-Year Wrestling Career Was Leading to This Moment
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Alex Shelley’s big moment
For the very first time in his illustrious career, Alex Shelley was announced as the new Impact Wrestling world champion June 9.
Shelley defeated Steve Maclin at Against All Odds in a captivating bout, reaching the pinnacle of Impact after a ferocious climb. Following his career-defining victory, a celebratory dinner was awaiting the new champ.
Whatever the meal lacked in glamor, it replenished in memories.
A 21-year veteran of the craft, Shelley’s celebration was held at Waffle House. The new face of Impact ate four scrambled eggs, two chicken breasts, steamed hash browns and whole wheat toast, which is exactly what Kevin Nash ordered for him the first time they went to a Waffle House 17 years ago before a trip to Gold’s Gym.
Waffle House was a request from Yuya Uemura, who is on sabbatical from New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Uemura specifically asked for Shelley’s guidance during his time in the U.S. Having once been the only foreigner on tours 19 years ago, Shelley takes a great deal of pride in looking out for Uemura, both in and out of the ring.
The remainder of Shelley’s evening was spent in a compact hotel room. That is where he aired out his gear and went to bed—but not before setting his alarm for seven the next morning to work out.
“This is a gift,” says Shelley. “It’s not an obligation. It’s something I am lucky to do. If you want to be champion of a major promotion, you need to outwork everyone. That’s what I want; so I’m grinding.”
Shelley has been a whirling dervish ever since, which is no different than his schedule before winning the belt. After defeating Maclin two weeks ago, he wrestled the next two nights. Then, this past weekend, he flew to New York on Friday for a show, only to return home the next day just long enough to hop in the car and make the three-hour trek to Dayton, Ohio, for another match. After that he drove to Cincinnati, caught a flight to Los Angeles and wrestled again.
Despite the arduous travel, he found time every day for another grueling workout.
“I want this,” says Shelley. “I’m not going to stop.”
Shelley is 40-year-old Patrick Martin. You are forgiven for thinking he is younger. He has tapped into wrestling’s fountain of youth. That is largely the result of an unrelenting commitment to health and fitness, which shows instantly in his muscular frame. Yet another key characteristic to Shelley’s success is his passionate devotion toward pro wrestling.
A secret of Shelley’s work is his knack for embedding joy into all matches. While he is primarily known as one half of the famed Motor City Machine Guns, he is also one of the most dedicated singles performers on the indies. His weekends are spent touring different cities and towns, wrestling 30-minute bouts to a different audience every week. Such intense commitment is not a requisite; Shelley could earn a living while doing a whole lot less. But for someone who, up until recently, worked 40-hour weeks as a physical therapist and then scratched and clawed in the ring on the weekends, it is all part of the signature routine for wrestling’s truest working-class hero.
“I think back to Ric Flair and Harley Race defending the belt in multiple cities in one night,” says Shelley. “Those guys didn’t take nights off. Kevin Nash is another one. That stretch he had as WWE champion was insane. He said something that always stuck with me when he said, ‘I could either sleep or I could work out.’ If you find a gym, you take it. CM Punk took care of me on the road 20 years ago. If he passed a gym, he worked out. That’s part of how he left his imprint on the business. They led by example, and that’s what I plan to do.”
Shelley’s Motor City Machine Guns partner, Chris Sabin, is now Impact’s X Division champion.
Courtesy of Impact Wrestling
Shelley is unique in pro wrestling. Trained by Sabu, mentored by Nash, looked after by Yuji Nagata in Japan and Dr. Wagner Jr. in Mexico, he is now passing on endless knowledge to the current generation of wrestling’s rising stars.
There is a new piece of knowledge Shelley can offer. After a run in Impact that originally began in 2005, Shelley can mentor the next generation on what it means to carry a major promotion as its champion.
“It’s taken me years and years and years to reach this point, but I’ve never lost sight of the fact that wrestling is what I love,” says Shelley. “I like the grind. I find joy in it. Doing this at a high level, there is nothing like it.”
Impact’s history cannot be told without Shelley, and now neither can its world title lineage. The morning of June 9, Shelley awoke in the comfort of his own bed. He started his day with a workout, then ate a healthy breakfast laid out precisely to the gram.
There was a different energy in the air on that particular day. He did not rush off to sit and wait at the airport, instead making a solo three-hour drive from Detroit to Columbus. After taking every avenue necessary over the past two decades to ensure he would belong in pro wrestling—earning a business degree with an HR concentration, entering physical therapy and becoming a strength and conditioning coach—his drive to the venue was smooth. Listening to Spotify, clearing his mind along the way, he made great time en route to the Ohio Expo Center.
Upon entering the building, it dawned on Shelley that he was approaching a very rare milestone.
“When I walked in, everything slowed down and became fluid,” says Shelley. “That reminded me it was my moment. It was my match and no one was going to take that away from me. I wasn’t going to believe anything until it happened, so it was surreal for me even as it was happening.”
Shelley and Maclin closed out the Against All Odds card that night. The show’s title change, it appeared, occurred earlier in the card, as Motor City partner Chris Sabin defeated Trey Miguel to win the X Division title. It was a genuine surprise to see Shelley upend Maclin for the world title, a legitimately unexpected moment for one of wrestling’s most dynamic talents.
But there were no extra nerves when he stepped into the ring. No second guessing. Feeling at ease when he heard the bell ring, Shelley owned the moment as soon as he locked eyes with Maclin.
“The bell rings, me and Maclin lock eyes, and that’s when I knew, ‘I’ve got this,’” says Shelley. “I’ve been doing this for two decades. I’ve been doing 30-minute matches every weekend for almost two years, and about a year and half of that was while I was working full time in physical therapy. There was no doubt. So as soon as I walked in the ring, I felt at home.”
Just a shade past the 22-minute mark, Shelley connected with a superkick. He then hit a picturesque Shellshock for the victory, crafting one of the industry’s most satisfying and uplifting finishes since Kofi Kingston won the world title four years ago.
Returning to the back, Shelley shared a host of intimate moments with the members of the Impact locker room, and he was greeted with a standing ovation as he returned with the belt draped over his shoulder. He also received hundreds of congratulatory texts, which he was unaware of until the next morning (“I was so tired I didn’t even check my phone,” says Shelley).
The cellphone was an afterthought while he was hugging and chatting with people who have become extended family. Eventually, he checked his phone—and was flooded with a whole other deluge of emotions.
“I was very grateful that people watched the match and shared the moment with me,” says Shelley. “I’ve heard from a lot of people I was close with over the past 20 years. People from all over, including WWE and Japan and AEW. I didn’t even recognize some of the numbers at first. It was mind-blowing, it meant the world to me and I responded to every single one of those texts.”
Since winning the belt, Shelley quickly moved nostalgia to the background. His focus is the present, beginning with a title defense this Friday against Brian Myers at Impact’s Summer Sizzler show in Atlanta. The future is also quite eventful. On Saturday, Shelley will team with Sabin in a tag match against Nick Aldis and Lio Rush. Then there is a rematch against Maclin at the end of the month in Australia. He will headline the next pay-per-view, Slammiversary in July, against Aldis. All the while, Shelley will need to keep viewers engaged in Impact, shining a light on an incredibly talented roster while adding significance to the world title.
Shelley’s journey to the top of the company is a rare tale. He did not just take the road less traveled in wrestling; he embraced it. Buoyed by a strong past, he now seeks to build an unforgettable run as champ.
“This isn’t about what happened before,” says Shelley. “It’s all about what’s happening in the moment. What I have is now, and I’m going to do my best with everything I’ve got.”
The (online) week in wrestling
- The latest chapter in The Bloodline saw The Usos break free from the grip of Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. Every week, those involved in this story line continue to elevate it to new heights.
- CM Punk is back, delivering an outstanding promo on Collision before stepping back into the ring.
- Bron Breakker lost to Seth Rollins last night, but the foreshadowing was clear: He has what it takes to carry the company in the ring.
- Incredible to think we will have the chance to watch Bryan Danielson wrestle Kazuchika Okada this Sunday.
- Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander continue to bring innovation to the indies. Beware—it does contain some NSFW language.
- I think this tweet speaks volumes about the importance of allyship.
Logan Paul added to the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match
Logan Paul is the newest entrant into the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
No, it doesn’t make sense. Unlike everyone else in the field, Paul did not wrestle a qualifying match to enter. Instead, he explained during his promo on Raw that he made a phone call to the upper brass and forced his way into one of WWE’s most exciting matches. Depending on how this plays out, it could be a brilliant move.
Paul is a natural heel. He plays the role so effortlessly, which is aided by his overflowing charisma. A significant factor is that he is also a draw, and he adds considerably more interest to the match. There are plenty of ways this could turn out—everyone could work together to prevent him from winning, or he could deliver a surprise ending by seizing hold of the briefcase. While LA Knight seems like the best choice, every moment with Paul would be must-see if he wins. He also has history with world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins, who he owes a receipt after losing to him this past April at WrestleMania.
Ultimately, the inclusion of Paul makes the match more interesting. Suddenly, there is a new wild card to win the match.
Tweet of the Week
The Rock opened up on the passing of his father, wrestling great Rocky Johnson.
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
