The Motor City Machine Guns have drawn first blood in their war with FTR. At AEW WrestleDream on October 17, 2026, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin defeated Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler in the opening match of their best-of-five series, taking a 1-0 lead on the road to tag team supremacy.
Motor City Machine Guns (Credits: Fightful)
How the Machine Guns Stole Match One
The finish came after a hard-fought back-and-forth that lived up to the dream-match billing. With FTR looking to put things away with their signature Shatter Machine, Shelley and Sabin had it scouted — the Machine Guns blocked the tandem finisher, followed with a combination attack on Cash Wheeler, and planted him with a double package powerbomb to score the decisive pin.
It was a statement win, and a timely one. With four matches still to come in the series, striking first gives MCMG the momentum and forces FTR to play catch-up.
A First-Time Ever Clash
Remarkably, this was the first-ever meeting between these two teams in standard tag team competition. Shelley and Sabin had previously faced Harwood and Wheeler only across the ring from them — in a trios match at AEW All Out 2022. The two sides agreed to the best-of-five series on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite, setting the stage for a multi-week rivalry built on tag team purism.
Both tandems carry legitimate claims to being among the best tag teams in the world. FTR, the self-described “Top Guys,” have stacked championships across AEW, WWE, and NJPW, while the Motor City Machine Guns’ recent arrival in AEW has added another elite duo to a division already overflowing with talent.
What’s Next in the Series
With the score at 1-0, FTR now face must-win territory in match two if they want to avoid falling into a deep hole. The best-of-five format means the first team to three wins takes the series — and with it, bragging rights as AEW’s premier tag team. Given how closely contested the opener was, fans should expect the intensity to escalate with every match.
Also Read: AEW WrestleDream 2026 Card: Ospreay’s Clockwork Carnage Title Defense and More
Source: Fightful — read the full story there.
