Tony Khan officially welcomed the Motor City Machine Guns to AEW during Collision this week, but not everyone was celebrating.
Moments after the Motor City Machine Guns officially arrived in AEW on the July 30 edition of Collision, Khan proudly announced that Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin were “All Elite.” Instead of celebrating the signing, a huge chunk of the conversation turned into fans questioning why one of the most hyped debuts of the year happened on Collision instead of Dynamite just 24 hours earlier.
The criticism came fast. One fan couldn’t understand why AEW passed on the bigger stage: “Could’ve done this yesterday but surre on Collision hell is okay.” Another wondered why Khan chose the Thursday show over its flagship program.
“Should have debut on your #1 show Dynamite instead of Collision.”
Others believed the move made no sense for a team with the Motor City Machine Guns’ reputation, wondering if Khan was afraid TNA would take away their viewership since TNA was running iMPACT! at the same time.
“Are we afraid TNA was going to take away tonight? These guys should be on Dynamite.”
Another fan didn’t even hide their confusion: “Care to give a explanation why they weren’t on Dynamite though Tony?” And perhaps the most viral reaction summed up what many fans were thinking.
“HE DEBUTED THE MACHINE GUNS ON F**ING COLLISION 🤣🤣🤣.”
Ironically, almost nobody was criticizing the signing itself.Shelley and Sabin received a loud ovation when they walked onto Collision, with Sabin telling the crowd there was nowhere else they’d rather be before Shelley officially declared that the Motor City Machine Guns were “All Elite.” It was the placement—not the debut—that became the story.
For many fans, a team with the Machine Guns’ legacy deserved the spotlight of Dynamite, especially when the company had already aired its flagship show less than a day earlier. Instead, one of AEW’s biggest signings debuted on Collision, and judging by the reaction online, that decision overshadowed the debut itself.
Do you think Tony Khan should have saved the Motor City Machine Guns for Dynamite, or was Collision the right place for their AEW debut? Let us know in the comments below.
