IMPACT Slammiversary 2020: Every Debuting And Returning Star's Grade One Year On

Grade: B

Here's where things get intriguing; by answering the Rascalz' open challenge in Slammiversary's opener, it marked Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley's first time teaming as the Motor City Machine Guns since 12 May 2018. Just three days later, they were already into their second reign as IMPACT World Tag Team Champions, besting Ethan Page and Josh Alexander on the post-Slammiversary IMPACT episode.

There's a catch, though.

Shelley was out of action for a period after taking a Divine Intervention on the stage from Josh Alexander at Bound For Glory. His only match back was to defeat XXXL on the 1 December IMPACT broadcast, before he was again gone from television prior to Hard To Kill, this time through his own choice. He's sitting out until he's vaccinated.

Although the duo only had seven matches together back in IMPACT, the sheer quality of their in-ring efforts edges them higher than the Good Brothers here. The Guns' bouts with the Rascalz, Gallows and Anderson, and Ace Austin and Madman Fulton were superb, while their two contests against the North made for some of IMPACT's greatest content throughout the pandemic era.

Sabin's work as a singles guy 'post'-Guns, if you will, has been alright, but it's hardly career-defining material. Once Shelley is ready to go, expect the Guns to reach the heights of summer 2020 once more.