Alex Shelley

# Alex Shelley

## Abstract

Patrick Kenneth Martin, (born May 23, 1983), known by the ring name, Alex Shelley, is an American professional wrestler and physical therapy clinician. As of September 2024, he is signed to WWE. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a former 1-time TNA World Champion and a former one-time X Division Champion and 3-time World Tag Team Champion.

He first gained fame on the independent circuit, working for Ring of Honor (ROH), as well as in Japan, for Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max. He has also worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former 3-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion alongside Kushida and a former Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion alongside Chris Sabin, as the Motor City Machine Guns. Aside from wrestling, he is the lead singer of a rock band called The High Crusade, which includes his friends and fellow wrestlers Chris Sabin and Petey Williams.

## Professional wrestling career

### Training and early career (2002–2005)

Martin initially started training in the early 2002 under Breyer Wellington and Truth Martini. He then joined the Border City Wrestling 's Can-Am Wrestling School, and began training under Joe E. Legend and Scott D'Amore. Martin debuted in March 2002 as Alex Shelley, a name he created by combining the forename of Alex, the protagonist of the 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange, with the surname of Pete Shelley, the lead singer of the 1970s punk rock band the Buzzcocks. Six months into his career, he was hospitalized with a shattered jaw when he slipped on a wet ring and hit the unpadded ring apron. Shelley had steel plates inserted into his jaw as a result. After eight months, Shelley joined Ian Rotten 's IWA Mid-South promotion. He worked in the IWA for six months before joining the Philadelphia-based Combat Zone Wrestling. Not long after that, he joined Ring of Honor (ROH).

On June 12, 2005, Shelley made an appearance on the international version of WWE Heat, losing to Simon Dean after being hit with the Simonizer. His appearance was a tryout, but nothing came of it.

### Ring of Honor

#### Generation Next (2003–2004)

Shelley debuted in Ring of Honor on June 28, 2003, at WrestleRave 2003, facing B. J. Whitmer, Tony Mamaluke and Jimmy Jacobs in a Four Corners Survival match, which was won by Whitmer. He appeared with ROH sporadically throughout the remainder of 2003 and early 2004, feuding with Jimmy Jacobs and Matt Stryker.

At Generation Next on May 22, 2004, Shelley formed a stable, " Generation Next ", with Austin Aries, Jack Evans and Roderick Strong. Generation Next, led by Shelley, spent the entirety of the event attacking other wrestlers, claiming that they were "the best that Ring of Honor has to offer". They began feuding with wrestlers with a respect for tradition such as Matt Stryker, Jimmy Rave and R. J. Brewer.

On July 17, 2004, at Reborn: Completion, Shelley lost to Doug Williams in the finals of a tournament for the vacant ROH Pure Championship. That same night, Generation Next attacked Ricky Steamboat during his confrontation with CM Punk, with Punk subsequently siding with Steamboat to fend off Generation Next. This led to a feud between Generation Next and the allies of Ricky Steamboat, culminating in a forty–five-minute-long eight–man elimination match at The Midnight Express Reunion on October 2, pitting Generation Next against CM Punk, John Walters, Jimmy Jacobs and Ace Steel. The match was won by Generation Next, with Shelley and Aries surviving. Following the match, Shelley announced his intention of challenging Samoa Joe for the ROH World Championship. Aries then announced he too was going after the title, with Shelley telling him to "remember where your loyalties lie".

On December 26, 2004, at Final Battle 2004, Shelley and Strong were defeated by CM Punk and Steve Corino. Following the match, Aries, feeling that Shelley was spending far too much time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) than he was leading Generation Next, came to the ring and demanded that Shelley step–down as the leader. Before Shelley could give an answer, he was attacked by Aries and Strong and kicked out of Generation Next, turning him into a fan favorite in the process.

#### The Embassy (2005–2006)

Shelley feuded with Generation Next throughout early 2005, unsuccessfully challenging Aries for the ROH World Championship at Manhattan Mayhem on May 7. On July 23, Shelley was in a tag match against Aries and Strong, with him choosing a mystery partner. Shelley gave speculation in a backstage promo as to who his partner would be, saying it could be a new wrestler making their debut in Ring of Honor. He later revealed that he did not bring someone in to ROH, but had joined " The Embassy ", a heel stable controlled by Prince Nana. Teaming with Fast Eddie Vegas that night, The Embassy won their first match in a feud with Generation Next that would last for the remainder of the year. The feud culminated in an eight–man elimination steel cage match on December 3, with Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Jack Evans and Matt Sydal of Generation Next defeating Shelley, Jimmy Rave, Abyss and Nana of The Embassy.

At Hell Freezes Over on January 14, 2006, Shelley teamed up with Rave to defeat the duo of Claudio Castagnoli and Azrieal. Later that evening, Prince Nana offered to buy the ROH World Championship from Bryan Danielson after his successful defense against Chris Hero. When Danielson refused to sell it, he was attacked by The Embassy with Shelley giving him a Sliced Bread #2 claiming it was his " Kryptonite " as Danielson's long–time rival and former Embassy member, Spanky, utilized the move to defeat him on numerous occasions. The following show, The Embassy of Shelley, Rave and Abyss won the 2006 Trios Tournament defeating Generation Next of Jack Evans and Matt Sydal and their partner Jimmy Yang in the finals, and thus each wrestler was granted any match they wanted, with Shelley and Rave both announcing they wanted a shot at the ROH World Championship. Shelley was originally scheduled to face Danielson for the title on February 11, but a severe snowstorm hit the Northeast and Shelley was told by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling to fly back early to Orlando, Florida, so he would not miss their pay-per-view the following day. Shelley would eventually get his title shot one month later at Arena Warfare, but was unable to defeat Danielson.

Shelley would then wrestle sporadically in ROH for the next few months before quietly leaving in June. His last appearance as a regular in Ring of Honor took place on June 24 when he managed Jimmy Rave and Conrad Kennedy III in a losing effort against the Briscoe Brothers.

#### Sporadic tag team appearances (2007–2008, 2010, 2014–2015)

He returned to ROH along with Chris Sabin on March 30, 2007, following the Briscoe Brothers winning the ROH World Tag Team Championship. The two challenged Jay Briscoe for a shot at the title on April 28 in Chicago, then attacked him after he accepted. The two would ultimately lose the match and leave the company.

In April 2008, Shelley and Sabin returned to ROH, losing to The Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black) and defeating the Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark) on the 18 and 19 respectively.

In August 2008, Shelley and Sabin once again returned to ROH, wrestling Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson to a 25-minute time limit draw and losing to Kevin Steen and El Generico on the 1st and 2nd respectively. Shelley and Sabin were scheduled to return to ROH on October 24 and 25, but were pulled from the events by TNA and replaced by The Latin American Xchange.

On February 13, 2010, Ring of Honor announced at their 8th Anniversary Show that the Motor City Machine Guns would return to the company on May 8 in New York City. On May 8 the Motor City Machine Guns were defeated by the ROH World Tag Team Champions The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) via disqualification, when the Briscoe Brothers interfered in the match.

Shelley returned to ROH on December 7, 2014, at Final Battle 2014, where he and Kushida unsuccessfully challenged reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. The Time Splitters returned to ROH on August 22, 2015, losing to the Briscoes at Field of Honor.

### Pro Wrestling Zero-1 Max (2005–2008)

In March 2005, Shelley joined Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max. He won the vacant Zero1-Max United States Openweight Championship on September 19, 2005, in Tokyo, Japan, defeating Sonjay Dutt. His reign lasted until November 23 of that year, when he lost the title to Christopher Daniels.

On August 25, 2006, at Korakuen Hall 's Zero-1 Max show, Shelley and Chris Sabin became NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Champions, when they defeated champions, Ikuto Hidaka and Minoru Fujita. They lost the titles to the team of Minoru Fujita and Takuya Sugawara on April 6, 2008.

### Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

#### Goldy Locks and the X Division (2004–2005)

Shelley signed a non–exclusive contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on July 8, 2004. He was paired with Goldy Locks and dubbed "Baby Bear" Alex Shelley. Shelley requested his release from TNA late that year after booker Dusty Rhodes stopped utilizing him.

Shelley signed a new contract with TNA in 2005 after Rhodes resigned as TNA booker, and returned on June 19, 2005, at Slammiversary, losing to Shocker. He went on to form a tag team with Michael Shane, with the duo losing to America's Most Wanted at No Surrender 2005 on July 17. Shelley entered the TNA 2005 Super X Cup Tournament, but lost to Samoa Joe in the semifinals on August 7. He then entered the Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament with Sean Waltman as his tag team partner, and won the tournament by defeating Shocker and Chris Sabin in the finals on the September 9 episode of TNA Impact!. As a result of their victory, Waltman and Shelley were granted a shot at the NWA World Tag Team Championship in a four–way tag team bout at Unbreakable on September 11. After Waltman no-showed the event, Shelley was left without a partner, but opted to wrestle alone. He was doubled teamed by Team Canada (Eric Young and A-1) for much of the match until Johnny Candido, the brother of Chris Candido, climbed onto the apron and accepted Shelley's tag. However, Candido was pinned by Young shortly thereafter, with Shelley being eliminated from the match as a result.

Throughout late–2005, Shelley wrestled in the X Division as a villain, facing Austin Aries on several occasions. In November 2005, he introduced a gimmick that saw him bring a camcorder (the "Shelley–cam") to ringside in order to film matches to study later for strategic purposes (in reality, Shelley owned over 200 professional wrestling videotapes at the time). In late 2005, he began teaming with his former Generation Next teammates Austin Aries and Roderick Strong, feuding with established X Division fan favorites, Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin, and Matt Bentley and demanding bigger roles in the company from road agent Jerry Lynn which led to a series of matches in which the re–formed Generation Next came out on top.

#### Paparazzi Productions (2006–2007)

In early 2006, after both Aries and Strong were suspended by TNA, Shelley was recruited by Jeff Jarrett to obtain candid video footage of Jackie Gayda for the purposes of blackmail. Shelley went on to create the fictional enterprise " Paparazzi Productions " and obtain footage of Sting, Christian Cage and their respective families for the purposes of intimidation. Throughout April and May 2006, Shelley wrestled in the 2006 World X Cup Tournament as a member of the victorious Team USA. In May whilst the World X Cup was in progress, he interviewed Kevin Nash, during which Nash announced that the X Division was mere filler, and that intended to destroy the X Division. Shelley's lack of defense for the division created friction between his team mates and himself, with Shelley ultimately aligning himself with Nash after the tournament's end.

Since then the two did several well–received comedy vignettes (some exclusive to YouTube) mostly focusing on their feud with Chris Sabin. At Slammiversary, Shelley helped Nash defeat Sabin. Earlier Shelley had been ranked fifth in the X Division after being the second person eliminated in a six–man contender's match. In a post–match interview with Nash, Shelley claimed there was "ten guys, twenty guys – some of them had knives. I think I spotted a couple gats... guns". On July 16, 2006, Shelley teamed with Nash to face Chris Sabin and Jay Lethal in a losing effort.

At Hard Justice, Shelley replaced Nash in a match for the number one contendership of the X Division Championship. Shelley and Devine moved into the tag team division until they lost a Triple Chance Tag Team Battle Royal at No Surrender. Shelley also appeared in Kevin Nash's Open Invitational X Division Battle Royal at Bound for Glory on October 22, 2006. He lost the match to Austin Starr.

On the June 29, 2006, Impact!, Shelley recruited former Team Canada member Johnny Devine as a production assistant of Paparazzi Productions. Devine was later fired by the Paparazzi. Devine was replaced much to the dismay of Shelley by former Generation Next team mate Austin Starr due to Kevin Nash's wishes. Since this, the three were seen backstage on various episodes of Impact! in a tournament known as the Paparazzi Championship Series, which he won at Final Resolution.

Afterwards, he would tape two storyline attacks by The Latin American Xchange (LAX). One on Brother Rays uncle, another on Johnny Rodz. When he showed the footage of the LAX beatdown on Rodz, he was confronted by Brother Ray. Before a fight could breakout, the LAX attempted to attack Brother Ray. When it seemed Ray had the upper hand, however, Kevin Nash distracted him, allowing Shelley to hit him with a low blow. At Destination X 2007 Shelley helped LAX win the match by hitting Brother Devon with a video camera and giving him a Frog Splash through a table.

Shelley lost in the five–man Xscape match at Lockdown 2007. He was pinned by Jay Lethal. Later, Jay Lethal and Chris Sabin were the remaining two and Sabin escaped, retaining the X Division Championship.

#### The Motor City Machine Guns (2007–2012)

During the summer of 2007, Shelley began wrestling as a tag team in TNA with Chris Sabin. The two had been teaming in several independent promotions under the names Murder City Machine Guns and The Motor City Machine Guns, both names being a play off of one of Shelley's former tag teams, "The Sexy Time Machine Guns" and the fact that both Sabin and Shelley hail from Detroit, Michigan.

In October 2007, Shelley and Sabin started a feud with Team 3D, during which Team 3D declared a war on the entire X Division and was looking to kill it off. After months of feuding, Shelley and Sabin along with Jay Lethal were able to defeat Team 3D and Johnny Devine in a Street Fight at Against All Odds to save the X Division and to end the feud. With the win, Team 3D were forced to drop their weights under 275 pounds if they wanted to keep on wrestling for the company. Shelley then fought for Team TNA in the World X Cup alongside Kaz, the team captain, his tag team partner Chris Sabin, and Curry Man. On June 19, in the first round of the tournament, Shelley and Sabin defeated Daivari and Tyson Dux of Team International to give Team TNA their first point. In the finals of the tournament, held at Victory Road, Shelley, Sabin and Curry Man represented Team TNA in the twelve–man, four–team elimination tag team match. Shelley made it to the end of the match and finally pinned Masato Yoshino of Team Japan to win the match and give Team TNA the lead ahead of the final round of the tournament, an Ultimate X match contested between the team captains. Despite Shelley's efforts, Team TNA was defeated in the final round by Team Mexico, who won the 2008 World X Cup. A month later, on July 25, 2008, Shelley and five other TNA wrestlers traveled to Mexico to compete in the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre International Grand Prix, contested in a sixteen–man torneo cibernetico match. In the end, Shelley managed to avenge Team TNA's loss in the World X Cup, by winning the Gran Prix, after pinning Último Guerrero. This led to a match on September 19 at CMLL's 75th Anniversary Show, where Shelley, Sabin and Sonjay Dutt unsuccessfully challenged Guerrero, Atlantis and Negro Casas for the CMLL World Trios Championship. After the tournaments Shelley and Sabin slipped into the role of tweeners, showing disrespect to Christian Cage, A.J. Styles, Consequences Creed, B.G. James and The Latin American Xchange however still being cheered heavily by the fans towards whom they did show respect.

On the October 30, 2008, Impact!, Shelley, Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, Petey Williams, Eric Young, ODB and Chris Sabin formed a faction knows as The Frontline to battle The Main Event Mafia of Kurt Angle, Sting, Kevin Nash, Booker T and Scott Steiner. Despite their alliance Shelley and Sabin showed disrespect to both their stablemates and the TNA executive shareholder Mick Foley.

On the November 27, 2008, Impact!, Shelley took part in the second annual Turkey Bowl, defeating Cute Kip and Consequences Creed in a three–way dance in the semifinals. In the finals Shelley faced the reigning X Division Champion Sheik Abdul Bashir and Rhino in another three–way dance where the winner would receive a check for $25,000, and the loser had to wear a turkey suit. Rhino won the match, pinning Shelley following a Gore forcing him to wear the suit. Shelley finally agreed to put on the suit after Mick Foley threatened to fire him if he did not. After putting on the turkey suit Shelley gave Foley a middle finger and was laid out with a double arm DDT.

At Final Resolution in December 2008, Shelley and Sabin competed in the Feast or Fired match, but did not win a title contract.

During December 2008 and January 2009, Shelley qualified for the finals in the X Division title tournament after defeating Jay Lethal and Eric Young. At Genesis, he defeated his tag team partner Chris Sabin for his first reign as the X Division Champion. At Destination X in March 2009, he lost the title to Suicide in an Ultimate X match, which included Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, and Chris Sabin. At Slammiversary Shelley, Sabin, Lethal, Creed and Suicide competed in the first ever X Division Title King of the Mountain match, in which Shelley was unsuccessful in regaining the title.

After Slammiversary Shelley and Sabin went inactive, barely making television appearances. In making a comeback on the July 30 Impact! they could be seen in the crowd holding signs that read, "Conspiracy Victims" and "Yes, We Still Work Here". On August 6 the duo interrupted Daniels' backstage interview before his match with World Elite leader Eric Young and agreed to accompany him to the ring in order to get some TV time. Later that night, after being attacked by Sheik Abdul Bashir and Kiyoshi of World Elite, Shelley and Sabin aligned themselves with Daniels and other fan favorites in a brawl with the alliance of World Elite and Main Event Mafia, which made them fan favorites again. During September Shelley and Sabin began appearing as occasional commentators alongside Mike Tenay and Taz on Impact! broadcasts. In late 2009, Shelley and Sabin gained two shots at the TNA World Tag Team Championship, but were both times defeated by the Champions British Invasion (Doug Williams and Brutus Magnus), first at Turning Point in a three–way match, which also included Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm) and then in a regular tag team match at Final Resolution. At Destination X Shelley and Sabin defeated Generation Me (Jeremy Buck and Max Buck) in an Ultimate X match to earn another shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Shelley and Sabin received their title shot on the April 12 Impact!, but were defeated by World Tag Team Champion Matt Morgan and Amazing Red, who replaced the injured Hernandez in the match.

The following month at Sacrifice the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Beer Money, Inc. and Team 3D in a three–way match to earn another shot at the Tag Team Championship. On July 11 at Victory Road the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Beer Money, Inc. to win the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship for the first time. After Victory Road the Motor City Machine Guns entered a Best of Five Series with Beer Money, Inc., contested for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Beer Money won the first two matches, a ladder match and a Street Fight, after knocking their opponents out with beer bottles. However, Shelley and Sabin came back to win the two following matches, a steel cage match and an Ultimate X match, to even the score to 2–2 and set up a deciding match for the August 12 Impact!. On the August 12 Impact! the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Beer Money, Inc. in a Two Out of Three Falls match to win the Best of Five Series and retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship. The following month at No Surrender, the Motor City Machine Guns retained their titles in a match against Generation Me. After the match Generation Me turned heel by attacking the Machine Guns and injuring Shelley in storyline. On the following Impact!, Generation Me laid claim to the TNA World Tag Team Championship, claiming that the champions would not be able to defend them for 30 days, due to Shelley's injury, before stealing Sabin's title belt. Shelley would however make his return two weeks later and promised Generation Me a rematch for the World Tag Team Championship at Bound for Glory. At the pay–per–view the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Generation Me to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Also at Bound for Glory, Team 3D announced their retirement from professional wrestling, but requested one final match against the Motor City Machine Guns, whom they called the best tag team in wrestling. The Motor City Machine Guns accepted and the match took place on November 7, 2010, at Turning Point, where they defeated Team 3D to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship. After Jeremy Buck pinned Sabin in an eight-person tag team match, where the Motor City Machine Guns teamed with Jay Lethal and Velvet Sky and Generation Me with Robbie E and Cookie, on the November 18 Impact!, the Motor City Machine Guns challenged Generation Me to an Empty Arena match. The match took place later that same night on Reaction with the Motor City Machine Guns coming out victorious. On December 5 at Final Resolution the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Generation Me in a Full Metal Mayhem match to retain the World Tag Team Championship. The following month at Genesis, Shelley and Sabin lost the World Tag Team Championship to Beer Money, Inc., after Roode rolled up Sabin, following a miscommunication between the Machine Guns. Shelley and Sabin received their rematch for the title on the following Impact!, but lost again due to a miscommunication. On January 16 Shelley broke his collarbone during a match in Hagerstown, Maryland. Originally, Shelley was advertised to make his return on April 17 at Lockdown in a nine-man Xscape match, but on April 7 he was removed from the match and his return postponed. Shelley made his return on April 20 at the tapings of the April 28 Impact!, saving Sabin from Mexican America (Anarquia and Hernandez). Ironically, the same day Shelley made his return, Sabin suffered a knee injury in his match with Anarquia. Later that same week, Sabin underwent knee surgery, which would sideline him for the rest of the year.

On the June 2 Impact Wrestling, Shelley formed an alliance with former rivals Beer Money, Inc., who were looking for a partner to replace the injured Bobby Roode in their World Tag Team Championship defense against the British Invasion at Slammiversary IX. At the pay-per-view, Shelley and Storm were successful in their title defense. At Destination X, Shelley defeated Amazing Red, Robbie E and Shannon Moore in an Ultimate X match to become the number one contender to the TNA X Division Championship. Shelley received his shot at the X Division Championship, held by Brian Kendrick, on the July 21 Impact Wrestling, but was defeated following outside interference from Austin Aries. Two weeks later, Aries defeated Shelley in a singles match. On August 7 at Hardcore Justice, Shelley and Aries competed in a three-way match for the TNA X Division Championship, but were both unable to win the belt from the defending champion, Brian Kendrick. After a four-month absence, Shelley returned on the January 19, 2012, Impact Wrestling, confronting and challenging X Division Champion Austin Aries. The following week, Shelley defeated Zema Ion to become the number one contender to Aries' title. On February 12 at Against All Odds, Shelley was unsuccessful in his title challenge against Aries, after submitting to the Last Chancery.

On March 18 at Victory Road, TNA started promoting the returns of Chris Sabin and the Motor City Machine Guns. Sabin returned on the April 5 Impact Wrestling, where he and Shelley defeated Mexican America in a tag team match, before announcing their intention of going for the TNA World Tag Team Championship, held by Magnus and Samoa Joe. On April 15 at Lockdown, The Motor City Machine Guns unsuccessfully challenged Magnus and Joe for the TNA World Tag Team Championship in a steel cage match. During the next month, The Motor City Machine Guns did not make another appearance on Impact Wrestling, instead wrestling exclusively on TNA house shows. On May 21, it was reported that Shelley had chosen not to renew his contract with TNA, ending his eight-year run with the promotion. On May 29, Shelley was removed from the official TNA roster page, confirming his departure from the promotion.

### New Japan Pro-Wrestling

#### Early appearances (2009–2010)

On January 4, 2009, Shelley and Sabin defeated No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro) at New Japan Pro-Wrestling 's Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. They followed in the footsteps of American Dragon and Curry Man as the only other gaijin team to win those titles. After three successful title defenses, two of which took place in TNA, Shelley and Sabin lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title to Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi) on July 5, 2009, at NJPW's Circuit 2009 New Japan Soul. On November 8, 2010, NJPW announced that the Motor City Machine Guns would be returning to the promotion the following month, competing at events on December 11 and 12. On December 11 the Motor City Machine Guns were defeated by No Limit in their New Japan return match. The following day they defeated Apollo 55 in the fourth ever match between the two teams.

#### Time Splitters (2012–2015)

Following his departure from TNA, New Japan announced on August 13, 2012, that Shelley would be returning to the promotion the following month. Before Shelley's return to Japan, he and A.J. Kirsch unsuccessfully challenged Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on August 26 at a Sacramento Wrestling Federation (SWF) event in Gridley, California. Following the match, Kushida saved Shelley from a beatdown at the hands of Koslov and Romero. Shelley wrestled his New Japan return match on September 7, when he, Bushi, Máscara Dorada and Ryusuke Taguchi were defeated in an eight-man tag team match by Alex Koslov, Averno, Low Ki and Rocky Romero. Afterwards, Shelley continued teaming with Kushida with the two forming the tag team " Time Splitters " and scoring several wins over Koslov and Romero in multiple man teamed matches, after debuting their new double-team finishing maneuver, the I-94. On October 8 at King of Pro-Wrestling, Time Splitters unsuccessfully challenged Forever Hooligans for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. On October 21, the Time Splitters entered the 2012 Super Jr. Tag Tournament, defeating Jado & Gedo in their first round match. On November 2, Shelley and Kushida defeated Suzuki-gun (Taichi and Taka Michinoku) to advance to the finals, where, later that same day, they defeated Apollo 55 to win the tournament and become the number one contenders to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. On November 11 at Power Struggle, the Time Splitters defeated Forever Hooligans in a rematch to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Time Splitters made their first successful title defense on February 10, 2013, at The New Beginning, defeating Forever Hooligans in the third title match between the two teams. Their second successful defense took place on March 3 at New Japan's 41st anniversary event, where they defeated Jyushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask. On April 5, Shelley received his first shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated by the defending champion, Prince Devitt. Two days later at Invasion Attack, Time Splitters defeated Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi for their third successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. On May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2013, Time Splitters lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship back to the Forever Hooligans in their fourth defense.

From late May to early June, Shelley took part in the 2013 Best of the Super Juniors, where he managed to win five out of his eight matches with a win over Ricochet in the final round-robin match of the tournament on June 6, earning him a spot in the semifinals. On June 9, after defeating Taka Michinoku in his semifinal match, Shelley was defeated in the finals of the tournament by Prince Devitt. On June 22 at Dominion 6.22, Time Splitters failed in their attempt to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship from the Forever Hooligans. On September 29 at Destruction, Shelley and Kushida defeated Suzuki-gun (Taichi and Taka Michinoku) to earn another shot at the Forever Hooligans and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. However, on October 7, New Japan announced that Shelley had suffered a back injury, which would force Time Splitters to back out of the title match. Shelley later revealed that he had received a severe sciatica taking a sitout powerbomb from Taichi, which marked his fourth injury in the promotion since his September 2012 return. Shelley wrestled his return match on January 4, 2014, at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome, where he and Kushida unsuccessfully challenged The Young Bucks for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in a four-way match, which also included the Forever Hooligans and Suzuki-gun. Time Splitters were victorious in a non-title rematch the following day, after which they asserted themselves as The Young Bucks' next challengers. They received their title shot on February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka, but were again defeated by The Young Bucks. Time Splitters received another title shot on May 10 at Global Wars, a special event co-produced by NJPW and ROH in Toronto, but were defeated by The Young Bucks in a three-way match, also involving Forever Hooligans. On May 30, Shelley entered the 2014 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, where he won his block with a record of four wins and three losses, advancing to the semifinals. However, after injuring his left shoulder in his final round-robin match on June 6, Shelley was forced to pull out of the semifinals.

Shelley returned to the ring on June 21 at Dominion 6.21, where he and Kushida defeated The Young Bucks to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the second time as a team. On August 10, Time Splitters made their first successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against the ROH tag team reDRagon. Time Splitters made their second successful title defense on September 23 against Suzuki-gun (El Desperado and Taichi). On October 13 at King of Pro-Wrestling, Time Splitters made their third successful title defense in a three-way match against Forever Hooligans and The Young Bucks. On November 8 at Power Struggle, Time Splitters lost the title to 2014 Super Jr. Tag Tournament winners reDRagon. Time Splitters received a rematch for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on January 4, 2015, at Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome, in a four-way match also involving Forever Hooligans and The Young Bucks, but were again defeated by reDRagon. On February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka, Time Splitters received another title shot in a three-way match, but were this time defeated by The Young Bucks, who became the new champions. On May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2015, Shelley unsuccessfully challenged Kenny Omega for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Later that month, Shelley suffered ligament damage and an avulsion fracture in his left foot, which forced him to pull out of the 2015 Best of the Super Juniors. Shelley returned to New Japan ring in September and on September 27 at Destruction in Kobe, he and Kushida unsuccessfully challenged reDRagon for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Following the 2015 Super Jr. Tag Tournament in November, Shelley left Japan.

#### Motor City Machine Guns reunion (2016)

On July 31, 2016, NJPW announced that Shelley would return to the promotion on August 21, now again as part of the Motor City Machine Guns tag team with Chris Sabin. In their return match, The Motor City Machine Guns unsuccessfully challenged The Young Bucks for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

#### NJPW Strong (since 2022)

After defeating the Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions, Aussie Open on the September 15th episode of Impact!, Sabin and Shelley made their return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Rumble on 44th Street on October 28. At the event, the duo defeated Aussie Open to win the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships, in a three-way match, also involving The DKC and Kevin Knight. The duo retained the titles in February at Battle in the Valley, defeating the West Coast Wrecking Crew (Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson). On April 15 at Capital Collision, the duo lost the titles back to Aussie Open in a three-way tag-team match also involving the team of Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

### Return to ROH

#### Search and Destroy (2015 – 2018)

On November 20, 2015, Shelley returned to ROH, revealing himself as the mystery man who had been interfering in The Addiction 's (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) matches, wearing a mask associated with KRD, a stable made up of The Addiction and Shelley's former tag team partner Chris Sabin. On December 18 at Final Battle, Shelley teamed with A. C. H. and Matt Sydal to defeat Sabin, Daniels and Kazarian in a six-man tag team match. On February 26, 2016, at the 14th Anniversary Show, Sabin turned on Daniels and Kazarian, re-forming the Motor City Machine Guns with Shelley. At the following day's Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings, Shelley and Sabin defeated Daniels and Kazarian in their return match. On May 16, Shelley confirmed he had signed with ROH and would work for the promotion regularly going forward. On June 24 at Best in the World '16, The Motor City Machine Guns unsuccessfully challenged The Addiction for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On September 30 at All Star Extravaganza VIII, The Motor City Machine Guns took part in a three-way ladder match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship, which was won by The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) and also included The Addiction.

Shelley and Sabin then formed a stable named "Search and Destroy" with Jay White, Jonathan Gresham and Lio Rush.

On September 22, 2017, at Death Before Dishonor XV, The Motor City Machine Guns defeated The Young Bucks to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the first time. They would retain the titles until March 9, 2018, when they lost them against The Briscoe Brothers at ROH 16th Anniversary Show.

#### Retirement and return (2018 – 2020)

In June, Shelley suffered an injury. On July 20, 2018, it was reported his contract with ROH expired and left the promotion to focus on his wrestling school. Four days after, Shelley announced his kayfabe retirement; in reality, Shelley started his clinicals for physical therapy school and devoted his time to prepare for his post-in-ring career.

On June 30, 2019, Shelley returned to ROH and announced he wants a match with the winner of Manhattan Mayhem, hinting that he might come out of retirement. On July 21, Shelley came out of retirement to team up with Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham to beat The Kingdom. On August 9, at Summer Supercard, Shelley was defeated by Matt Taven for the ROH World Championship. On December 13, 2019, At Final Battle, Shelley defeated Colt Cabana. At the ROH Past vs Present event, Shelley was set to reunite with his Generation Next stablemate Matt Sydal to face Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll and Flip Gordon). However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was cancelled. Shelley's profile was then moved to the alumni section some time later.

### WWE (2020)

On the January 1, 2020, episode of NXT, the participants to the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic were announced, with the exception of Kushida 's partner, whose identity was kept a mystery. On January 8, a surprise announcement was made that Shelley was coming to WWE, as part of the NXT brand and would be Kushida's partner, reforming their Time Splitters tag team for the first time since their New Japan Pro Wrestling days in 2015; this is Shelley's first time performing on WWE, after a one-off appearance on WWE Heat back in his early wrestling days in 2005. On the January 15 episode of NXT, Shelley and Kushida lost to Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) in the first round of the tournament.

### Return to Impact Wrestling (2020–2021)

At Slammiversary on July 18, 2020, Shelley made his return to TNA, now known as Impact Wrestling, alongside Chris Sabin as The Motor City Machine Guns defeating The Rascalz (Dez and Wentz) after answering their open challenge. On the following episode of Impact!, they defeated The North (Ethan Page and Josh Alexander) to capture the Impact World Tag Team Championship for a second time, ending their 383 days reign. Over the next few months, they would retain their titles against The Rascalz, and Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. At Bound for Glory, The Motor City Machine Guns lost their titles back to The North in a four-way tag team match also involving The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson), and Austin and Fulton, ending their reign at 97 days. Before the match, Shelley was attacked by The North, leaving Sabin to defend the titles by himself.

Shelley would be taken out of action for a few months after Bound for Glory. They would return on the December 1 episode of Impact!, defeating XXXL (Acey Romero and Larry D). Shelley was scheduled to team up with Sabin and Rich Swann to face Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers at Hard To Kill, but he legitimately had to back out due to "unavoidable circumstances", and was thus replaced in the match by Moose. Shelley later revealed that his career outside of wrestling required him to step away from wrestling for the time being until he is able to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Later, in September 2021, Shelley announced that he left Impact.

### Major League Wrestling (2021)

On October 2, 2021, Shelley made his MLW debut at Fightland where he lost to TJP in the Opera Cup quarter-finals.

### Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2021)

September 26, 2021, at the "Threemendous VI" event, Shelley made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) debut, defeating Jonathan Gresham to become the number one contender for the PWG World Championship. Shelley unsuccessfully challenged Bandido for the PWG World Championship. On January 29, and 30, Shelley participated in the 2022 PWG Battle of Los Angeles. He defeated Lee Moriarty in the first round, but lost to Daniel Garcia in the second round.

### Third return to Impact Wrestling/TNA (2022–2024)

At Sacrifice on March 5, 2022, Shelley returned to Impact Wrestling to face his student Jay White in a losing effort. At Multiverse of Matches on April 1, Shelley was defeated by Mike Bailey. On the July 21 episode of Impact!, Shelley defeated Sabin in an Impact World Championship number one contender match. On August 12 at Emergence, Shelley unsuccessfully challenged Josh Alexander for the Impact World Championship. On December 9, 2022, The Guns defeated Heath and Rhino to capture the Impact World Tag Team Championship for a third time, ending their 62 days reign. On the March 2, 2023, episode of Impact, The Motor City Machine Guns lost their titles to Bullet Club members Ace Austin and Chris Bey, ending their reign at 78 days.

On May 26, 2023, at Under Siege, Shelley defeated Eddie Edwards, Frankie Kazarian, Jonathan Gresham, Moose and Yuya Uemura to become the number one contender for Impact World Championship at Against All Odds. At the event on June 9, Shelley won the Impact World Championship after defeating Steve Maclin, winning the title for the first time in his career. On the June 23 episode of Impact!, he successfully defended his title against Brian Myers and against Maclin on the Down Under Tour. On July 15 at Slammiversary, Shelley successfully defended his title against Nick Aldis. After the match, Shelley was confronted by the former Impact World Champion Josh Alexander. On August 8 at episode of Impact, Shelley defended his title against Brian Myers and against Hiroshi Tanahashi on August 20 at Multiverse United 2. In the following weeks, Shelley took exception to Alexander calling the Impact World Championship "his" title, since he was never beaten for it. The two would continue to be reluctant allies, however, Shelley would at points abandon Alexander whenever the latter was in trouble, such as at Emergence. On Week 2 of Impact 1000, Impact announced that Shelley would defend the Impact World Championship against Alexander at Bound for Glory, which Shelley won the match.

On November 9 at episode of Impact, Shelley successfully defended his title against Jonathan Gresham. On December 9 at Final Resolution, Shelley and Sabin were defeated by Alexander and Zack Sabre Jr. in a tag team match. On January 13, 2024 at Hard To Kill, Shelley lost the championship against Moose, ending his reign at 218 days. On February 23 at No Surrender, Shelley was unsuccessful at winning the TNA World Championship against Moose in a No Surrender Rules match. On the March 23, 2024 tapings for TNA Impact!, Shelley alongside Sabin wrestled their final matches for TNA in a losing effort against The System (Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers), as their contracts expired on April 1, 2024.

### All Elite Wrestling (2022)

On the August 24, 2022, episode of AEW Dynamite, Sonjay Dutt announced that Jay Lethal would team with the Motor City Machine Guns at the All Out PPV, where they would take on Wardlow and FTR in a six-man tag-team match, with Sabin and Shelley set to make their All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut. At the event, Wardlow and FTR would win the match, with assistance from Samoa Joe, who attacked Satnam Singh early in the match.

### Return to WWE (2024–present)

On September 13, 2024, it was reported that Shelley with his tag team partner Chris Sabin signed a contract with WWE.

## Other media

Shelley has appeared in the video games TNA Impact! and TNA Wrestling Impact!.

## Personal life

Martin is a fan of punk rock. He has worn the logo of the band Teenage Bottlerocket on his ring attire and the band has talked about being in contact with him.

Preparing for a career after his in-ring wrestling days are over, Martin is a physical therapy clinician. Martin wanted to do it because of a general lack of physical therapists in professional wrestling and wanting to help people. Following the expiration of his contract with ROH in 2018, Martin started a year-long clinical to become certified. His career as a clinician forced him to miss the Hard to Kill pay-per-view due to COVID-19 and focus on his main work.

## Championships and accomplishments

- ACTION Wrestling ACTION Award for Match of the Year (2022) – Vs. AC Mack at "Southeast First"

- ACTION Award for Match of the Year (2022) – Vs. AC Mack at "Southeast First"

- All American Wrestling AAW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin

- AAW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin

- The Baltimore Sun Tag Team of the Year (2010) – with Chris Sabin

- Tag Team of the Year (2010) – with Chris Sabin

- Border City Wrestling BCW Can-Am Television Championship (1 time)

- BCW Can-Am Television Championship (1 time)

- Black Label Pro BLP Midwest Championship (1 time) Turbo Graps 16 (2020)

- BLP Midwest Championship (1 time)

- Turbo Graps 16 (2020)

- City Championship Wrestling CCW Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with Chris Sabin

- CCW Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with Chris Sabin

- Combat 1 Pro Wrestling Combat 1 Crash Champion (1 time, Inaugural) Combat 1 Crash Title Tournament (2023)

- Combat 1 Crash Champion (1 time, Inaugural)

- Combat 1 Crash Title Tournament (2023)

- Combat Zone Wrestling CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

- CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

- Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre International Gran Prix (2008)

- International Gran Prix (2008)

- Deadlock Pro-Wrestling DPW Worlds Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin

- DPW Worlds Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin

- Game Changer Wrestling GCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin

- GCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin

- Great Lakes Wrestling GLW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

- GLW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

- IndependentWrestling.tv IWTV Independent Wrestling World Championship (1 time)

- IWTV Independent Wrestling World Championship (1 time)

- Insane Wrestling Federation IWF Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

- IWF Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

- Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

- MCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

- New Japan Pro-Wrestling IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Chris Sabin (1) and Kushida (2) Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin Super Jr. Tag Tournament (2012) – with Kushida

- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Chris Sabin (1) and Kushida (2)

- Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin

- Super Jr. Tag Tournament (2012) – with Kushida

- NWA Midwest NWA Midwest X Division Championship (1 time)

- NWA Midwest X Division Championship (1 time)

- Ontario Championship Wrestling OCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with R.C. Cross

- OCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with R.C. Cross

- Prestige Wrestling Prestige Championship (2 times)

- Prestige Championship (2 times)

- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year (2010) – with Chris Sabin Ranked No. 23 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2024

- Tag Team of the Year (2010) – with Chris Sabin

- Ranked No. 23 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2024

- Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin Zero1-Max United States Openweight Championship (1 time)

- NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin

- Zero1-Max United States Openweight Championship (1 time)

- Ring of Honor ROH World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin Trios Tournament (2006) – with Abyss and Jimmy Rave

- ROH World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Sabin

- Trios Tournament (2006) – with Abyss and Jimmy Rave

- Sanctuary Fight Club SFC Thrash Zone Championship (1 time, current)

- SFC Thrash Zone Championship (1 time, current)

- Smash Wrestling Smash Wrestling Championship (1 time)

- Smash Wrestling Championship (1 time)

- The Wrestling Revolver REVOLVER Championship (1 time) PWR Remix Championship (1 time)

- REVOLVER Championship (1 time)

- PWR Remix Championship (1 time)

- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling/Impact Wrestling Impact/TNA World Championship (1 time) TNA/Impact World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Chris Sabin TNA X Division Championship (1 time) Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament – with Sean Waltman Gauntlet for the Gold (2008 – Tag Team) – with Chris Sabin Paparazzi Championship Series TNA X Division Championship Tournament (2009) World X Cup (2006) – with Chris Sabin, Jay Lethal, and Sonjay Dutt TNA / Impact Year End Awards (4 times) Tag Team of the Year (2007) with Chris Sabin Moment of the Year (2020) – Motor City Machine Guns' return to Impact at Slammiversary, shared with the other returns and debuts that night Men's Tag Team of the Year (2022) with Chris Sabin Male Wrestler of the Year (2023) Tenth Triple Crown Champion

- Impact/TNA World Championship (1 time)

- TNA/Impact World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Chris Sabin

- TNA X Division Championship (1 time)

- Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament – with Sean Waltman

- Gauntlet for the Gold (2008 – Tag Team) – with Chris Sabin

- Paparazzi Championship Series

- TNA X Division Championship Tournament (2009)

- World X Cup (2006) – with Chris Sabin, Jay Lethal, and Sonjay Dutt

- TNA / Impact Year End Awards (4 times) Tag Team of the Year (2007) with Chris Sabin Moment of the Year (2020) – Motor City Machine Guns' return to Impact at Slammiversary, shared with the other returns and debuts that night Men's Tag Team of the Year (2022) with Chris Sabin Male Wrestler of the Year (2023)

- Tag Team of the Year (2007) with Chris Sabin

- Moment of the Year (2020) – Motor City Machine Guns' return to Impact at Slammiversary, shared with the other returns and debuts that night

- Men's Tag Team of the Year (2022) with Chris Sabin

- Male Wrestler of the Year (2023)

- Tenth Triple Crown Champion

- UWA Hardcore Wrestling UWA Lightweight Championship (2 times)

- UWA Lightweight Championship (2 times)

- Westside Xtreme Wrestling wXw World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

- wXw World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

- Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling XICW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) XICW Midwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time) XICW Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Jaimy Coxxx

- XICW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

- XICW Midwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

- XICW Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Jaimy Coxxx


2005 FA Women's Community Shield

# 2005 FA Women's Community Shield

## Abstract

The 2005 Women's FA Community Shield was the sixth Women's FA Community Shield, as with its male equivalent, the Community Shield is an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's league and the previous season's Women's FA Cup. Arsenal won 4-0.


Digha railway station

# Digha railway station

## Abstract

Digha is a terminal railway station on the Tamluk–Digha branch line and is located in Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It serves Digha sea-side area. The railway station is near New Digha beach.

## History

The Panskura–Durgachak line was opened in 1968, at a time when Haldia Port was being constructed. It was subsequently extended to Haldia.

The Tamluk–Digha line was sanctioned in 1984–85 Railway Budget at an estimated cost of around Rs 74 crore. Finally this line was opened in 2004. This track was electrified in 2012–13.

## New line

It's been proposed to connect Digha to Jaleswar via the Kharagpur–Puri line.


Michael Sprott

# Michael Sprott

## Abstract

Michael Sprott (born 16 January 1975) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2018. At regional level, he held multiple heavyweight championships, including the British and Commonwealth titles in 2004, and challenged three times for the European title in 2005, 2010 and 2011, and won the Prizefighter series in 2010 and 2013.

## Career

After a quiet amateur career, Sprott turned pro in November 1996 under the old Frank Bruno trainer, Terry Lawless. He won 11 fights, including a points win over veteran Michael Murray before taking on Harry Senior in September 1998 for the Southern Area Heavyweight title. Senior, a respected sparring partner, had recently dedicated himself to being a full-time professional, and took Sprott out in 6 rounds with body shots. Sprott came back with 3 wins before falling apart in 3 rounds versus British contender Wayne Llewelyn in October 2000.

Seemingly relegated to journeyman status, In February 2001 in London, Sprott scored an upset when he outpointed the once-beaten German Timo Hoffmann, who had lost only to Vitali Klitschko. He travelled to Germany for the rematch, controversially outpointed by Hoffmann in a result that was jeered loudly by the German crowd.

In November 2001, he travelled to South Africa to face hard hitting fringe contender Corrie Sanders. In a brief and entertaining fight, Sprott rocked the southpaw before being decked himself, and suffering a controversial stoppage by the referee, with even the South African commentators deploring the stoppage.

In February 2002, Keith Long pulled out from a British and Commonwealth title fight with Danny Williams, and Sprott flew in from a holiday in Jamaica on only a few days notice. After a few rounds he ran out of gas and was stopped in the seventh round, but showed he could compete at national level. It was around this time that Sprott brought in trainer John Bloomfield, who spent six years with Frank Bruno.

After this challenge, Sprott went on a successful run of form, winning 8 fights, including knockouts of Pele Reid (KO7), ex-British champ Michael Holden (KO4), Mark Potter (KO3), and Colin Kenna (KO1), setting up a rematch with Williams.

In September 2003, Sprott qualified for another shot at Williams and his titles, but after a far more competitive fight, Sprott was the victim of several low blows. When he complained to the referee he was controversially knocked out by a Williams left hook.

In January 2004, Sprott narrowly outpointed Williams in their third and final fight (115-114), lifting the British and Commonwealth titles. A few months later Williams would knockout Mike Tyson, however Sprott would lose his titles in his first defense, matched with fast undefeated Matt Skelton (12-0), Sprott was mauled and stopped in the 12th. His last fight of 2004 was a win against Czech heavyweight champ Robert Šulgan in Bethnal Green.

In 2005, Sprott would take the first of many trips abroad fighting top prospects, usually at short notice. In April he beat the German amateur star Cengiz Koc, but in October was beaten on points by Olympian Paolo Vidoz in a European title fight, both fights in Germany. In December he fought future European champ Vladimir Virchis in Austria, but was once-again the victim of a controversial decision loss.

In February 2006, he outboxed veteran Antoine Palatis in Scotland, but in a WBA Eliminator in July was hammered in 8 one-sided rounds by undefeated Ruslan Chagaev. Despite the loss he went back to Germany and beat a third German prospect when he upset undefeated southpaw Rene Dettweiller in November.

During his travels in Germany, Sprott had picked up the second-tier European Heavyweight title, the "EU" title, which he defended against 2000 Olympic Gold medallist Audley Harrison in London, February 2007. Harrison had demolished Danny Williams in his last fight and was on course to face Matt Skelton in a world title eliminator. A 9/2 underdog with most bookies, Sprott came off the floor in the 1st round to score a rare stoppage win by knocking Harrison clean out in the 3rd with a left hook; and seemingly ending his career.

On 14 July 2007, Sprott lost to Matt Skelton in a 12-round contest. The fight was of a very poor standard with Skelton winning on points.

On 31 May 2008, Sprott travelled to Germany to face hot prospect, and the WBA's #4 ranked contender Taras Bidenko. Sprott was outpointed in a 10-round unanimous decision, with 2 judges scoring the bout 97–93, and the other seeing it 97–94.

On 14 March 2009, Sprott fought former WBO heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster and lost a unanimous decision.

He fought Alexander Ustinov on 20 June 2009, but lost by unanimous decision after ten rounds. However he beat German Werner Kreiskott by round 1 TKO in March 2010 and this earned him a shot at the vacant European Boxing Union title against old foe Audley Harrison at Alexandra Palace in April 2010. Sprott was leading the bout on all three scorecards before Harrison knocked out Sprott with seconds remaining of round 12.

On 9 October 2010, a 35-year-old Sprott competed in Sky's 'PrizeFighter' series (Heavyweights), reaching the final where he fought Matt Skelton. It was third time lucky for Sprott, who had lost his previous 2 contests with the 43-year-old Skelton, Winning on a split decision (29-28 Skelton 29-28 sprott 29-28 sprott) after the 3 round contest and winning £32,000 in 'winner take all' prize money. In September 2011, he suffered a third defeat in a European heavyweight title bout when he lost a unanimous points decision to Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko in Hamburg.

## Outside the ring

Michael Sprott has a son called Darnell born around 2001. Darnell's name is stitched on the shorts Sprott wears for his professional contests. In recent contests Sprott's shorts have also displayed the name of his late sister Ginette, who took her own life in September 2009 after a long battle with depression.

He lists his hobbies as weights, travelling and meeting new people. Outside boxing, Sprott enjoys rugby and the Wimbledon Championships. His favourite football teams are Reading FC and Arsenal F.C.


Adam Lundkvist

# Adam Lundkvist

## Abstract

Adam Lundkvist (born 20 March 1994) is a Swedish footballer as a left back. He previously played for in the Allsvenska for IF Elfsborg, where they won the Svenska Cupen, and in MLS for the Houston Dynamo, helping the club win the U.S. Open Cup. He has twice been capped by the Sweden national team and represented Sweden at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

## Club career

### Nyköpings BIS

Lundkvist began his career with local club Nyköpings BIS. After joining the youth ranks in 2006, Lundkvist joined the first team in 2010. He made one appearance in the preliminary round of the Svenska Cupen before making his professional debut on 27 March 2010, coming on as a sub in Nyköpings BIS's 5–2 defeat to BK Forward in round 1 of the Svenska Cupen. Lundkvist made his league debut on 16 May 2010 when he came on as a sub against Örebro SK Ungdomsklubb

### IF Elfsborg

In 2011, Lundkvist joined Allsvenskan club IF Elfsborg. He would spend time with the Elfsborg youth teams before making his first team debut on 25 September 2013, coming on as a sub in a league match with IF Brommapojkarna. On 7 November 2013, Lundkvist made his Europa League debut, getting the start against Danish side Esbjerg. Lundkvist helped Elfsborg when their 3rd ever Svenska Cupen by featuring 6 times during the 2013-14 version of the competition, however he didn't appear in the final. 2014 also saw Lundkvist convert from a midfielder to a left back. He scored his first goal for Elfsborg in a 2-0 Allsvenskan win over Kalmar FF on 17 August 2014.

### Houston Dynamo

On 26 April 2018, Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo signed Lundkvist on a full transfer using targeted allocation money. He played one game on loan with the Dynamo's USL affiliate club Rio Grande Valley FC to regain match fitness. He made his Dynamo debut on 30 May against Real Salt Lake. In his debut as well as in many games in his first year with the Dynamo, Lundkvist played right back instead of his natural left back position due to starter AJ DeLaGarza being injured and veteran DaMarcus Beasley occupying the starting left back spot. He helped the Dynamo win the 2018 US Open Cup, their first ever, by making 2 appearances and picking up 2 assists in the competition, including a game winning assist on 18 June against Minnesota United. It was a poor season in the league however, with Houston finishing 9th in the Western Conference and missing out on the playoffs, with Lundkvist making 16 appearances and recording 1 assist.

On 2 March 2019, with DaMarcus Beasley resting for their CONCACAF Champions League match, Lundkvist got the start for the Dynamo's first league game of the 2019 season. Head coach Wilmer Cabrera 's decision paid off in the 60th minute when Lundkvist sent in a cross that Mauro Manotas hit past goalkeeper Nick Rimando to give Houston a 1–1 draw with Real Salt Lake. Lundkvist would get the start in the Dynamo's next MLS match, a 2–1 win over the Montreal Impact, while Beasley again was rested for the CCL matches. On 12 March, Lundkvist was subbed on in the 19th minute of Houston's 2nd leg Champions League fixture with Tigres UANL when Beasley suffered an injury. Beasley was ruled out for 4–6 weeks, allowing Lundkvist to become the starting left back for the first significant stretch since he arrived in Houston. Once Beasley had recovered from his injury, Lundkvist still featured prominently at left back and filled in at right back at the end of the season after DeLaGarza was injured. He ended the season with 28 appearances and 4 assists in MLS play, but Houston struggled as a team, missing out on the playoffs again.

2020 saw Lundkvist become the first choice left back for new head coach Tab Ramos following Beasley's retirement after the 2019 season. In a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lundkvist started 21 of Houston's 23 games, with the only 2 he missed being the result of a suspension for a violent tackle. The season was poor for the Dynamo as a whole, finishing last in the Western Conference and missing out on the playoffs for the 3rd straight season.

On 25 March 2021, Lundkvist signed a contract extension through the 2022 season, with team options for 2023 and 2024. After starting the first 8 matches of the season, Lundkvist only started 4 of the next 11 games, with one of those starts being as a winger rather than as a fullback, as Lundkvist competed with Sam Junqua for the starting left back spot. Lundkvist reclaimed his starting spot by matchday 20, starting the next 7 games before suffering a knee injury on 18 September during a 3–2 win over Texas Derby rivals FC Dallas. After missing a month, he returned to action on 20 October, coming on as a halftime substitute in a 3–0 loss to the LA Galaxy before playing the full 90 minutes for Houston's final 3 matches. Lundkvist ended the season with 25 appearances and 2 assists as the Dynamo finished last in the Conference for the second straight season and missed the playoffs for the 4th straight year.

The 2022 season saw Lundkvist record 5 assists in 31 appearances, 30 of them starts. He tied with Darwin Quintero for the team lead in assists in MLS play. Despite a strong season from Lundqvist, Houston missed the playoffs for the 5th consecutive season, finishing 13th in the West.

### Austin FC

On 10 January 2023, Lundkvist was traded to Copa Tejas rivals Austin FC in exchange for $500,000 in General Allocation Money. In 2023, Lundkvist had 23 appearances, starting in eight games and tallying 2 assists. His appearances were limited later in the season as he dealt with injuries sustained on the field. Austin ended the 2023 season missing the playoffs, finishing 12th in the Western Conference. On November 17, 2023, Austin FC announced they would not exercise the 2024 option for Lundkvist.

### BK Häcken

On December 28, 2023 Lundkvist signed with BK Häcken as a free agent.

## International career

Lundkvist has represented Sweden at various youth levels as well as at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where he started all 3 of the group stage matches. He made his senior team debut on 6 January in a friendly against Estonia.

## Personal life

Lundkvist played ice hockey as a kid. He has said that former Sweden international Klas Ingesson, who was his coach at Elfsborg, was his favorite player and served as a father figure when Lundkvist moved to Elfsborg. Lundkvist and his father are fans of English Premier League club Liverpool.

## Honors

IF Elfsborg

- Svenska Cupen: 2013-14

Houston Dynamo

- US Open Cup: 2018


Muscat Governorate

# Muscat Governorate

## Abstract

Muscat (Arabic: محافظة مسقط) is a governorate of the Sultanate of Oman. Its provincial capital is Muscat, which is the largest city and only metropolis of Oman. Muscat Governorate, commonly referred to as Muscat City, is the seat of government and contains Oman's first cruise and cargo port and oil port. Its population reached 1,288,330 as of May 2015.

## Provinces

Muscat Governorate consists of six provinces (wilayat):

- Al Amarat

- Bawshar

- Muscat (Old Town)

- Muttrah

- Qurayyat

- Al Seeb

## Governors

- Sayyid Shihab bin Faisal Al Said, 1960 - 1970

- Sayyid Thuwaini bin Shihab Al Said, 1970 - 1984

- Al-Mutasim bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, 1984 - 1985

- Sultan bin Hamad Al-Samar Al Busaidi, 1985 - 1991

- Al-Mutasim bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, 1991 - 2011

- Saud bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Since 7 March 2011

## Demographics


Michael Donnelly (veteran)

# Michael Donnelly (veteran)

## Abstract

Michael W. Donnelly (February 3, 1959 – June 30, 2005) was a United States Air Force fighter pilot and activist. Medically retired in 1996 following a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig's disease, he became a leading activist for sufferers of Gulf War syndrome.

## Early life and career

A native of Connecticut, Donnelly attended East Catholic High School and graduated from Fairfield University in 1981.

Donnelly joined the United States Air Force and became a fighter pilot, primarily flying the A-10 "Warthog" and F-16. He flew 44 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm as a member of the 10th Tactical Fighter Squadron. After the Gulf War he became Chief of Standardization and Evaluation with the 80th Flying Training Wing and trained NATO pilots.

## Activism

Donnelly quickly gained national recognition as a veteran's advocate, including appearing in a feature article in People Magazine. He led a six-year campaign to convince the federal government of the connection between Lou Gehrig's Disease and active service in the Gulf, and provided testimony to the United States Congress regarding this issue.

Donnelly died of his disease in 2005. The Major Michael Donnelly Land Preserve, in his hometown of South Windsor, Connecticut, is named for him. His funeral was attended by H. Ross Perot, whom Donnelly met while advocating for Gulf War veterans. Donnelly also wrote the book Falcon's Cry: A Desert Storm Memoir (1998, Praeger, ISBN 0275964620) with his sister Denise Donnelly.


2005 FA Women's Community Shield


Rod Ansell

# Rod Ansell

## Abstract

Rodney William Ansell (1 October 1954 – 3 August 1999) was an Australian cattle grazier and a buffalo hunter. Described to be from " the bush ", Ansell became famous in 1977 after he was stranded in extremely remote country in the Northern Territory, and the story of his survival for 56 days with limited supplies became news headlines around the world. Consequently, he served as the inspiration for Paul Hogan 's character in the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee. In 1999, he was killed in a shootout by policemen of the Northern Territory Police.

## Early life

Ansell was born in Murgon, Queensland, to George William Ansell and Eva May Ansell, the third of four children. He then moved to the Northern Territory at the age of 15. As a young man, he made a living hunting feral water buffalo in the Top End, the meat being exported to foreign markets.

### Survival ordeal

In May 1977, shortly after completing a buffalo catching job in Kununurra, Western Australia, Ansell decided to travel to the Victoria River on what he claimed was a fishing trip. He was not specific about his plans, only telling his then-girlfriend Lorraine he would be back in a few months. When Ansell's motorboat was capsized and sunk by "something big" (he later sensationally claimed it was a whale), no one knew where to find him. Ansell managed to board his tender, a small dinghy with only a single oar, and retrieve his two 8-week-old bull terriers and a small amount of equipment (a rifle, a knife, some canned food, and bedding). But with no fresh water, Ansell was in a perilous situation, stranded almost 200 kilometres (120 mi) from the nearest permanent human settlement, and one of his dogs had a broken leg.

During the night, Ansell's dinghy drifted out to sea, eventually washing up on a small island at the mouth of the Fitzmaurice River, north of the Victoria River. Over the next 48 hours, Ansell travelled up the Fitzmaurice on tidal flows, becoming severely dehydrated but eventually finding fresh water above the saltwater tidal range. Ansell subsisted on wild cattle and buffalo, hunting by day to feed himself and his dogs. He sometimes resorted to drinking cattle blood as a substitute for water, the fluids helping to maintain his body's electrolyte balance. He was also able to follow bees to their hive to retrieve honey. During the night, Ansell slept in a tree fork out of reach of crocodiles, although he shared the tree with a brown tree snake. At one point, he shot a 5-metre (16 ft) crocodile, whose head he kept as a souvenir.

Ansell never counted on being rescued; he had told others he would be away for months, and any search parties would be combing over the Victoria River, not the Fitzmaurice. He rested his hope on walking overland to a pastoral station when the wet season began. One day, Ansell heard the distinctive tinkling of horse-bells, which drew him to two Aboriginal stockmen and their cattle manager, Luke McCall. Although he was somewhat emaciated, Ansell was otherwise healthy. Once back home, he apparently kept his seven-week ordeal to himself, fearing he would upset his mother with his recklessness. He later claimed the experience was hardly a big deal, explaining:

All the blokes up in this country, who work with cattle, ringers, stockmen, bull-catches, whatever, all of them, have really narrow shaves all the time. But they never talk about it...I think the opinion is that if you come through in one piece, and you're still alive, then nothing else really matters. It's like going out to shoot a kangaroo. You don't come back and say you missed by half-an-inch. You either got him or you didn't. So that is how I looked at it. Until the paper got hold of the story, and that changed a lot of things.

Newspapers dubbed Ansell the "modern-day Robinson Crusoe " and he was making headlines by August 1977.

### Media attention

In 1977, after becoming a sensation in the Australian media following his harrowing ordeal in the Outback, Ansell met Joanne van Os, 22, a radio operator originally from Melbourne who was then working at the remote Aboriginal community of Wadeye. The two fell in love and married, having two sons: Callum (born 1979) and Shawn (born 1981). The family spent much of their early years living "under just a canvas sheet". With no electricity or running water, they cooked by campfire and communicated by radio.

In 1979, filmmaker Richard Oxenburgh asked Ansell to relive his adventures in the documentary film To Fight the Wild, which the following year was published as a book. Although both accepted Ansell's version of events uncritically, his story was frequently treated with skepticism by locals in the Top End. Some believed it was a publicity stunt and others wondered why Ansell did not follow the river downstream to the nearest town. When Ansell was asked in interviews what he was doing in the remote Australian wilderness by himself, he claimed he was on a fishing trip. Privately, however, he confided to friends that he was actually poaching crocodiles.

In 1981, Ansell was invited to Sydney where he was interviewed by English journalist Michael Parkinson for his television program Parkinson. Ansell attended the interview barefoot. While staying at the famous five-star Sebel Townhouse Hotel, he slept in his sleeping bag on the floor rather than on his bed, and was reportedly mystified by his room's bidet. Ansell's interview and curious city antics sparked Paul Hogan's interest, inspiring him and co-writers Ken Shadie and John Cornell to create the character Mick "Crocodile" Dundee. Following the unexpected blockbuster success of Crocodile Dundee, Ansell unsuccessfully took Hogan to court.

According to Ansell's friends, he was "at one" with Arnhem Land 's Indigenous Australians, and like the film character, he spoke "Urapunga" (Ngalakgan) fluently, having become a "fully initiated white man". An "unassuming achiever" who embodied "the spirit of the Territory", Ansell was named Territorian of the Year in 1987 for helping to put Top End on the world map. Journalist Chips Mackinolty, who met Ansell in the 1980s, described him as "articulate and likable, if somewhat intense". However, Ansell's new-found fame alienated him from his peers, and he later lamented of his rejection back home:

Proving the point about the story being true or not wouldn't matter that much. Because the people it would affect, who affect me, are the people who live where I work, and know me. And people up here have a phobia about appearing on the media. So that was detrimental to my standing in their eyes...they thought it was a terrible thing to do.

## Later life

In 1985, Ansell borrowed money and secured a pastoral lease in northern Arnhem Land. He started up Melaleuca, a cattle station 140 kilometres (87 mi) east of Darwin, near Kakadu National Park, named after the Melaleuca paper bark trees which dot the landscape. The Ansells built their homestead on the station, not far from the Mary River. In the 1980s, he found himself in a protracted dispute with the Northern Territory government over the controversial Bovine Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign (BTEC). To comply with BTEC, Ansell was forced to kill 3,000 head of feral buffalo on his property. He had originally planned to capture and domesticate the animals, creating a pastoral herd that would have afforded his family a comfortable lifestyle. Arguing that money spent on the BTEC program "would be better spent on research on AIDS ", Ansell considered the destruction of the animals an outrageous waste of good livestock.

Three neighbouring graziers were eventually awarded AUD $100,000 in government loans, but Ansell was never compensated for his losses. Mimosa pigra weeds also began taking over the floodplain, rendering it useless. With no money to fight the invasive weeds, the Ansells were forced to sell their cattle station in June 1991.

In June 1996, he began dating Cherie Hewson. The couple lived at Urapanga Station, an Aboriginal outstation on the Roper River about 483 kilometres (300 mi) south of Darwin. Over the next several years, the couple's drug addiction became more destructive, culminating in a psychotic episode that ultimately claimed Ansell's life in a shootout with police.

## Death

Ansell was killed following a police shootout on 3 August 1999. The deadly altercation began at approximately 10:45 a.m. on the roadblocked intersection of Stuart Highway and Old Bynoe Road, near Acacia Hills. Ansell ambushed veteran Sergeant Glen Anthony Huitson and his partner, rookie Constable Jamie O'Brien, with a shot from Ansell's.30-30 Winchester lever-action rifle deflecting off a police car and fatally striking Huitson in the abdomen below his bulletproof vest, and severely injured onlooker Jonathan Anthonysz in the pelvis and lower back. A gun-battle immediately erupted between Constable O'Brien and Ansell upon arrival of specialist police officers from the Territory Response Group. About five minutes into the fight, Ansell was shot dead. O'Brien killed Ansell with a shotgun after unloading on Ansell's position with his Glock pistol, having missed all his previous shots. The battle ended the authorities' 12-hour search for an attacker who shot and seriously injured two nearby residents (David Hobden in the eye and Brian Williams in his index finger) the previous night. Ansell's girlfriend Hewson was with him but escaped before the gun-battle occurred; she fled, eventually turning herself in to Brisbane police on 7 August 1999.

Although police were at a loss to explain Ansell's motive (he could have easily escaped the roadblock had he chosen to), it was later determined that Ansell had been raving about Freemasons prior to his death; he was distraught, apparently convinced that Freemasons had kidnapped his two sons and were now stalking him. During the coroner's inquest, psychiatrist Robert Parker made the following observations on Ansell's mental state before his death:

There is no doubt that Ansell was affected by amphetamine intoxication prior to his fatal interaction with Sergeant Huitson...Ansell's behaviour prior to the initial shots being fired is consistent with amphetamine intoxication with restlessness, hypervigilance, anxiety, anger and impaired judgement (DSM IV). He was also affected by a paranoid psychotic state which is typical of chronic amphetamine use.

Parker also determined that Ansell and Hewson had developed a shared psychosis, stating:

...the two of them developed a shared delusional state or folie a deux...It is possible, therefore, that one or both parties had an underlying vulnerability to mental illness which was enhanced and sustained by their regular use of amphetamines.

An autopsy of Ansell's remains showed he had suffered 30 entry wounds or grazes, all caused by shotgun pellets; the fatal injury was caused by a pellet that had perforated his aorta. The cause of death was determined to be " haemorrhage from multiple gunshot wounds involving various parts of the body". Following the request of his sons, Ansell was given a full Aboriginal burial at Mount Catt, Arnhem Land. His funeral was attended by his sons and parents.


Murders of Raul and Brisenia Flores

# Murders of Raul and Brisenia Flores

## Abstract

On May 30, 2009, 29-year-old Raul Flores Jr. and his daughter, nine-year-old Brisenia Ylianna Flores, were murdered during a home invasion in Arivaca, Arizona. The perpetrators were Shawna Forde, Jason Eugene Bush and Albert Gaxiola, all members of Forde's vigilante nativist group, Minutemen American Defense (MAD). Gina Gonzalez, the victims' wife and mother, was wounded but survived the attack after exchanging gunfire with the intruders, wounding Bush.

In 2011, all three assailants were convicted of murder. Forde and Bush were sentenced to death, while Gaxiola was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

## Attack

Shawna Forde and her accomplices gained entry into the Flores home by claiming they were officials looking for fugitives. The suspects had the expectation of finding money and drugs that could be sold to finance Forde's vigilante nativist group, Minutemen American Defense (MAD), which patrolled Arizona 's border with Mexico. When they found no drugs, the intruders took inexpensive jewelry and fatally shot 29-year-old Raul Flores Jr. and his daughter, nine-year-old Brisenia Ylianna Flores.

Gina Marie Gonzalez, the 31-year-old wife of Raul Flores and the mother of Brisenia, was in the home during the attack and was shot three times. She survived when she pretended to be dead. After the assailants left the home, Gonzalez called 9-1-1 and armed herself with her husband's handgun. While Gonzalez was on the phone, the assailants re-entered the home, and Gonzalez exchanged fire with the attackers, wounding Bush in the leg. The killers then fled. Gonzalez identified two men and a white woman as the attackers. She identified Bush as the one who had murdered her daughter and her husband. The day after the murders, Bush's leg was treated by MAD member Chuck Stonex. Stonex later become a witness for the prosecution at trial.

An early exchange within the 911 call was recorded as follows:

Gonzalez: They shot me and I pretended like I was dead. My daughter was crying. They shot her, too.

Operator: Are they still there, the people who, that shot them?

Gonzalez: They're coming back in! They're coming back in!

(Gunfire.)

Brisenia was a third-grade student at the Sopori Elementary School in Amado, Arizona at the time of her death. Another of the Flores's daughters, a 12-year-old, was at her grandmother's home in Sahuarita during the attack.

## Trial

Arriving at a death sentence for Forde was difficult, according to juror Angie Thomas. A picture of Brisenia presented during the trial was a significant factor in reaching the decision: "A little girl, with bright red fingernails; she's wearing a white T-shirt and turquoise-colored pajama bottoms. She's on a love seat. It's a perfect, innocent picture until you realize that half of her face has been blown off." Gonzalez testified that her daughter was shot point-blank as the girl pleaded for her life.

Forde, Bush, and Albert Gaxiola were all convicted of the murders. Forde and Bush were sentenced to death, while Gaxiola was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole plus 54 years.

## Assailants

### Jason Eugene Bush

Jason Eugene "Gunny" Bush (born LaGrande, Oregon August 11, 1974) of Meadview, Arizona, was MAD's National Director of Operations. Bush had previously been charged with the September 1997 execution-style killing of an Aryan Nation associate, Jonathan Bumstead, for supposedly committing the "crime" of "being a 'race-traitor'". That same year, Bush was imprisoned for car theft and for possession of a firearm, which was unlawful because of Bush's earlier felony conviction.

After his release from prison in 2003, Bush moved to Sandpoint, Idaho, where he lived until 2007. He is suspected in two additional killings that occurred in 1997. According to information provided to Washington state detectives, Bush is alleged to have shown up at the homes of acquaintances covered in blood and asked to be allowed to clean up, after he had "just finished taking care of some business." Detectives sought to find links to unresolved cases.

Bush, who was Forde's second-in-command, had ties to Aryan Nations, a white supremacist organization. After his arrest in the murders of Raul and Brisenia Flores, Bush was charged in June 2009 with the 1997 murder of Hector Lopez Partida in Wenatchee, Washington based on DNA evidence. In April 2011, Bush was sentenced to death, and in May 2011, received another 78 years for other crimes. Bush's appeal of his death sentence was rejected in 2018.

### Shawna Forde

Shawna Forde was born December 6, 1967. In describing herself in 2007 when she ran unsuccessfully for a city council seat in Everett, Washington, Forde said that she had been a promoter of a grunge rock band and had worked as a youth counselor, aircraft factory worker, and as a cosmetologist.

Forde had several run-ins with law enforcement before her arrest for the double murder. Court records show that she served time in juvenile lock-ups for repeated convictions involving theft, burglary, and prostitution. Forde had been married four times. In 1989, a male friend sought court protection from Forde, claiming that she had physically attacked him and threatened to hurt herself with a knife. In 2007, she was charged with theft. In January 2008, Forde accused members of a drug cartel of sexually assaulting and shooting her. Later, however, she suggested the culprits were criminal associates of her son. Forde's brother alleged that she fabricated the story, and authorities closed the case due to insufficient evidence.

In 2007, Forde became involved in vigilante activities after she joined the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps (MCDC), which eventually expelled her. In February 2007, she helped found and direct MAD, a splinter group from the MCDC, which questionably claimed "several thousand private members", although a former member claimed only fourteen remained following Forde's arrest for the Flores murders. Forde was posting updates to the website of Jim Gilchrist 's Minuteman Project organization, which had her listed as their Border Operations Manager. Stonex said Forde intended to fund the purchase of a 40-acre (16 ha) property in southern Arizona, where she had intended to establish a base for her group's border operations.

On February 14, 2011, Forde was found guilty of all eight counts for which she was prosecuted: including two counts of the first-degree murder of Raul and Brisenia, one count of attempted first-degree murder of Gina Gonzalez, two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of burglary, armed robbery, and aggravated robbery. Forde's lawyer, Eric Larsen, had said that Forde was not in the house when Flores and his daughter were murdered, so she should not be found guilty. Prosecutors said Forde was with the two men who broke into the Flores' home, and Gonzalez testified she was there. Pima County Deputy County Attorney Rick Unklesbay said, "She didn't put a gun to Brisenia's head... but she was the one in charge. Because of that, you must hold her accountable."

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said that Forde planned and ordered the murder of Raul Flores. Although Gonzalez did not pick Forde out of a police lineup, police found Forde in possession of Gonzalez's jewelry, including her wedding ring, during a search after Forde's arrest. Police also presented text messages sent through Forde's phone and recorded conversations between Forde and the other suspects. The prosecutor said Forde had planned the crime for months in meetings out-of-state. "Even if she didn't pull the trigger … make no mistake about it. She's the one who planned the events. She's the one who recruited people to do this," Unklesbay said. On February 22, 2011, a Tucson jury convicted Forde of both murders and sentenced her to death. She is one of three women out of 116 inmates on Arizona's death row.

### Albert Gaxiola

Albert Robert Gaxiola (born February 9, 1967), of Arivaca, Arizona, is believed to have provided intelligence about drug activities in the area to the M.A.D. Gaxiola had been imprisoned on marijuana charges from 1992 to 2000. Gaxiola was found guilty of the murders and sentenced to life without parole plus 54 years.

## In the Media

The case has been featured on the Investigation Discovery program Deadly Women, appearing as the first story of the episode "Death Knock." True to the title of the program, the story is told from Forde's point of view.