CHRIS SABIN

Joshua Harter, born in Pinckney, Michigan, is a 43-year-old professional wrestler. He currently performs on WWE’s SmackDown brand under the ring name Chris Sabin.

Early Career

Sabin began training at NWA Great Lakes Pro Wrestling in Michigan. When the school closed, he completed his training in Windsor, Ontario under Scott D’Amore and N8 Mattson. He debuted as Chris Sabin in 2000, wrestling for Border City Wrestling and other Michigan independents.

TNA Debut and Rise

Sabin joined TNA in April 2003 and quickly won the X Division Championship. He lost it in the first-ever Ultimate X match. He won the 2003 Super X Cup and recaptured the title in 2004 but vacated it due to injury.

Chris Sabin returned to lead Team USA to victory in the 2004 and 2006 World X Cups. He became a fixture in the X Division, with standout matches against Petey Williams, Senshi, and Michael Shane. He regained the X Division title in 2006 and 2007 and feuded with veterans like Jerry Lynn and Christopher Daniels. Sabin lost the title to Jay Lethal at Slammiversary 2007.

Motor City Machine Guns

In 2007, Chris Sabin teamed with Alex Shelley to form the Motor City Machine Guns. The team turned face after feuding with Team 3D and gained popularity with strong showings in the World X Cup and tag bouts. In July 2010, they won the TNA World Tag Team Titles and defended them against Generation Me and Team 3D. Injuries in 2011 sidelined both men. Sabin returned in April 2012, but the team ended when Alex Shelley left TNA that May.

Singles Run and TNA World Champion

After Shelley left, Chris Sabin returned to singles action in mid-2012 but tore his ACL during an Ultimate X match. He returned in 2013, won the X Division title at Slammiversary XI, and later cashed it in. On July 18, 2013, he defeated Bully Ray to win the TNA World Title. He lost it back at Hardcore Justice due to outside interference.

SHOW MORE

Final TNA Run

Chris Sabin turned heel in late 2013 and feuded with Manik. He won the X Division title twice more, ending with eight reigns total. After Velvet Sky turned on him in 2014, he vanished from TV. His TNA departure was confirmed on May 9, 2014.

Chris Sabin Debuts on Ring of Honor

Sabin debuted in ROH in 2003 but left a year later. He returned in 2005 and again in 2007 with Shelley, though they had limited success. The team returned in 2008 but were pulled from further dates by TNA. In 2010, they lost to The Kings of Wrestling at the ROH 8th Anniversary Show.

Sabin came back in 2015, joining the Knights of the Rising Dawn. He helped The Addiction win the ROH Tag Titles and made his in-ring return that May. He turned on The Addiction in 2016, reuniting with Shelley. Together, they formed Search and Destroy and won the ROH Tag Titles in 2017. They lost them in 2018, and Shelley later retired.

Sabin became the No. 1 contender for the ROH TV Title but lost to Punishment Martinez. He suffered a torn ACL in 2019 and left ROH soon after.

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Sabin and Shelley won the ZERO1-MAX Lightweight Tag Titles in 2006 and held them until 2008. In NJPW, they won the IWGP Junior Tag Titles at Wrestle Kingdom III in 2009. After three defenses, they lost them to Apollo 55. The Guns returned to NJPW in 2010 for a brief run.

In 2015 and 2016, Sabin worked NJPW/ROH events and teamed with top stars like KUSHIDA. The Guns challenged the Young Bucks for the tag titles but fell short. Sabin competed in the 2018 Best of the Super Juniors and the Super Junior Tag League with KUSHIDA.

In October 2022, Sabin and Shelley won the NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Titles at Rumble on 44th Street. They defended them in early 2023 but lost them back to Aussie Open in April.

Return to Impact Wrestling

Sabin rejoined Impact in 2019, reuniting with Shelley. They won the Impact Tag Titles three times. Sabin then focused on singles gold, winning the X Division title a record-setting ninth and tenth time. He lost the title to Mustafa Ali in February 2024 and left Impact in March.

AEW Appearance

On August 24, 2022, Sabin and Shelley were announced as Jay Lethal’s partners for AEW All Out. The trio faced FTR and Wardlow but lost due to interference from Samoa Joe. This marked Sabin’s official AEW debut.

WWE Career

In September 2024, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley signed with WWE. They debuted on SmackDown on October 18. One week later, they defeated The Bloodline to win the WWE Tag Team Titles, marking a major milestone in their careers.

SHOW LESS

STATS

Birth name: Joshua Harter
Born: February 4, 1982, Pinckney, Michigan, USA
Height: 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Ring name(s): Chris Sabin, Josh Green
Current Roster: SmackDown
Finishing move(s): ASCS Rush

Photos of Chris Sabin

CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

All American Wrestling
- AAW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Alex Shelley
All Japan Pro Wrestling
- AJPW Junior League (2007)
The Baltimore Sun
- Tag Team of the Year (2010) – with Alex Shelley
Blue Water Championship Wrestling
- BWCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
Border City Wrestling
- BCW Can-Am Television Championship (2 times)
- Pro Wrestler of the Year (2007)
City Championship Wrestling
- CCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Alex Shelley
Deadlock Pro-Wrestling
- DPW Worlds Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Alex Shelley
Discovery Wrestling
- Y Division Championship (1 time)
- Y Division Title Tournament (2015)
Game Changer Wrestling
- GCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Alex Shelley
Great Lakes All-Pro Wrestling
- GLAPW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- International Wrestling Cartel
  - IWC Super Indy Championship (1 time)
  - Super Indy Tournament (2004)
- Maryland Championship Wrestling
  - MCW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)
- Maximum Pro Wrestling
  - MXPW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)
  - MXPW Television Championship (1 time)
- Michigan Marquee Wrestling Association
  - MMWA Marquee Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
  - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Alex Shelley
  - Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Alex Shelley
- NWA Florida
  - Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup (2005)
- NWA Great Lakes
  - NWA Great Lakes Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  - PWI Tag Team of the Year (2010) – with Alex Shelley
  - Ranked No. 28 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2007]
- Pro Wrestling Zero1
  - NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Alex Shelley
- Ring of Honor
  - ROH World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Alex Shelley
- NWA Total Nonstop Action / TNA Wrestling / Impact Wrestling
  - TNA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  - TNA/Impact World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Alex Shelley
  - TNA/Impact X Division Championship (10 times)
  - TNA 2003 Super X Cup Tournament
  - TNA 2004 World X Cup Tournament – with Jerry Lynn, Elix Skipper, and Christopher Daniels
  - TNA 2006 World X Cup Tournament – with Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal, and Sonjay Dutt
  - TNA Gauntlet for the Gold (2008 – Tag Team) – with Alex Shelley
  - TNA Triple Crown Champion
  - TNA / Impact Year End Awards (5 times):
    - Match of the Year (2003) vs. Frankie Kazarian and Michael Shane on August 20
    - Memorable Moment of the Year (2003) – The first Ultimate X match
    - Tag Team of the Year (2007) – with Alex Shelley
    - Moment of the Year (2020) – Motor City Machine Guns’ return to Impact at Slammiversary
    - Men’s Tag Team of the Year (2022) – with Alex Shelley
- Twin City Wrestling
  - TCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Ultimate Championship Wrestling
  - UCW Lightweight Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling All-Stars
  - WWA International Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- WWE
  - WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Alex Shelley
  - WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2024) – with Alex Shelley
  - WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2025) – with Alex Shelley
- Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling
  - XICW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  - XICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Truth Martini
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  - Rookie of the Year (2003)
  - Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006)