When most people think of Alex Shelley today, they usually think of either his matches in TNA's X Division or his exploits with his "Paparazzi Cam". However, Alex Shelley is one of the most well-traveled wrestlers in the industry today, complementing his time in TNA with appearances in Ring of Honor, Border City Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling and various other independent promotions.
A wrestling fan since the age of eleven, and a former art student at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan, Detroit's Patrick Martin trained under Truth Martini and Breyer Wellington before enrolling in Scott D'Amore's Can-Am Wrestling School in January 2003. While training with D'Amore, Martin was also influenced by the teachings of Joe E. Legend. He debuted in Michigan in March 2002, earning a grand total of $8.35 for a night's work. Martin, now known as Alex Shelley (the name coming from a combination of the names of a character from A Clockwork Orange and a punk rock singer), rebounded from a major injury suffered during a match againstPetey Williams to wrestle in IWA Mid-South for six months before moving on to Combat Zone Wrestling and Ring of Honor in June 2003.
Shelley split time between CZW and ROH for the rest of 2003 and much of 2004, alternating between teaming with and feuding with Jimmy Jacobs. Shelley's career suffered another temporary setback when he suffered a broken collarbone in training and missed two months of acton beginning in February 2004.
In May 2004, Shelley joined forces with Jack Evans, Austin Arie
Alex Shelley
