Tag team match structures

[NintendoLogic]

We all talk about Southern-style tags, but I find the term somewhat problematic. For one thing, it isn't always precisely defined. It sometimes seems like any match where someone is put in peril is classified as Southern, which is surely too broad. Also, the qualifier "Southern-style" implies that there are other styles of tag team match, but they aren't really talked about or even named. So what else is there? Well, after doing quite a bit of viewing, I've decided that All Japan tags constitute a distinct style separate from Southern tags. I'm thinking mainly of the big 90s tags like 6/9/95 and 12/6/96, but the basic elements can be seen at least as far back as Jumbo/Tenryu vs. Choshu/Yatsu. For the most part, the two styles are pretty similar. The way I see it, there are two key differences.

 

1. Outside action. In Southern tags, rules against interference are taken seriously. Things like double-teams mostly occur briefly after tags or while the referee is distracted, and it's rare to see someone run in to break up a pinfall attempt more than a couple times. All Japan is more of a free-for-all. Guys running in at will to break up pins and holds, lengthy and elaborate double-team sequences, the two illegal guys going at it on the outside, all four guys in the ring at the same time, pretty much anything goes.

 

2. Hot tags. Much of the drama in Southern tags comes from the FIP making repeated attempts to tag out or otherwise gain momentum and getting cut off. In All Japan, on the other hand, almost all tag attempts are successful. If someone tries to make a tag and fails, it's usually because his partner got taken out.

 

Of course, not every match can be neatly slotted into one of these two categories. It's a continuum, not a dichotomy. Plus, there are even more ways to structure a tag match. I'll let someone more well-versed in lucha than myself outline the conventions of their tag and trios matches. I'm sure joshi tags are a distinct style as well. Feel free to name any other styles you can think of and compare and contrast.

[JerryvonKramer]

I think a strong aspect of the All-Japan tag structure, at least from what I've seen in the 80s, is that there's a hierarchy there on both sides with a senior and a junior partner.

 

A lot of the structure is built around keeping the two senior guys apart. This is why it's so explosive and such a big deal when you get Tenryu and Jumbo in the ring at the same time in 89.

 

I think viewed in context Yatsu / Choshu vs. Jumbo / Tenryu is a bit anomolous in the period, because while Yatsu and Tenryu were clearly the "junior" partners, a lot of those matches are worked as if the 4 guys are equals and you get literally 4 separate "in peril" sequences with each of the four guys taking punishment for a period. At least this is my memory from the All-Japan set.

 

I'd like to offer the following. Some of these are based on observations from the past couple of years of watching stuff:

 

- Double heat: This is where the southern formula is extended to take in two FIP sequences, typically with the first hot tag becoming the second FIP. A lot of longer RnR matches are worked this way.

 

- Extended shine: This is where you get an unusually long heel-in-peril at the start of the match runing over 10 minutes. A lot of 80s tag AWA matches seem to have this structure. Another notable example would be Final Conflict (Steamboat and Youngblood vs. Slaughter and Kernodle) in which Kernodle gets his ass kicked for about 17 minutes straight before the first FIP sequence.

 

- "Russians" match structure: Every Russians match featuring Ivan Koloff I've ever seen deviates from standard Southern style. Basically, Ivan did a lot of heel-in-peril segments, but it's a little more nuanceed than that. The main idea is that Ivan is the brains, but his partner (Nikita, Kruschev or Pietrov) was the big monster. So there tends to be a format in which the Russians are always at their most vulnerable when Ivan is in the ring. Something like:

 

A. Russians gain control.

B. Monster works over FIP.

C. Tags in Ivan.

D. Ivan somehow loses advantage

E. Ivan either quickly tags out or they transition to heel-in-peril

 

The reason this is a deviation from your traditional hope spots in a southern-style match is because the Ivan heel-in-peril sections can go on longer than a normal hope spot. And you can get several of them even in a 15-minute match. There's a lot more back-and-forth because the heels never stay on top for too long.

 

I've seen dozens of Russians matches now where this has been the case and I think it's distinctive enough to count as an alternative structure. In theory, DiBiase/Andre and Haku/Andre should have worked matches like this, but I'm not sure that they did.

[khawk20]

I've seen dozens of Russians matches now where this has been the case and I think it's distinctive enough to count as an alternative structure. In theory, DiBiase/Andre and Haku/Andre should have worked matches like this, but I'm not sure that they did.

Is it an alternative structure if the Russians are the only ones that use it, though? I'd think it would be more of a "distinct structure" if that is the case.

[Al]

Maybe call it the "weak link" structure. Similar tag team might be most Sean Waltman teams. (i.e. with Sycho Sid or Kane)

[Matt D]

There are a number of Bobby Heenan + Partners versions of that structure.