Tag team

In professional wrestling, a tag team consists of two or more wrestlers who are working together as a team. They usually wrestle against a like number of opponents, however in the occasional "handicap match" there may be an unequal number of competitors (the late André the Giant was often pitted against two or more opponents). The term "tag team" has since become used in a metaphorical sense for a pair of partners who alternate in participation in an activity, and "tag-teaming" for the act of alternating with an ally, e.g. a couple tag-teaming in an argument with another person.

According to the rules of pro wrestling, only one competitor per team is allowed in the ring at a time, and the only way that a wrestler can change places with a partner is for the competitor in the ring to "tag" him or touch him on some part of his body. The referee must also see a tag for it to be legal. Given the nature of pro wrestling, the "rules" are seldom adhered to and exist as part of kayfabe, the suspension of disbelief required for pro wrestling to work as entertainment. This means that often both members of teams, especially heel teams, are in the ring simultaneously with only one member of an ostensibly rule-abiding face team.

A spot that occurs in practically every tag team match is the hot tag. One member of the face team would be in the ring taking a beating from one of his heel opponents. Occasionally, both wrestlers from the heel team would attack him, while his partner protests to the referee about this bending of the rules (and therefore, unintentionally "distracting" the referee on behalf of the heels). Eventually the weakened face wrestler does make the tag to his partner, who comes in as the fresh man and is able to take on both opponents quite easily. Ricky Morton, of the tag team Rock 'N Roll Express, would often play the "face in peril", who got beaten up in the ring while his partner Robert Gibson, looked on helplessly. Thus, the tag partner in the ring being destroyed is often said to "play the Ricky Morton".

A frequent storyline is former tag team partners turning on each other, which will invariably ignite a feud. This can be used when one member is being called on to develop a new gimmick.

Table of contents

1 Tag-team match variations 1.1 Tag-Team match 1.1.1 Intergender Tag-Team Match 1.1.2 Mixed Tag-Team Match 1.1.3 Parejas Incredibles Match 1.2 Elimination Tag-Team Match 1.2.4 Four Corners Tag Team Elimination Match 1.3 Parejas Suicidas 1.4 Scramble Cage 1.5 Tag team battle royale 1.6 Tag team elimination match 1.7 Tornado Tag-Team Match 1.8 Trios rules (Relevos Australianos) 1.9 Ultimate Endurance 2 Tag team championships and titles 2.10 All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) 2.11 American Wrestling Association (AWA) 2.12 NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) 2.13 Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) 2.14 National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) 2.14.5 World/national titles 2.14.6 Regional titles 2.15 Pro Wrestling NOAH 2.16 Ring of Honor (ROH) 2.17 World Championship Wrestling (WCW) 2.18 World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) 2.19 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE / WWF)

Tag-team match variations

Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams. For example, a tag team match may be held under hardcore rules, submission only rules, or ladder match rules. Stipulations, such as "I Quit" or "loser leaves town" may also be applied. The following are match variations that are specific to tag team wrestling.

Tag-Team match

A match in which two teams of two wrestlers face each other. Only one wrestler from each team is allowed in the ring at a time, though heels will often break this rule and gang up on a single opponent. The other(s) wait on the apron outside the ropes in a specified corner adjacent to the other team. Offensive cooperation from a team member can happen as long as they are within the referee's count of five and after an official tag. A tag team match involving more than two wrestlers per team is often referred to by the total number of people involved (eg. a six-man tag team match involves two teams of three), while a tag team match involving more than two teams is referred to by normal qualifiers (eg. a triple threat tag team match involves three teams of two). A wrestler must do the following in order to make a legal tag:

• Both feet of the wrestler on the outside must be flat on the apron.
• The wrestler outside the ring must hold on to the tag rope tied in the corner
• Tags must be done over the top rope.
• Tags are legal as long as the two team members touch.

A referee can be allowed to overlook any of these tag rules at his discretion. All standard match rules apply but the legal man must make a pin or submission on another legal man to win. Only legal men can be counted out but either team can be disqualified regardless if a team member is legal or not.

Intergender Tag-Team Match

This is a tag-team match featuring mixed-sex teams. It differs from a Mixed Tag-Team match (see below) in that men and women can be in the ring at the same time.

Mixed Tag-Team Match

This type of match also features mixed-sex teams, but differs from an Intergender match in that only wrestlers of the same sex may be in the ring at the same time. For example, if a woman tags her male partner, both women leave the ring and both men enter.

Parejas Incredibles Match

In this match the teams are composed of enemies or rivals. It is meant to illustrate the tension between the desire to win and the hatred for one's rival. As the name suggests, these pairs matches are used more frequently in Mexico than anywhere else.

Elimination Tag-Team Match

Same as a tag-team match except that the wrestler suffering the loss of a fall is eliminated from participation. The match continues until all members of one team are eliminated. The WWE uses the term Survivor Series Match to denote a ten-person match held during the yearly Survivor Series pay-per-view. Lucha Libre uses the term Torneo Cibernetico (cybernetic tournament) for multi-man elimination matches. Sometimes in these matches, there can be only one winner so even after the other team has been eliminated, former team mates face each other in an elimination match.

Four Corners Tag Team Elimination Match

Four teams compete with one member of each of two teams starting. Anyone could be tagged in and subject to immediate disqualification for failure to accept a tag. Elimination by any means and the last team standing wins. This match has been called the RAW Bowl and Superstars Bowl.

Parejas Suicidas

Another lucha libre variation of the tag team match. It begins as a regular tag match but the two members from the losing team face each other in a Lucha de Apuesta.

Scramble Cage

A match held a cage with wooden platforms in each of the corners for "high risk" moves. All men are allowed to go inside and outside of the cage. A new team comes in every 2 minutes and the match cannot be won until every team is in the match.

This match is a specialty of Ring of Honor. The first such match took place January 11, 2003 at the "Main Event Spectacles" event. The Backseat Boyz defeated Hart Foundation 2.0 (Jack Evans and Teddy Hart), The S.A.T, Special K, and the Carnage Crew. Jack Evans made his debut in this match.

Tag team battle royale

This match is conducted similarly to a battle royale. If a wrestler is thrown over the ring ropes, both he and his partner are eliminated from the match. In most cases both wrestlers are considered active at the same time and there are no tags, as in a tornado tag match.

Tag team elimination match

The match starts with one team occupying each corner of the ring. In some variations, a wrestler is allowed to leave the match by tagging any corner, not just his own. The losing team in each fall is eliminated from the match.

In the WWE, this is called a Tag Team Turmoil match.

Tornado Tag-Team Match

This is a team match where all wrestlers involved are allowed in the ring at the same time. All men are legal so any wrestler is vulnerable to a decision. Usually there are no disqualifications or count-outs. Despite its name, it is not a true tag-team match, as it involves no tagging.

Trios rules (Relevos Australianos)

A six-man tag match between two teams of three wrestlers. Each team has one wrestler designated as team captain. To win, a team must either score a fall against the opposing team's captain, or one fall each against both of the other wrestlers. These matches are often two out of three falls and rules about tagging in are often stretched.

This match type is called Relevos Australianos ("Australian Tag Team Match") in Mexico and is most often seen in lucha libre promotions such as AAA and CMLL although some promotions have used them as gimmick matches..

Ultimate Endurance

This is an elimination tag match with four teams. Each fall has a different stipulation. This match has happened twice in Ring of Honor.

Tag team championships and titles

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW)

• AJPW Double cup Tag Team Title
• All Asia Tag Team Title

American Wrestling Association (AWA)

• AWA World Tag Team Championship - 1960–1991 (revived in 1996 by AWA Superstars)
• AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship - 1967–1971
• AWA Southern Tag Team Championship

NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW)

• ECW Tag-Team Championship

Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA)

• FWA Tag Team Championship

National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)

World/national titles

• NWA World Tag Team Championship - 1975–present
• NWA National Tag Team Championship - 1980–1986
• NWA International Tag Team Championship
• NWA North American Tag Team Championship
• NWA United States Tag Team Championship - 1986–1990, became a WCW title in 1991, revived 1996–2000
• NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship - 1984–1989, became a WCW title in 1991, briefly revived in 1998
• NWA Women's Tag Team Championship - 1952–1983, acquired by the WWF in 1983

Regional titles

• NWA Central States World Tag Team Championship - 1958–1960, 1962–1963, 1973–1979
• NWA Chicago Tag Team Championship - 1953–1960
• NWA Detroit World Tag Team Championship - 1964–1980
• NWA Florida Global Tag Team Championship - 1983–1983
• NWA Florida World Tag Team Championship - 1961–1969
• NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship - 1978–1986
• NWA Georgia World Tag Team Championship - 1954–1969
• NWA Los Angeles Tag Team Championship - 1957–1958, 1979–1982
• NWA Mid-America World Tag Team Championship - 1957–1977
• NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship - 1968–1985, revived 1999; originally the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship, renamed in 1973
• NWA Minneapolis World Tag Team Championship - 1957–1960
• NWA San Francisco Tag Team Championship - 1950–1961, 1968–1979
• NWA Texas World Tag Team Championship - 1957–1968, 1981–1982
• NWA Western States Tag Team Championship

Pro Wrestling NOAH

• GHC Tag-Team Championship - 2001–present
• GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag-Team Championship

Ring of Honor (ROH)

• ROH Tag-Team Championship - 2002–present

World Championship Wrestling (WCW)

• WCW World Tag Team Championship - 1991–2001, acquired by World Wrestling Entertainment and unified with WWF World Tag Team Title
• WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship - March 2001, abandoned when WCW was bought out by World Wrestling Entertainment
• WCW United States Tag Team Championship - 1991–l992, a rebranding of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship
• WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship - 1991, previously NWA World Six-Man Tag Team title

World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW)

• WCWA Tag Team Championship - 1967–1989
• WCCW Six-Man Tag Team Championship - 1982–1988
• WCCW Texas Tag Team Championship

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE / WWF)

• World Tag-Team Championship - 1971–present; originally named the WWF Tag Team Championship, renamed in 2002
• WWE Tag-Team Championship - 2002–present
• WWF Women's Tag Team Championship - 1983–1989; originally an NWA title
• WCW World Tag Team Championship - contested in the WWE after WCW was bought out in January 2001, unified with the WWF Tag Team Championship in November of that year

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