Tag Team Match | Pro Wrestling Match Types

One of the classic match types in wrestling is the Tag Team Match. In most cases, four athletes are involved, competing in teams of two versus two.

Standard Tag Team Match

In a standard tag team match, one athlete per team is in the ring, called the "legal men," while the other two are on the ring apron at opposite corners. To allow their teammate to enter the match, the legal man must make a "tag" by simply touching their partner’s hand or another part of the body while the partner is holding a rope attached to the turnbuckle. After the tag, both teammates can work together in the ring, but only for a count of 5, or else they face disqualification (DQ).

The match ends under the same conditions as a Singles Match, but only the two legal men can score or suffer a pinfall, submission, or count-out; only one athlete from the team needs to be pinned for the match to end. If the non-legal man interferes in the match without having received the tag, the referee may decide to issue a disqualification.

6-Man Tag / 8-Man Tag Team Match

A tag team match can also involve a larger number of wrestlers (more than 4). In this case, it becomes an "n-men tag team match," meaning a match that follows the same rules as a normal tag team match, with the only difference being that the teams consist of more than 2 athletes.

The "n" in the match name identifies the total number of athletes involved; for example, a 3 vs. 3 match is called a 6-men tag team match (also called a Trios Match in lucha libre), or a 4 vs. 4 match is an 8-men tag team match (also called an Atómicos Match in lucha libre).

Mixed Tag Team Match

A tag team match can involve either male or female wrestlers... or both at the same time. In the latter case, it's called a Mixed Tag Team Match, which is a team match where the teams are made up of people of different genders. The only difference is that usually, the legal men must be of the same gender; therefore, if one of the legal men tags a teammate of a different gender, the other legal man is also required to tag out.

However, this rule is not universal, and in some cases (or in certain promotions), it is not enforced, allowing for male vs. female exchanges (in this case, it's also called an Intergender Match).

Other Types of Tag Team Matches

The Tag Team Match can also be contested under Tornado and/or Elimination rules, as well as a number of different match types and stipulations (see below).

In Tornado Tag Team Matches, all competitors are allowed to be in the ring at the same time, making for a chaotic and fast-paced bout. In Elimination Tag Team Matches, wrestlers are eliminated one by one, and the match continues until all members of one team have been defeated.