Tag Vs Singles

[Guest Johnny Blaze]

I've noticed that whenever you guys (puro folder regulars) talk about "the greatest matches ever" you always refer to them as the best single or tag match, never just the best match and it got me wondering, which type of matches do you think are better in general, singles matches or tags, and why? Which do you like more, your favorite singles match or your favorite tag. Which style creates the most opportunities for matches to be great? Also, same question for men's vs. women's matches, as I haven't seen much joshi but you guys tend to rave about a lot of it? Which do you think tend to be better? I'm not asking for a definitive answer, just a collection of opinions.

Personally, I think tags make it easier to have a great match because the face-in-peril storyline is always an easy intra-match storyline to play off of and can create instant heat for any match. However, I think singles matches have the potential to be better. In other words, the best possible or ideal singles match would be better than the ideal tag. I can't put in to words exactly why I feel that way, but I just seem to get more enjoyment out of a great singles match than I do a great tag match.

[Guest Jubuki]

It's easier to have a great, engrossing tag match, largely because you've got more people whose characters and stories can be worked into what's happening. However, I have more respect for great singles matches because that difficulty level is higher.

 

And, as a whole, I'd say men's wrestling is better than women's wrestling, but only because the men seem to be a bit more creative in terms of developing personalities and altering a match style to suit them. Women's wrestling is full of girls who are "idols" or "monsters" or work Toyota-style - sometimes, it's too many stock workers and not enough Yoshidas and Hokutos and Ozakis and Kudos to make it interesting enough. Joshi could stand to slow down and work smarter with less.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

I prefer tag matches, my favorite men's match is 6/9/95 MM/KK vs. Kawada/Taue with MM vs. KK 1/20/97 coming in at #2. My two favorite Joshi matches are 11/26/93 Yamada/Toyota vs. Kansai/Ozaki and Kandori/Hokuto vs. Kong/Nakano 3/27/94 followed by Hokuto/Kandori 4/2/93 and Kong/Toyota 11/20/94.

 

The dynamics of a tag match allows for 4 styles as opposed to two. Taue/KK/MM and Kawada all have qualities I enjoy watching, having them in singles matches against each other is great but I prefer seeing their matches when all four are in the same match.

 

The face in peril formula is great and the partner saving partner can make for some dramatic nearfalls while singles matches tend to be more personal. There is no one to rely on and no one to have to save, it comes down to who's the better man or woman.

[Guest Black Tiger]

My favorite match of all time is Hase/Sasaki vs. Steiners from 3/21/91. I'm not saying its the best, just that its my favorite.

 

Jubuki pretty much summed up my opinion of singles vs tags, Tags have more people to work into the match, so the can go at a much faster pace, I'll fully admit my ignorance to Joshi, I've seen a few Joshi matches from FMW, with only one of them really standing out as a great match, (Kudo vs. Toyoda 5/5/96)

 

Notice how in many of the KDX vs. Sasuke Seigen six, eight, and ten man tags they are all action with little resting, there are so many wrestlers in there to work that they can go at such a fast pace and blow up withing five minutes and just tag without it being noticed, Sasuke's only real standout singles matches are from the 1994 Super J-Cup, and in his match vs. Lyger he botches a springboard drop kick that Lyger has to cover before he can get the win.

[Guest wolverine]

I remember back during Summer 1999 when I began to get curious about Japanese wrestling – I had an interest dating back a couple years, but I didn’t take the initiative to go about buying a tape until this point – when I saw a tape site commenting about how the Super J Cup ’94 was the ‘best wrestling tape out there’ and so on and so forth, so I went ahead and got it. When I finally saw it, none of the matches struck a chord with me; well, that is until I got to the Liger-Sasuke semi-final, which had an entertaining stretch run, with excellent heat, but it certainly didn’t live up to the hype I had seen for it. The matwork wasn’t something I was into at that point (and it’s not like it was Volk Han or Kiyoshi Tamura doing it anyway). The Benoit-Sasuke final was the first great match on the show, yet for some reason, it didn’t leave me wanting more. It was undoubtedly impressive, with them doing a tremendous job at building with each near fall, but I just can’t say it blew me away.

 

By Fall, I saw my interest turn to All Japan, which by this point had sunk into Headdropping Hell, but it was something I had to see for myself. The first (and certainly not the last) mistake I made was getting that Misawa-Kobashi 6/11/99 match. The ‘Can You Top This’ formula with them throwing the kitchen sink at each other, while selling very little, was so mind-numbing, that it turned me off of Japanese wrestling for over a year. It just wasn’t very engrossing or captivating. There comes a point when matches that serve little purpose other than to showcase stupidity get really old.

 

Luckily, the 6/9/95 tag saved the day for me when I saw it a year later. This match told a great story, perhaps better than any other match I had seen by that point, with superb work to boot. This is where I really started to take notice of Kawada’s immense talent (not just the in-ring, but the intangibles as well), and was the impetus for me to get a hold of as many AJ matches from the early 90’s as possible. Turns out I discovered the best promotion ever. And to think, it almost didn’t happen.

 

Tag matches, when done correctly, can be so rich, in that they’re almost like a great novel or movie – you pick up lots of little nuances to all of the characters upon further viewings, that you may not catch the first time. This is largely why I prefer tag matches in general. Although once you’re able to put together all of the pieces to singles matches such as Hokuto vs. Kandori 4/2/93 and Misawa vs. Kawada 6/3/94, it becomes pretty clear that they’re the best you’ll ever see within their genre – which is perhaps even more satisfying than something being handed to you.

[Guest Evil Ash]

Huh. Both well put and well said, wolverine. I'd add my own two cents, but it doesn't seem necessary.

 

I will, on the other hand, make a post about not offering my own two cents. Go figure.