12 Duos That Helped Changed Tag Team Wrestling Forver

11. Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRT9klSYaFQ Although these two men were an excellent team together in AJPW during the 1990s, they get their spot on this list due to their incredible skill as a team both together and with other people. Misawa and Akiyama played certain €˜roles€™ when they were teaming with each other and with different people. Misawa, tended to play the role of €˜veteran€™ in his teams, meaning that he had more experience, a greater understanding of tag team dynamic, and more intelligence and cleverness in his in-ring behaviour. Akiyama, meanwhile, played the €˜fiery upstart€™ who got angered too easily, exerted too much force at the wrong time, and was more likely to mess something up for his team. When you combine these elements together, you had two wrestlers who added a considerable level of depth to the matches they took part in. Misawa€™s partners would always try to prove themselves worthy to him (since he was considered the most important person in the entire company), which in turn led to better-quality matches. Akiyama€™s partners would try to control the fiery upstart and would act as the balancing act to his temper. These dynamics had a profound impact on Japanese wrestling. Since most Japanese promotions avoid WWE-style gimmicks, wrestlers€™ actions and facial expressions play a much larger role in telling a story. Misawa and Akiyama, when working together or while teaming with others, told some of the most amazing and unique stories by playing these €˜roles€™ that dictated their behaviour.