Scott,
This doesn't come up in matches a whole lot but it's always bugged me.
I watched Starrcade ’83 on The Network and saw the Sullivan/Lewin v. Weaver/McGhee tag match, and Sullivan’s team was making quick tags throughout the match. I remember watching teams do that in AWA squash matches, but I didn’t question it since the dominant team could do whatever it wanted. The announcers would sell it as quick team work, and Caudle sold this one as always keeping a fresh man in the ring. I can see a quick tag sequence, but it always seemed counter-intuitive to me when they did it throughout the match. And it didn't seem to generate heat, either.
Aren't they handicapping their momentum with all the tags or creating openings for the opponent to break that momentum? And aren't they expending some energy jumping in and out of the ring that much? I could see a point if they wanted to execute a chain of moves that the alternating members are good at. But not when they’re just maintaining a headlock or an arm twist.
The match did give me one good idea for it, though: a clever deception tactic. They could sneak in some phantom tags or just confuse the opponent or ref.
Do you know the point behind that?
I always liked that aspect, because at least it kept the match moving and kinetic. And I would agree with Caudle — that way you always have a fresh man in there and your opponent never has a chance to adjust to your hold and break free. I'm gonna let it stand for now.