Let me get some of the good things out of the way. The first round of the tournament is in the books. I like that they had some of the matches on Smackdown this week. Fans always say the WWE needs to do more important things on Smackdown. Smackdown is just a filler show. This week's Smackdown had some important things going on. That is a good move.
Now, let me get to some things I am not a fan of. First, the tournament has 16 guys in it. Looking at the bracket, you can see some of the guys are clearly jobbers. Even though he won in the first round, does anyone think Kalisto will go all the way? I think the WWE should have cut the field down to just 8. Pick 8 guys that should be in a tournament like this, including Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. Having guys people know have no chance of winning in the Royal Rumble is one thing. But this is a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion. This is not a King of the Ring tournament. This is something bigger. I think the WWE should have done more to make it feel more elite.
Even with what would end up being 4 first-round matches in an 8-man tournament, the WWE still could have spread it out so both Raw and Smackdown featured tournament action. In fact, I would have one match per show leading up to Survivor Series. The PPV is November 22nd. Counting this current week, that is 2 Raws and 2 Smackdowns before the event. The main event of each of those shows could be a tournament match. Make them feel like a big deal. Build up to them during the show. Make it feel like these guys are that important. I know The Wyatts vs. The Undertaker & Kane is a big deal, but it does not need to take the main-event spot. Even with handling the tournament like this, the WWE will still be able to have the last three matches at Survivor Series.
Looking at the brackets again, the WWE may be telegraphing what the final match will be. Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose are on opposite sides. A lot of fans are already discussing which of the two will turn heel during the match. That is the match they expect to see. I agree, that is the match the WWE seems to be going for. I hope the WWE does something shocking. I don't mean in terms of a heel turn. I mean in terms of the final match featuring some other combination. Back when the WWE unified the WWE Championship and World Championship in 2001, many people might have thought it would come down to The Rock and Austin. Chris Jericho ended up winning. I cannot say right now which guy I would rather see sneak his way into the final match, but it would be nice if there was something unexpected.
Let me bring up TNA's tournament to crown a new Champion. I feel the WWE putting in guys that are really down the ladder in the tournament is just creating filler. For TNA, however, it is different. They also have guys all over the card. They even have women involved. Thing is, TNA has a history of putting their title on pretty much anybody. They can take anyone and start pushing them as a main-eventer. Their women have main-evented Impact more often in recent years than the WWE's women have main-evented Raw, even though I still doubt TNA gives the title to a woman. There is also the fact that TNA has so much time to kill. They are managing that time as best as they could. I feel the WWE could manage their time with their tournament better.
And you want to talk about telegraphing what you are going to do? TNA has already taped all these matches. Fans already know the outcome of the matches. However, TNA is going to do some shows in India in a few weeks and they are advertising the World Championship Series semi-finals will take place there. Looks like they are developing something fresh. And as I said, given TNA's history of inconsistency and pushing anybody as a main-eventer, they can end this tournament by putting the title on someone the majority of fans did not expect. Will the WWE do the same? TNA's way of doing things fails to create and properly feature stars. It ruins storylines and feuds at times. But they are more likely to do things you might not expect, whether good or bad.
Looking at the two promotions, I like what TNA is doing more than what the WWE is doing. The WWE was put into this situation by bad luck. Injuries happen. You can say TNA was put into their situation by simply not being a better promotion. They put themselves in this position. If they had made better decisions over the years, they would not frequently have issues with their networks. Nevertheless, I would say they are doing a better job with their tournament.
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