WWE Championship Tournament Is Tailor-Made for New Superstars

Seth Rollins is no longer the WWE champion, so someone needs to step up in his absence. But who?

John Cena is nowhere to be found. Randy Orton is on the shelf currently dealing with an injury and Daniel Bryan has still not returned from his nagging neck issues.

In other words, the title is ripe for the taking.

The WWE Championship Tournament started on the November 9 episode of Raw. A 16-man tournament will determine the new WWE world heavyweight champion. A few familiar names appeared, such as Roman Reigns and current Money in the Bank winner Sheamus.

Several new WWE Superstars are chasing the gold with this rare opportunity.

In fact, Titus O’Neil and Tyler Breeze, to name a couple, wouldn’t have gotten a title match at this point in their careers. Now, each can claim that he was involved in the hunt to become the man in WWE.

Despite Breeze and O’Neil failing to advance, the opportunity remains legitimate. Who knows if either man gets another shot at the title? Regardless, it’s pretty clear that the WWE is making the most out of its roster.

WWE’s Championship Tournament is tailor-made for new WWE Superstars.

This isn’t about wrestlers making debuts. This is about the midcard role players taking the next step in their WWE careers.

Reigns and Dean Ambrose are ready to take that step. Both must be favored to win the tournament.

Rollins’ former teammates cannot be any further apart in skill sets.

Ambrose is the scrapper who will do anything to win, beating Tyler Breeze with an inside cradle. Reigns is the powerhouse with wrestling in his veins, toppling Big Show in his quarterfinal matchup, which could place them on a collision course come Survivor Series.

Perhaps some of these other competitors will have something to say about that.

Stardust has been hungry ever since he adopted the persona last year. He’s vied for solo glory only to fall short each time. He knows the WWE title could take him to the stratosphere. However, he’ll have to get past former WWE champion and current United States champion Alberto Del Rio first.

Kevin Owens is one of the more recent faces to debut on the main roster this year. He’s experienced in being the flag-bearer of a company in NXT, defeating Sami Zayn to become the champion there.

Owens, the reigning intercontinental champion, defeated O’Neil on Raw to advance to the semifinals. He’ll take on the winner of Neville and King Barrett from their SmackDown encounter.

Ryback, also in the tournament, recently hit a slump and lost his intercontinental title to Owens at Night of Champions as well as the rematch at Hell In A Cell. The Big Guy hasn’t gotten close to the world title in over three years. Ryback looks poised to change that by facing Kalisto on SmackDown.

Cesaro could be the wild card in this tournament. He’s fought every tough competitor but failed to overcome the odds. He also knows the tournament can define his WWE career. Cesaro already toppled Sheamus on Raw. He’ll have to take on the dangerous Reigns to advance.

If Cesaro is the wild card, then Dolph Ziggler is the true underdog. He defeated The Miz to advance and is a former world champion. However, the WWE title has also evaded his grasp. He’ll face Ambrose next in hopes of realizing his dream.

Many are familiar faces, but no one has reached that plateau as WWE world heavyweight champion.

They either came close or never even received their shot at the title. The tournament provides each man with that opportunity as they chase the richest prize in the wrestling world.

The WWE Championship Tournament is tailor-made for new superstars. Each man left has a chance to step toward the next level.

Frankly, Reigns should be the favorite to win. But each of these men can lay claim as the next WWE world heavyweight champion. We’ll just play the waiting game to see which WWE wrestler evolves into the ultimate Superstar.