10 Best Tournament Finals In WWE History
Where does the CWC final rank?
Wednesday evening saw the long-awaited conclusion to WWE's first-ever Cruiserweight Classic. After ten weeks, the field of 32 participants was narrowed down to Gran Metalik and T.J. Perkins. In end, Perkins beat Metalik in a classic match to win the whole affair and be crowned WWE's new Cruiserweight Champion.
The Cruiserweight Classic is already being called WWE's best tournament ever, and it's hard to argue with that. Bouts like Kota Ibushi versus Cedric Alexander and Johnny Gargano versus Tommaso Ciampa ensured that the tournament was great from start to finish, easily outdoing the other (mostly rushed) contests that fans have seen from the company in the past.
Still, that's not to say that the CWC has been the only tournament with a dramatic finish. For years, WWE has been using single-elimination tournaments to crown new champions, number one contenders, and Kings of the Ring, and at times, the final matches have been great. Those are the ones that really succeed - not only do the stars and the tournament get over, but the prize for which they're fighting seems even more important than when they started.
There's been no shortage of these down-to-the-wire contests. Here are the 10 best tournament finals in WWE history:
10. Rey Mysterio Vs. The Miz - WWE Championship Tournament
After CM Punk left WWE with the WWE Championship, Vince McMahon declared the title change null and void and said that a new champion would be decided in an eight-man tournament. John Cena, who lost the title to Punk, was not invited to compete, and some of the stars who were in the running showed just how weak the roster was getting.
Nevertheless, the two biggest "name" guys in the tournament - The Miz and Rey Mysterio - advanced to the finals, which took place on Raw the week after the rest of the tournament. Miz's ring work had come under fire, as the former WWE Champion's confidence seemed eroded due to horrible booking during his title reign. That didn't come into play here, as both guys were on fire. Miz avoided a 619 and Mysterio grabbed the rope to block a Skull-Crushing Finale, but in the end, another 619 and a splash gave Rey his first and only WWE Championship.
Unfortunately, what people remember most about the tournament was that Mysterio lost the title to Cena later that same evening.