6. #1 Contenders Tournaments
Want to put something on free TV instead of a title match? Look no further. As seen most recently on NXT, the value of a huge number one contender's tournament is obvious. First, the sheer number of people vying for the gold adds prestige to the title. Second, it adds an extra layer of importance and excitement to what would be a series of regular matches. Third, winning tournament matches allows midcard talent like Ziggler, Barrett and Harper to get big wins that seem genuinely important, all without having to have the current champion drop the belt. Tournaments also make a title change seem just that little bit more probable, teasing more excitement out of a potential PPV bout. The last IC #1 contender's tournament was won by Bad News Barrett, who went on to win the title from Big E at Extreme Rules 2014. His recent string of victories gave him a huge amount of momentum going into the match, making it one of the most exciting IC matches of Big E's meek, uninspired title reign. If the WWE want to build up a challenger lacking momentum, like fallen-idol Cesaro or newcomer Neville, having them overcoming a series of qualifying matches week after week on RAW suddenly casts a show of doubt over the PPV match to follow. Speaking of Neville: