Competitors in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament announced

Friday Night SmackDown

Judging from the tournament's lineup, it's promising to be a thrilling spectacle and fans are hyped with anticipation.

Seth Rollins, a fan-favorite and a former WWE Universal Champion, is the favorite to win the tournament. His athleticism as well as showmanship and mic work, make him a serious contender for the championship. Rollins is also one of the few WWE Superstars to show any interest in the new title belt along with Finn Bálor and Logan Paul.

Speaking of, why isn't the elder Paul part of the lineup? After lobbying for a shot at the WWE Heavyweight Championship when it was first introduced, we're surprised he's not part of the mix.

Either the WWE has something else planned for The Maverick or he couldn't commit to coming back to the squared circle just yet.

Shinsuke Nakamura is another competition to watch in this tournament. His unique style and crowd-pleasing moves have earned him a growing following among WWE fans. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion might be looking to add the RAW brand's title belt to his resume.

Cody Rhodes is another big name that fans should watch out for, but his story ends when he wins the unified title belt from Roman Reigns. Giving Rhodes the World Heavyweight Championship risks cheapening its value. So, it's interesting that he's included in the first place but the WWE might have as well added him following his win at WWE Backlash.

While the rest of the lineup is all worthy inclusions, a missing name that raises questions is Drew McIntyre. It's said that he's just waiting out his contract with the WWE because he feels like the company isn't utilizing him properly. The introduction of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Belt was largely seen as a means to bring Drew McIntyre back into the title mix but it appears he's no longer part of the company's long-term plans.

Just to recap, the format for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament will start off with four Triple Threat matches, which will take place this week on RAW and SmackDown. The winner of the said matches will then face off in the semi-finals later on the same night. Then, the last man standing from each brand will battle it out in Saudi Arabia at the Night of Champions on May 27.

On the off chance that the new title holder is from SmackDown, the WWE will make him exclusive to RAW.

This way, as Triple H explains, RAW has a champion of its own, as Roman Reigns will now exclusively appear on SmackDown and can only accept challenges from those who belong to SmackDown.

We're guessing that this is how the WWE will set up Cody Rhodes to win the 2023 Money in the Bank PPV in July so he can circumvent the brand-exclusive stipulation and get a title shot against Roman Reign.