At that point Paul was considered the biggest obstacle for Ash to win the Sinnoh League so him defeating his regional rival was considered a great achievement. This victory allowed Ash to pass to the semifinals of a tournement for the first time in his life so him being crushed by an overpowered pokemon trainer like Tobias there seemed like a big meltdown for many viewers back then. Tobias ended up passing to the finals and defeating one last unknown trainer without losing a single pokemon (unlike his match against Ash in which he lost two).
Wouldnt it have been less worse if Ash vs Tobias had taken place in the finals rather than semifinals? Shouldnt Ash vs Paul have taken place then in the semifinals?
by michaelphenom