You are using the wrong example. In BFA and before the release of the solo shuffle, there was a sufficient number of participants in the 3v3 ladder. Although by the 3rd season of SL it had dropped significantly, because there were no hopes for SL, and to remember these last 2 disgusting seasons with fury warriors and outlaw rogues, no one wanted to just play it. They need to adjust the bar for getting a gladiator, depending on the number of participants in the season. Let’s say I played 4 games in a row yesterday against Blizo at 2300 MMR.
I’m really not though, my example just showed how ironic it was.
Gladiator is top 830 currently, which isn’t an impossible goal for a player that would qualify as a Gladiator, in the past while pushing glad, you’d be facing the very same r1s on alts too.