PAT3361: you ruined a once great game WGT
I've heard that before and I'm still not convinced.
Some short hints concerning your questions, in case you really don't know. Fodder for search =>
Tiering up w/o ranked rounds:
They had to come up with a way to challenge mobile players who would only play "mobile" games (in practice mode) - this is another legitimate way to tier up, probably by Level and by success in those games.
Equipment by tiers:
This was the case in the beginning, until around Sept. 2010, when they introduced the basics for today's structure. It would be difficult to convince them to go back...