I think that TOR is to blame there. The first couple of books vaguely suggested Tolkien themes, but not for long. Jordan went off in an entirely different direction. However, after a while, who was there to compare to?
Printed right on the front of every paperback edition I’ve bought:
“Robert Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkein began to reveal” —The New York Times.
Which is just incorrect to anyone who’s read both. Probably unfair to Tolkein as well.