The History Of The WWE European Championship, Explained

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The WWE European Championship could have been short-lived however got remembered in prime regard. Some enthusiasts and critics alike have wished WWE would resurrect the European Championship. Like the Hardcore Championship, there is a stage of nostalgia with the European Championship because it used to be a prominently featured identify belt all over the Attitude Era. An overwhelming quantity of superstars held the European Championship at some point. With that stated, some is also asking why WWE did away with the European Championship right through the early years of the Ruthless Aggression Era and why it by no means got brought again.

The Importance Of The European Championship

1997 became a huge 12 months for WWE as changes had to get made referring to their TV. One of those adjustments used to be WWE introducing a new championship belt, the European Championship. Established in February 1997, the British Bulldog went to seize the European Championship in an Inaugural event, defeating Owen Hart in the finals. Considering the name belt is named after Europe, the Inaugural match were given held in Germany.

Much like the United States Championship, WWE has championships representing other portions of the globe. It is sensible considering the WWE is a world corporate that doesn't get completely promoted in the United States.

The European Championship additionally was an effective way to build up-and-coming superstars for many years. One of the maximum interesting sides of the European Championship is that main-event and mid-card degree superstars have held the belt. For example, Shawn Michaels was the first WWE superstar to carry both the WWE Heavyweight Championship and the European Championship, giving it more prestige.

The European Championship may not be on the same level as the Intercontinental Championship. However, it allowed superstars in the Attitude Era to thrive in entrance of the target market and get taken extra significantly.

Superstars Who've Represented The European Championship

So many WWE superstars have a name for bringing status to the European Championship. For instance, when discussing which superstars have had the most European Championship title reigns, it is a tie between William Regal and D-Lo Brown. D-Lo Brown was once a mid-card act, but the European Championship helped him get featured on WWE TV more often. William Regal additionally turned into a featured performer on WWE TV when he first received the European Championship in October 2000. Winning the European Championship also added to William Regal's embellished accomplishments in WWE.

Regarding the longest reigning European Champion, The British Bulldog isn't just the first superstar to ever hold the European Championship but has the longest reign of 205 days. Being the first European Champion helped The British Bulldog get taken severely as a singles competitor and The Hart Foundation unit in 1997 that he related to at the time.

Triple H is every other celebrity that benefited a great deal from winning the European Championship, because it helped him come off as a potential threat. Winning the European Championship on two occasions, as he changed into the 3rd superstar to win the title, additional helped Triple H relating to his credibility as a singles famous person as he was one of the hottest acts of the Attitude Era no longer lengthy after.

The Final Days Of The European Championship

There used to be a time when the European Championship turned into deactivated after Shane McMahon won it on a February 1999 episode of Raw Is War, most effective to be revised later that yr. On a March 1999 episode of Sunday Night Heat, Shane McMahon retired the belt, only for it to return after he awarded the European Championship to Mideon months later. From that point, it gave the impression that the European Championship wasn't going anyplace. And for the subsequent 3 years, WWE persisted to make use of the belt via having different superstars cling the European Championship for the subsequent three years.

It wasn't till the release of the Ruthless Aggression Era that WWE decided to do away with the European Championship permanently. Initially one of the championship belts on the Raw brand, reigning European Champion Jeff Hardy battled Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam in a vintage Ladder match on a July 2002 episode of Monday Night Raw. Both belts were on the line as Rob Vam was victorious in that fit, unifying the Intercontinental and European Champion. Rob Van Dam was the remaining celebrity to hold the European Championship, as the belt retired again after it unified with the Intercontinental Championship.

The European Championship Made Its Mark

Some have speculated whether or now not the European Championship may make a go back in modern-day WWE. Whether or no longer the European Championship makes a comeback, the title made its mark right through one of the most up to date instances in the wrestling trade. The European Championship might never appear on WWE TV once more, however its prestige helped create the legends of the past that still get praised to this very day.