WWE European Championship

Infobox championship
championshipname=WWE European Championship


image_size=
caption=
currentholder=
won=
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promotion=World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
brand=
created=February 26 1997
mostreigns=William Regal, D'Lo Brown (4 reigns)
firstchamp=The British Bulldog
longestreign=The British Bulldog (206 days)
shortestreign=Rob Van Dam (unification)
oldest=Diamond Dallas Page nobr|(46 years, 302 days)
youngest=Jeff Hardy nobr|(24 years, 7 days)
heaviest=Mark Henry nobr|(convert|280|lb|kg st|abbr=on|lk=on)
lightest=Spike Dudley nobr|(convert|150|lb|kg st|abbr=on|lk=on)
pastnames=WWF European Championship
titleretired=July 22 2002
pastlook

The WWE European Championship is an inactive title competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment.citeweb|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/euro/|accessdate=2008-09-12|title=WWE European Champion official history|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment] Despite its name, only two holders were actually from Europe: the British Bulldog and William Regal. [citeweb|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/euro/358986|accessdate=2008-09-12|title=William Regal's first reign|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment]

History

The WWE European Championship was originally known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) European Championship and was placed below the coveted WWF Intercontinental (IC) Championship, and therefore seen as a "stepping stone" towards the IC title and beyond. The WWF European Championship, as it was then known, emerged in 1997 when The British Bulldog became the first Champion after winning a tournament that was held over several shows in Germany.

1997 tournament

With Shawn Michaels winning the belt, it made him the first Grand Slam Champion in WWE. Michaels is the only wrestler to have held both the WWF Championship and the European title at the same time.

After winning the European title, both D'Lo Brown and Al Snow were billed from different parts of Europe each week while champion. During Snow's reign, he and "Head" dressed up as various ethnic stereotypes corresponding to the European location they were billed from, though not always in a politically or geographically correct manner.

The belt was retired briefly in April 1999 by then current champion, Shane McMahon, who wanted to retire as an "undefeated champion". McMahon reintroduced the championship two months later and gave it to Mideon, who saw the title belt in Shane's travel bag and asked if he could have it.

Eurocontinental Champions

The term "Eurocontinental Champion" is a portmanteau of European and Intercontinental, used to describe wrestlers who held both titles simultaneously. Three wrestlers were booked to accomplish this feat. The first was D'Lo Brown, who defeated Mideon for the European title at the Fully Loaded in 1999 and two nights later at a Monday Night Raw taping, defeated Jeff Jarrett to win the Intercontinental Championship. A month later at SummerSlam Jarrett defeated Brown to win both titles, thus becoming the second Eurocontinental Champion.

Six months later Kurt Angle defeated Val Venis to win the European Championship. At No Way Out Angle defeated Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Championship. He then was given kayfabe credit for coining the term "Eurocontinental Champion." Two months later at Wrestlemania 2000 Kurt Angle faced Jericho and Chris Benoit in a two out of three falls triple threat match for both the European and Intercontinental Championships. The first fall was for the Intercontinental title, Benoit pinned Jericho. The next fall was for the European Championship, Jericho pinned Benoit. This meant that Kurt Angle was not pinned or forced to submit, yet lost both championships.

The deactivation of the European Championship

The WWE European Championship, as it was next known, was retired in a ladder match on July 22, 2002 when Rob Van Dam (RVD) put his WWE Intercontinental Championship on the line, along with Jeff Hardy's European Championship. [citeweb|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/euro/358594|accessdate=2008-09-21|title=Jeff Hardy's Europen Championship reign|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment] By winning that match, RVD merged the two titles together, and continued to hold the Intercontinental Title. RVD's title reign is not listed in the official European title history on WWE's official website, and therefore is not credited with being a Eurocontinental Champion, but is acknowledged in RVD's profile. [citeweb|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/wwealumni/rvd/bio/|accessdate=2008-09-21|title=Rob Van Dam's WWE Alumni profile|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment]

ee also

*List of WWE European Champions
*List of WWE European Championship reigns by length

Notes

External links

* [http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/euro/ WWE European Title History]