Over 17 years ago in Berlin, Germany, the WWE crowned its first ever European Champion. In the culmination of an eight-man tournamentfeaturing no less than four future world championsthe British Bulldog defeated Owen Hart in what is still considered one of the greatest matches in Monday Night Raw history. The prestige of a tournament format, the quality of the final bout and the novelty aspect of a continent-specific championship suggested that the European title could be a useful addition to WWE programming. But such promise was never fulfilled. Just five years and five months later, the belt was merged with the more respected Intercontinental Championship and thus has never been defended since. So where did it all go wrong? Having been held by the likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle and Chris Jerichoalbeit prior to their monumental risesits hard to believe that a title with such pedigree could have slipped so suddenly into the shadows. But with the benefit of hindsight on our side, this article takes an in-depth look at the history of the belt, pinpointing seven key developments that ultimately hastened the demise of the European Championship.
