6. Booking Shawn Michaels To Win The European Title
Overall, the One Night Only Pay-Per-View held in the UK was a success for the WWF. Hosted in Birmingham, the extra-special September event was high on match quality, but ended on a sour note. The British Bulldog had won the new European Title in February, lastly beating Owen Hart in a tournament final to bag the belt. Since then, he had seemed a good fit for the strap. Almost from the off, the European Title was deemed of lesser value than the Intercontinental Title, and it was definitely a second-string belt. In many ways, it was perfect for the Bulldog, who had been more of a tag-team worker as of late. It was the perfect tool with which to rebuild him back into a lengthy singles run. Unfortunately for him, the company elected to take the title off of him. Shawn Michaels was chosen as the next titleholder, winning at One Night Only. Not only were fans in England dismayed at seeing Davey Boy Smith lose, but the belt lost all credibility with what happened next. Ordered to defend against his pal, Triple H, Shawn simply let his buddy win the title. Treating the European Title this way did nothing to hype the importance of the thing, and it was a mistake.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
