10 Most Essential WWE European Title Matches

1. Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam (WWE Raw 2002)

From the very beginning to the very end, our final match on the list is also the final match in the title’s storied history; as European Champion, Jeff Hardy, takes on Intercontinental Champion, Rob Van Dam, with both titles at stake in a historic unification bout.

For a match with such grand championship implications, there’s no better way to determine a definite champ than via the tried and tested championship decider itself – the infamous ladder match.

The bout – perhaps intentionally – draws instant comparisons to the last Intercontinental Unification bout, mirroring the legendary WrestleMania X encounter between HBK and Razor Ramon in its stipulation; as two champions become one and one belt is eradicated from wrestling history by virtue of the ladder. Much like the Michaels/Ramon classic, this match definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Despite being deemed an official European Championship match, the unification stipulation makes this the only match on the list where the physical European Championship belt fails to make an appearance. Instead, the Intercontinental Title finds itself alone, high above the ring canvas; signifying the finality of the European Championship as we know it.

An instantly fast-paced match-up between the two unorthodox performers, the match itself is everything you would expect from a Hardy/RVD affair. High risk manoeuvres and aerial assaults are the name of the game as the two high flyers (in more ways than one) attempt to recapture the chemistry they had established the previous summer in what was a rare highlight of the ill-fated Invasion angle.

Clocking in at just seven minutes in duration, the match itself is essentially a condensed version of their SummerSlam 2001 ladder showdown just 11 months earlier. With high risk aplenty, it doesn’t take long before the ladder comes into play. Colossal dives, brutal bumps and insane falls litter the match from start to finish and it’s easy to see how a match of such intensity could take its toll on both men.

Despite Hardy’s best efforts, it would be Van Dam who would emerge the victor; claiming bragging rights as the last ever European Champion in the process. As one of the first official matches made by then-GM of Raw, Eric Bischoff, the bout served as a fantastic prelude for the tenure of “Easy E” as kingpin of Monday nights.

For jaded fans of today, the bout is also real glimpse of how great Raw used to be during this time period and the high octane match would serve as a fantastic appetiser for things to come in WWE’s Ruthless Aggression era. A forgotten classic, the historic match is well-worth revisiting and a fitting end to the roller-coaster run of the European Championship.