10 Most Essential WWE European Title Matches

9. British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels - One Night Only 1997

The aptly named One Night Only event was to be a night of many firsts for the WWF. Not only was it the first and only time the European Championship was defended in a PPV main event but it also marked the first time Vince and Co. had held a major PPV from UK shores since the legendary SummerSlam ’92 five years earlier.

Much like that fateful night in Wembley Stadium, the main event would feature a familiar face in the form of UK wrestling god, Davey Boy Smith “The British Bulldog”. His opponent would be none other than Shawn Michaels; a man who, in 1997, had more heat than the sun – especially with the Hart family – and was renowned as an unabashed A-hole behind the scenes. Bottom line being, the degenerate challenger was far from top of the Bulldog’s Christmas card list; all of which made for a spectacular build going into the European Title showdown in Birmingham, England.

The match had an organic, big fight feel to it that can’t be manufactured; it felt like a big deal because it WAS a big deal. This was Bulldog’s home turf, Davey was defending his coveted European Championship and he was representing Britain by doing so. For Michaels, this was the brother-in-law of Bret Hart – his hated arch rival – and a chance to gain further leverage against the Hart family.

Make no mistake about it, it was beyond personal. What better way to rub salt into the already gaping wound of “The Hitman” than to humiliate his own family in their back yard? With Bret and Shawn’s imminent showdown at Survivor Series on the horizon, the detour to England didn’t just add another dimension to the Bret/Shawn feud but the resulting betrayal solidified Michaels as the ultimate Shakespearean villain in wrestling’s equivalent of Game of Thrones.

What many people don’t realise is that the match itself is essentially the forgotten screwjob of wrestling. Going into the bout, Bulldog had been led to believe that the event would signify a triumphant homecoming for him; one which Smith would celebrate with victory over Michaels in front of his adoring home fans. Bulldog had even dedicated the match to his ailing sister who had been suffering from cancer for some time. Which makes it all the more heart-breaking that the outcome was changed on the very night of the show, with the common consensus being that it was Michaels’ idea to alter the finish. To make matters worse, Bulldog was informed of such just an hour before start time.

The match is undoubtedly the greatest European Championship match in history and still holds up today almost 20 years later. At 23 minutes in length, it’s also the longest televised European Title match on record and both men are given ample time to tell a spectacular story. If the Raw match between HBK and Mankind on August 11th, 1997 is considered the unofficial birth of DX, One Night Only marks their inauguration and the reaction they received post-match is still one of the most volatile and heated in recent history.

Despite the controversial circumstances that surrounded the switch, Michaels’ status as a huge main event star only served to elevate the prestige of the European Title; awarding it unrivalled prominence as one of the Fed’s top championships. So much so that HBK even carried the European Title with him going into the universally infamous “Montreal Screwjob” before winning the WWF Championship from Bret Hart.

While there have been three wrestlers to hold the Intercontinental and European Championships simultaneously (D’Lo Brown, Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle), Michaels remains the only wrestler ever to be named both European and World Champion at the same time. The win also made Michaels the first ever “Grand Slam” champion in WWF history; having already held the Intercontinental, Tag Team and World Titles throughout his career.

Meanwhile, the loss would prove devastating for Bulldog, whose career would take a hit from which it would never fully recover; setting off a domino effect of events that would ultimately prove fatal. Smith would leave the WWF with Bret following the incident at Survivor Series two months later, resulting in a brief and unsuccessful second run in WCW; during which he would suffer a debilitating back injury that almost left him paralysed, leading to a dangerous dependence on morphine.

Overcoming the cataclysmic injury, a clean Smith would return to the WWF following the death of Owen Hart, bringing to an end a two year hiatus from the company and allowing him to recapture his beloved European Title from D’Lo Brown. Despite holding the strap for a further 47 days, both the Bulldog and the European Title were never able to recapture the glory days of 1997 and by the close of 2002, the European Title was no more. Sadly, neither was Davey Boy Smith, who passed away in May of that year at just 39 years old; a tragic end to the greatest European Champion in history.