In July 1998, D'Lo Brown defeated Triple H to become the WWE European champion. It was considered a huge upset at the time, especially given that Brown was seen as the afterthought of the Nation of Domination, a longtime member of the group who was often overshadowed by those perceived to be bigger stars than he. There were understandably doubts surrounding Brown's ability to run with the proverbial ball, to breakout of the pack and become his own man. He did just that. He seized the day and brought credibility to a European title that had been devalued almost from the moment British Bulldog defeated Owen Hart to win the title in spring 1997. Brown's rivalry with X-Pac over the title remains one of the higher quality midcard feuds of the entire Attitude Era while his matches with Val Venis, Al Snow, Big Boss Man, Gangrel and others helped establish the talented individual as one of the work horses of the company. A valuable piece in of the midcard roster in that he could routinely get a good match out of Superstars of varying degrees of skill, Brown remains one of the more under-appreciated stars of the last twenty years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA0-g12--Dk Throughout its five years of existence, the European Championship was largely considered the bottom-of-the-barrel midcard belt, the title given to guys with nothing else better to do and traded to Superstars in similar situations. But for a brief period of time in 1998 and 1999, Brown carried the title with a great deal of pride and defended against some immensely talented individuals.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
