The
WWF European Championship was started as a way to highlight non-American
wrestlers, and also a way to generate heat for those wrestlers when the
WWF had shows in Europe. Thus, while in America the European Championship
is considered a third-rate title, it wasn't unusual in 1997-98 for the
European title match to be the main event when the WWF had shows in the
United Kingdom and elsewhere.
The belt has decreased in prestige steadily since its inception, not
being defended for weeks at a time and on some occasions having the bookers
forget about it completely.
WINNER
EVENT
DATE WON FROM
Davey Boy Smith
2-26-97 Owen Hart
This was the finals of a tournament to crown the first European Champion
in Berlin, Germany.
Shawn Michaels
One Night Only 9-20-97
Davey Boy Smith
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
12-11-97 Shawn Michaels
Owen Hart
1-20-98 Goldust
Goldust impersonated champ HHH and lost, but Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter
allowed the title change to stand.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
3-16-98 Owen Hart
D'Lo Brown
7-14-98 Hunter Hearst Helmsley
X-Pac
9-15-98 D'Lo
D'Lo Brown
9-29-98 X-Pac
X-Pac
Judgment Day 10-18-98
D'Lo Brown
Shane McMahon
2-15-99 X-Pac
Mideon
6-29-99 VACANT
Shane McMahon retired the title after defeating X-Pac at WrestleMania
XV. It remained vacant until late June, when Mideon took it out of Shane's
bag. On Heat taped June 29, Mideon announced the belt was given to him
as a gift from above. He first defended it on that Heat against Al Snow.
D'Lo Brown
Fully Loaded 7-25-99
Mideon
Jeff Jarrett
SummerSlam 8-22-99
D'Lo Brown
Mark Henry
8-23-99 Jeff Jarrett
Jarrett handed the belt over to Henry as a thank you for helping
him defeat D'Lo Brown at SummerSlam.
D'Lo Brown
Unforgiven
9-26-99 Mark Henry
British Bulldog
10-26-99 D'Lo Brown
Val Venis
12-12-99 British Bulldog
Val Venis defeated D'lo Brown and The British Bulldog for the European
Title.
Kurt Angle
2-10-99 Val Venis
Chris Jericho
Wrestlemania 2000 4-2-00 Kurt
Angle
Chris Jericho pinned Chris Benoit in the second of a two-fall three-way
dance (with Kurt Angle) for the I-C and Euro titles.
Eddie Guerrero
4-3-00 Chris Jericho
Saturn
7-23-00 Eddie Guerrero
Al Snow
9-1-00 Saturn
William Regal
10-16-00 Al Snow
Crash Holly
12-2-00 William Regal
William Regal
12-5-00 Crash Holly
Test
1-22-01 William Regal
Eddie Guerrero
4-1-01 Test
Matt Hardy
4-24-01 Eddie Guerrero
Information from http://www.wrestleline.com, massive formatting by myself.