WWE European Championship

WWE European Championship is a former championship competed for in the WWE.

History

The belt came into existence in order to create more belts for wrestlers to fight over. The European Championship was placed below the coverted Intercontinental Championship, and therefore seen as a "stepping stone" towards the IC title and beyond. In early 2000 Kurt Angle held both the European and IC titles, he was nick-named the, "EuroContinental" Champion.
During the WWF Insurrection tour of the UK in April 2000, European champion Eddie Guerrero blasted UK fans for their dislikng of Europe. Intercontinental champion Chris Jericho then came out and declared the UK a part of "club Y2J", stating that the UK didn't need Europe, or Guerrero as its champion. This is interesting as the European Championship never featured the Union Flag predominantly.
The European Championship was deactivated in a ladder match on June 22, 2002 when Rob Van Dam put his WWE Intercontinental Championship on the line, along with Jeff Hardy's European Championship, By winning that match, Rob Van Dam merged the two titles, and continued to hold the IC Title.

Facts and Trivia

The then WWF European Championship emerged in 1997 when the British Bulldog became the first Champion after winning a tournament that ended in the United Kingdom.

Shawn Michaels won the belt making him the first Grand Slam Champion in the WWE (although he has never held the Hardcore or Light-Heavyweight titles).