The European Title

[JerryvonKramer]

Did it ever mean anything? Could it ever mean anything if they ever brought it back?

 

Why couldn't the European Title get over like the NWA TV title or the old National title when Dusty or Tully had it?

 

http://wrestlechat.net/photo-speculation-that-rusev-lana-are-bringing-back-an-old-wwe-title-soon/

 

Do you have any memories of the European title?

[Goodear]

The last thing WWE needs right now is another title belt when they can't make the tag team, IC or US categories seem important. The European Title would simply compound an existing problem where they think a program has interest because hardware gets moved back and forth.

[Matt D]

My biggest memory is Al Snow coming out to a different city each week. I think a WWE TV Title that's defended every week with a ten minute time limit is infinitely more valuable to them. I doubt a European Title would bump foreign tours all that much.

[WingedEagle]

Of course it could get over. So could the US or IC Titles if they were presented as something meaningful week in and week out. But they're not.

[Superstar Sleeze]

My biggest memory is Al Snow coming out to a different city each week. I think a WWE TV Title that's defended every week with a ten minute time limit is infinitely more valuable to them. I doubt a European Title would bump foreign tours all that much.

 

I am so on board with this. I also think they should bring back time limits in general.

[NintendoLogic]

It never meant anything. It started out as a vanity belt for Davey Boy Smith to wear and became a complete joke once Shawn got his hands on it.

[El-P]

My biggest memory is Al Snow coming out to a different city each week.

 

That was D-Lo.

 

The Euro title never meant anything. It's been a one match (Owen vs Bulldog in Germany) title.

[Exposer]

 

My biggest memory is Al Snow coming out to a different city each week.

 

That was D-Lo.

 

The Euro title never meant anything. It's been a one match (Owen vs Bulldog in Germany) title.

 

Nah, I'm pretty sure that was Al Snow. He came out to several themed European stereotypes or whatever.

[Grimmas]

 

 

My biggest memory is Al Snow coming out to a different city each week.

 

That was D-Lo.

 

The Euro title never meant anything. It's been a one match (Owen vs Bulldog in Germany) title.

 

Nah, I'm pretty sure that was Al Snow. He came out to several themed European stereotypes or whatever.

 

He may have, but D-Lo did it first.

[Grimmas]

Instead of the European Title, they should really make either a Network Title (Title only defended on the Network) or an Online Title (all matches posted to youtube).

[Matt D]

See. So I am only remembering ONE of the two guys with the gimmick anyway. Pretty unimportant belt.

 

 

I think a Network title that's defended on Main Event every week is not a bad idea at all, btw.

[Bierschwale]

I don't think that they're bringing it back as an actual title, but that Rusev will just pull the signature heel move of turning the US title belt into one for his own country, so it makes no sense to use the European title except for weird nostalgia purposes because Russia has as much enmity with the EU as they do the US.

 

But if they bring it back and Lana unilaterally declares that he's also the European champ, and he wears both belts, that would be great. "RUSEV HAS TAKEN CONTROL OF NATO, MAGGLE!"

[funkdoc]

It never meant anything. It started out as a vanity belt for Davey Boy Smith to wear and became a complete joke once Shawn got his hands on it.

 

yea this

 

i did love d-lo's gimmick with it, though, probably my favorite thing involving that belt. "From Chicago, Illinois, but currently claiming residence in Helsinki, Finland..."

 

i think the peak of importance for it was actually x-pac's reign prior to the shane mcmahon match. it was at least significant enough to make people go "wait, GANGREL is getting a title shot? WTF???" nowadays we don't bat an eye at anybody even WINNING a secondary title.

[ButchReedMark]

 

 

My biggest memory is Al Snow coming out to a different city each week.

 

That was D-Lo.

 

The Euro title never meant anything. It's been a one match (Owen vs Bulldog in Germany) title.

 

Nah, I'm pretty sure that was Al Snow. He came out to several themed European stereotypes or whatever.

 

 

Yeah, for Greece he came out as John Travolta in Grease.

[Exposer]

Al Snow doing goofy European Title gimmick was in 2000. I imagine D-Lo was in 1999. I didn't watch wrestling in 1999. That explains my earlier response.

 

The European title meant nothing though. It never had any value besides being a title.

[Bierschwale]

D-Lo was also EuroContinental champ in '99 for about a month, before Angle won them and called himself that. D-Lo's definitely a contender for "least memorable wrestler of the era" despite being a huge fat dude who was really mobile. The Droz accident would be what takes him out of that consideration, which is kinda sad.

[PhilTLL]

I don't think that they're bringing it back as an actual title, but that Rusev will just pull the signature heel move of turning the US title belt into one for his own country, so it makes no sense to use the European title except for weird nostalgia purposes because Russia has as much enmity with the EU as they do the US.

 

This one's easy. "Rusev recognizes that his home country of Bulgaria [that's acknowledged, right?] was much better off under the guidance of glorious Russia--just like Poland, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, Germany! It was only through decadence and deception that the West escaped the Motherland's grasp! We declare Rusev the European champion, and he will unite Europe in a new birth of power!" Etc.

[Bierschwale]

They haven't acknowledged Bulgaria in a while but he is still billed as "NOW living in Moscow", and I can't remember them ever actually calling him a Russian, just doing the "hero of Russia" stuff instead.

 

Him having both belts, one completely superfluously, is what I really love. He's just the European champ now, too, deal with it.

[anarchistxx]

William Regal vs Naked Mideon was a personal highlight of the European Title lineage.

 

[Sidebottom]

The European title meant nothing though. It never had any value besides being a title.

 

Not entirely true. When Shawn beat Davey for the belt it was initially treated as a big deal and more importantly it felt like a big deal. Shawn would go on to refer to the belt as a joke though and although there were a few more highlights that come to mind, it never reached those highs again. But I'd put forth the argument that Shawn taking the belt from Davey meant more than if Shawn had simply beat Davey. It was the image of Shawn being carried off holding that belt in the air being covered in litter which stuck in most minds...

[WingedEagle]

I think it definitely mattered from inception with the Owen/Davey final. As noted above it legit headlined and sold a PPV. Sure it was a European show, but it was integral to the promotion of that show. It also probably officially died as anything that mattered shortly thereafter where it was handed over to HHH.

[whitegoodmansdball]

WWE has hardly cared about the IC title since the mid 2000s, so a third-tier title like the European title doesn't have much of a place in 2014 at the moment.

[MikeCampbell]

D-Lo was also EuroContinental champ in '99 for about a month, before Angle won them and called himself that. D-Lo's definitely a contender for "least memorable wrestler of the era" despite being a huge fat dude who was really mobile. The Droz accident would be what takes him out of that consideration, which is kinda sad.

 

I disagree about D'Lo being the least memorable. He's probably one of the people who benefited the most from Russo's tenure as head writer, because Russo always made sure that the mid carders had something going on too. From 1997 when he was the only NOD member that Farroq didn't shitcan until 2000, he was on TV and in some sort of angle on a pretty regular basis.

[Bigelow34]

Outside of Bulldog/Owen, I thought the belt meant the most from the X-Pac/D-Lo feud in 1998 through Shane winning in at WM15. D-Lo beating Triple H on Raw for the belt was a cool upset and him and X-Pac really seemed to care about the title as they feuded. Eddie had a decent reign with it in 2000 too.

 

Regal tried to make it mean something when he showed up in 2000, but it never really meant as much.

[Ship Canal]

I have great memories of the European title, chiefly because my second headlong descent into wrestling came during the Attitude Era and even if it was a nothing belt that didn't seem to matter much, I was in that glorious 14-16 period where you think you are a massive smark because you have bought a ton of ECW bootlegs down the Market and thought I was the smartest fan out but looking back I was the biggest mark imaginable... all you had to do was give someone a great theme tune and a preposterous finisher and I was DOWN. So the European title seemed to matter a lot because I didn't know any better, and by the time Angle got it I was proper into it.

Pure nostalgia though, I hate a lot of that eras stuff when I rewatch.