WWE has always enjoyed great support from its overseas audience. In the 1990s, the promotion began making more frequent trips to Europe. As a result, the decision was made to introduce the WWE European Championship in early 1997. The championship received a huge initial push, with the first champion being "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith.
The title remained active until July 2002 and had an interesting lifespan, to say the least. It was held by several WWE Hall Of Famers, as well as some less than stellar performers. The last 10 competitors to hold the title, in particular, were definitely an interesting bunch.
10 Spike Dudley
At the tail end of WWE's Attitude Era, "The Runt of the Dudley Litter," Spike Dudley, arrived in the promotion. Spike was a loveable underdog and could take a beating like no one's business. Initially, Spike was simply used as a complementary character to The Dudley Boyz. However, Spike soon proved he was capable of bringing a lot more to the table if given the opportunity.
Surprisingly, Spike would go on to hold his fair share of championship gold in WWE. Spike is a former WWE Tag Team, Hardcore, Cruiserweight, and even European Champion. The latter came in 2002 when he defeated William Regal.
9 Bradshaw
Bradshaw's pro wrestling career arc is the thing of legends. Never before had a performer been able to level up so late into his or her career. In 2002, Bradshaw was still a couple of years away from his big break as the brash John Bradshaw Layfield character. However, at that time, WWE seemed to finally be willing to give the big Texan a halfway decent push. Despite still being in a tag team with Farooq, Bradshaw would defeat The Hurricane in October of 2001 for the WWE European Championship.
The win would bring Bradshaw his first singles championship in WWE. He wouldn't hold on to the title for long, but soon he would climb higher up the WWE card than anyone would've ever imagined.
8 Christian
Christian is one of the most underrated performers of his generation. He had the unfortunate luck of spending most of his career in the shadow of one of WWE's brightest shining and most promising stars, Edge. However, Christian was an incredible competitor in his own right. After splitting from Edge in 2001, Christian would embark on a fruitful run as a heel.
He would capture the WWE Intercontinental and European Championships during this time. Sadly, winning those championships did little to gain Christian the recognition or opportunities he truly deserved.
7 Diamond Dallas Page
In WCW, Diamond Dallas Page was one of pro wrestling's most inspirational feel-good stories. The late bloomer managed to work his way from being a manager to being a lower mid-carder all the way to becoming WCW World Champion. When he finally arrived in WWE, many fans were excited to see what he could accomplish.
However, inexplicably, WWE never gave Page much of a chance to succeed. The most success Page achieved was a run with the WWE European Championship. He would successfully defend the championship against Christian at WrestleMania X8, but drop it to William Regal shortly after.
6 Matt Hardy
The Hardy Boyz were two of WWE's most promising stars heading into the new millennium. Eventually, though, it became obvious that WWE viewed Jeff Hardy as a main event star and Matt Hardy as more of a mid-card talent. Jeff was the recipient of a much stronger singles push, while Matt did his best not to get lost in the shuffle.
In 2001, both brothers received runs with singles title around the same time. Although, Jeff was given a run with the WWE Intercontinental Championship, while Matt had to settle for a run with the less prestigious WWE European Championship. In the end, both Hardy's would go on to be big contributors to WWE and pro wrestling in general.
5 The Hurricane
When Shane Helms joined WWE as a part of the WCW buyout, nobody could've expected the level of success he would enjoy. As Gregory Helms, he wouldn't gain much traction with the audience or the powers that be. However, in August of 2001, Helms stepped into his iconic role as The Hurricane and never looked back.
On his first night as The Hurricane, Helms would defeat Matt Hardy to win the WWE European Championship. He wouldn't hold on to the title for very long, dropping it to Bradshaw less than two months later, but bigger things were on the horizon for WWE's resident caped crusader.
4 Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero is widely recognized as one of the best performers to ever set foot inside a wrestling ring. However, in 2001, Guerrero was still struggling to find his footing in WWE. He had enjoyed moderate success during his first year in the company and was trying to snowball that momentum into a higher place on the card.
At WrestleMania X-Seven, Guerrero got an opportunity to prove he belonged when he challenged WWE European Champion, Test. Guerrero would come out victorious that night, claiming his second reign with the European Championship. Unfortunately, Guerrero would leave WWE soon after due to his substance abuse issues. Luckily, Guerrero would conquer his demons and go on to fulfill his potential.
3 Rob Van Dam
When Rob Van Dam arrived in WWE as a part of the Invasion angle, it was immediately obvious that he was the real deal. Van Dam had incredible ring talent and a laid-back charisma that made him a fan favorite. By the time 2002 rolled around, Van Dam was quickly climbing the ranks in WWE. In July of 2002, the decision was made to unify the WWE Intercontinental and European Championships.
Van Dam successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship in a Ladder Match against European Champion Jeff Hardy on the July 22, 2002, edition of Monday Night Raw. In the process, Van Dam became the final WWE European Champion and unified both titles.
2 Jeff Hardy
The history books may recognize Rob Van Dam as the final WWE European Champion but the last man to proudly hold the gorgeous championship belt was Jeff Hardy. In 2002, amid a strong singles push, Hardy was having quality matches with some of WWE's top stars. At one point, Hardy even took WWE Undisputed Champion, The Undertaker, to his limit in a Championship Ladder Match.
Hardy would defeat William Regal to win the WWE European Championship on the July 8, 2002, edition of Monday Night Raw. That title would be unified with the WWE Intercontinental Championship soon after and be retired.
1 William Regal
For years, William Regal's talents went underappreciated and underutilized. In the early 2000s, that all began to change. Regal would begin to hit his stride as a heel. He was also able to show his amazing range by briefly becoming a character babyface as a result of his comedic antics with Tajiri.
After establishing himself as a player in 2001, Regal continued his positive momentum in 2002. He won and lost the WWE Intercontinental Championship at the 2002 Royal Rumble and WrestleMania X8, respectively. However, Regal would bounce back, immediately winning his fourth WWE European Championship on the SmackDown after WrestleMania. Regal would be the final heel to hold the championship. He lost it to Jeff Hardy later in the year before the championship was ultimately retired.