10 Best WWE European Champions
27 men held the belt between 1997-2002...
7. Kurt Angle
The meteoric rise of Kurt Angle was something to behold at the dawn of the new millennium.
The Olympic Gold Medallist took to professional wrestling like a duck to water, displaying incredible athleticism, charisma and natural instincts and timing.
Given his pedigree and how quick fans took to hating the man who preached the three I’s, it was no wonder that WWE went about further decorating the man that would become one of the best to lace a pair of boots.
In the midst of an impressive undefeated streak, Angle felled Val Venis for the European Title on the February 10th, 2000 episode of Smackdown.
It was not until seventeen days later, at the No Way Out pay-per-view, that Angle’s European Title reign would blossom, with the Hall of Famer beating Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental strap and becoming the ‘Eurocontinental Champion’.
Angle was a hoot as the clean cut but cocky double champion and defended both titles in the same match on house shows. When he tried the same at WrestleMania 2000, he found himself title-less after Jericho and Chris Benoit pinned each other in successive matches where Angle wasn’t involved in the decision.
All of which gave Angle more to complain about, as he continued to get under the skin of the WWE fans on his way to an unparalleled career on top.
Written by Lewis Howse
Features journalist for Cultaholic.com and script writer for the Cultaholic YouTube Channel.