Courtesy of WWE.com:
July 22, 2012, marked 10 years since the European Title disappeared from WWE. Not that anyone noticed.
The championship, which was first won by The British Bulldog in a tournament final in Germany in Feb. 1997, was held by Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Chris Jericho, defended at multiple WrestleManias and unified with the Intercontinental Championship in a Ladder Match between Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam. And yet, it’s little more than a historical footnote today. A forgotten aspect of the fabled “Attitude Era” as easily overlooked as the Light Heavyweight Title or Head Cheese. But why is that? Why do some titles become integral parts of sports-entertainment while others fade into obscurity?