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The WWE European Championship was a fan-favorite title before it was dropped in 2002

5 retired WWE championships that could make a return

For some outsiders who get a peek at WWE, they may wonder to themselves, "What's all the fighting about?"

At the end of the day, it's all about championship glory. For decades, WWE Superstars have laid it all on the line for a chance to grab the gold. It's the ultimate validation for a performer, and a symbol that they are one of the very best at what they do.

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With its long and rich history, WWE has crowned many champions with many different championships. Most of those titles still carry their lineage to this day.

However, several titles have come and gone - whether they were merged with another belt or simply dropped. Here's a look at five former WWE championships and how they could make a comeback.


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#5 - An updated version of the Undisputed Championship

This first entry may be more nitpicking than anything else.

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With Roman Reigns now carrying around both the Universal title and WWE Championship belts, it only makes sense to make it official: There is one kingpin in the company, and he only needs one title belt.

This would hinge on whether or not the creative team plans to continue with one champion for both shows or split the titles again. If not, they should symbolize that by having one belt and one name, the WWE Undisputed Champion.


#4 - A Hardcore Title would be a much better option than the current WWE 24/7 Championship

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While the 24/7 concept was cute in the beginning, it only took a couple of weeks for the joke to get old. The title is a one-trick pony and appears to be used more as a publicity prop than anything else. It's already been won and lost by several mainstream celebrities.

However, the Hardcore Championship was all about blood and guts. It featured warriors such as Mick Foley, Tommy Dreamer and Tazz, who found new and innovative ways to maim one another.

22 years ago today, Mankind became the first-ever WWE Hardcore champion
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If the promotion wants that kind of 'falls-count-anywhere-anytime' championship, they should bring back the Hardcore belt. It was much more entertaining.


#3 - A THIRD version of the WWE Cruiserweight title

They say the third time's the charm. That would have to be the case if World Wrestling Entertainment ever decided to try another cruiserweight division.

The first incarnation of the championship was meant to be a counter to WCW's wildly popular cruiserweight division at the time. It failed miserably, as it didn't have the star power or depth of the competition's talented midcard pool.

The '205 Live version' of the cruiserweight championship showed a lot of promise. So much so that the company even gave the division its own show on the WWE Network.

However, once the initial buzz wore off, management lost faith in the product. The title was merged with the NXT Championship, but it might not be a bad idea to give it one more shot.

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#2 - Women's Tag Team Championship

No one wants to hear this, but there might be a relaunch of the Women's Tag Team Championship at some point. While it's mostly dead for now (and likely retired) after the sudden departures of Naomi and Sasha Banks, a few factors may lead to it eventually coming back. Possibly even a few months down the road.

The women’s tag team titles have been vacated for 36 days
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First, there should be an influx of new talent, with names like Nikkita Lyons, Toxic Attraction and others looking to make the jump to the main roster before the end of the year. So there will be no shortage in terms of depth.

Another issue that might come into play is the fact that the company is under a lot of fire right now due to the current scandal involving Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis. The company has used on-air gestures at times to cover their tracks in real-life situations. This might be one of those times.


#1 - WWE European Championship

Perhaps one of the sharpest looking title belts ever in WWE has to be the old European Championship. Maybe it's the colorful flags or the shape, but it's still a favorite among title belt aficionados to this day.

William Regal held the WWE European Championship on four different occasions
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The original title, introduced in 1997, was designed to represent the continent across the pond, mostly due to the promotion running a heavy overseas schedule at the time. So the strategy was to give the international audience a title that represented them.

It was regarded as the third-ranked crown in the promotion's pecking order, behind the World and Intercontinental titles. But the excellence of the division, particularly in its early days, elevated it.

Hall of Famers like The British Bulldog, Shawn Michaels and Triple H all held the belt in its early days. Unfortunately, the title would be watered down in later years and wasn't given the same priority.

It would be nice to see this championship return, especially if it comes with the same strap that represented the continent of Europe the first time around.

With all the international competitors currently within the organization, there are plenty of possibilities for a brand new European Championship.

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Edited by
Jacob Terrell
 
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