5 Best WWE UK Pay Per Views in history

#1 One Night Only (September 20, 1997)

Shawn Michaels vs The British Bulldog headlined One Night Only

Boasting four superlative bouts, WWE's inaugural UK exclusive pay per view, One Night Only remains the finest show WWE has ever promoted on the other side of the Atlantic.

The opener saw Triple H clash with Dude Love in the typically fine match between these two. Although it was not quite as strong as their Raw bout that would occur two days later, it was a top class effort nonetheless. The bout ended when interference from Chyna caused Love to fall prey to the Pedigree.

The rest of the under card offered very little to get excited about with such "attractions" like: Tiger Ali Singh versus Leif Cassidy, The Headbangers vs Los Boricuas, Flash Funk versus The Patriot and a long past their prime, Road Warriors versus The Godwinns.

Happily, the night's final three attractions were well worth the price of admission alone.

Owen Hart versus Vader was one of Vader's best matches in WWE. A classic big man versus little man contest, this bout saw Owen repeatedly try and take the giant down to the mat. When he was finally successful, he could not capitalise however and was downed by a Vader Bomb.

Bret Hart defended the WWE Championship against former champion The Undertaker in an epic 29 minute match-up. This bout was superior to their SummerSlam contest the previous month. Bret, like his brother, Owen in the prior match, did his best to use his technical prowess to ground 'Taker but eventually succumbed to the big man's power. The finish came when Bret got his head wedged in between the ring ropes. Undertaker was disqualified for repeatedly battering the "Hitman" while he was trapped.

The main event saw UK hero, The British Bulldog defend the European Championship against Shawn Michaels, who had recently turned heel at SummerSlam on August 3, 1997. The original result of to the bout was pencilled in to be a Bulldog victory, but in the hours before showtime, "The Kliq" of Michaels and Triple H convinced WWE boss, Vince McMahon to change the result and switch the belt to HBK instead. Bulldog accepted the change in result when McMahon informed him that he would regain the belt from Michaels at the next UK pay per view, scheduled for April 1998.

However, the change in result prompted a riotous response from the Birmingham crowd who fully expected their countryman to retain. Bulldog in the weeks leading up to the show had vowed to win the contest on behalf of his terminally ill sister (then of the belief that he was set to win) and when he came up short, it left a bad taste in the mouth.

The new European Champion, Michaels was pelted with bottles and other debris as he left the ringside area, gloating about his victory.

As it turned out, neither Michaels or Bulldog would wrestle at the next UK pay per view, Mayhem in Manchester on April 4, 1998.

Michaels was forced to retire a week earlier on March 29 (for four years, as it turned out), after he suffered a devastating back injury two months earlier at the Royal Rumble event. Bulldog actually left WWE in November, following the Montreal Screwjob in which Michaels, Triple H and McMahon successfully took the WWE Championship away from Bret Hart for real. Bulldog bought himself out of his contract and followed Hart to WCW.

One Night Only was a smash hit show and the controversial ending has ensured it it is still remembered over two decades later. Undoubtedly, the finest UK show of all time.