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The intercontinental Championship is a very prestigious title in the WWE, and a lot of really famous and popular superstars have held the title during their careers. Here’s a look at ten of the most historical intercontinental championship victories:
#10 Chyna wins against Jeff Jarrett at No Mercy 1999
Professional wrestling is a male oriented business and the women rarely get an occasion to shine. Chyna however was an exceptional case. She often got bookings that the company would usually give their male wrestlers.
And the height of the push that she got was so high that Chyna ended up winning the Intercontinental championship twice in her career.
Her first win was more memorable as it came against Jeff Jarrett after the TNA founder got based in the head by his own guitar before Chyna got the win and the gold.
#9 Randy Orton wins against Rob Van Dam in 2003
Being a second generation superstar, Orton got an initial push that saw him hang around with the likes of Ric Flair and Triple H. collectively known as the Evolution and along with Batista, the faction wanted to establish their hold on Raw by winning all the titles it had to offer.
Triple H was heading for the World Heavyweight championship, Flair and Batista went for the tag titles while Orton was given the opportunity to face Rob Van Dam for the Intercontinental championship.
The Viper seized the first shot that he had at glory and made a name for himself becoming one of the youngest intercontinental champions in the WWE squared circle.
#8 Chris Jericho wins against Rey Mysterio in 2009
Prior to this match, Jericho had won the championship eight times and went on to face Mysterio in a no holds barred encounter with a chance to make history.
Jericho was facing a lot of heat from the crowd for his heel run and the two ended up having a great match that everyone loved. Towards the end, Jericho was positioned for the 619, but he countered by taking off Rey’s mask.
A struggling Rey was easier to pin for the Human highlight reel who won his unprecedented ninth championship with a roll up.
#7 Triple H wins against The Rock in 1998
Modern fans might be asking why The Rock and Triple H would fight for the Intercontinental title instead of the world title, but this only shows how important this title was back in the past.
To add more stakes to the match, WWE made the title hang from the roof with the ladder being the only way to win it. The two had a memorable match with some over the top spots with Hunter getting one over Rock in the end.
It was because of the interference made by Chyna that Rock lost out, even after he managed to injure Triple H’s knee during the course of the match.
#6 Honky Tonk Man wins against Ricky Steamboat in 1987
This was the start of something ground breaking. Steamboat was having his one and only intercontinental title reign which he earned by beating Savage.
Honky Tonk Man challenged Steamboat for a match in the WWF Superstars of Wrestling in 1987 and came out with a surprise result. It was a big loss for Steamboat but as they say, one man’s loss is another’s gain.
The win laid the foundation for the longest title reign in the history of WWE as Honky Tonk Man played the role of a duck champion perfectly for more than a year.
#5 British Bulldog wins against Bret Hart in 1992
There are names like Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, and Undertaker in the match card, but WWE chose to close the show with British Bulldog and Bret Hart because they knew that these two would deliver.
The two technically brilliant superstars went at it with everything they had and gave a thirty minute bout which had holds, suplexes, submissions and everything else that a wrestling fan could wish for.
The Bulldog came out on top and there was a hugging out at the end between the superstars which also showed the respect factor in the match.
#4 Ultimate Warrior wins against Honky Tonk Man in 1988
The Honky Tonk Man is the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion with a 454 day reign in his pocket after winning the title from Steamboat as we saw earlier.
His title reign seemed like it had no end until the Ultimate Warrior decided to crash the party at SummerSlam 1998. When most of the fans expected the Honky Tonk man to give at least a mere resistance against the Warrior, it turned out to be a ridiculous match.
Warrior ended the record breaking title reign in just above thirty seconds. The match wasn’t anything worth remembering but the demise of a reign like that proved to be a bar setter for anyone who followed.
#3 Randy Savage wins against Tito Santana in 1985
This was one of those rare occasions in the past where the title changed in a house show. Santana came into the match as champion as he was on a 217 day run with the gold around his waist.
The Madison square garden crowd which gathered around to see their favorite WWE superstars were treated to the core by Santana and Savage despite the end being a bit awkward.
That problem apart, it was a strong outing for both superstars and also, this laid the foundation for Savage’s title reign which lasted more than four hundred days before coming to an end at the hands of Ricky Steamboat.
#2 Bret Hart wins against Mr. Perfect in 1991
Two of WWE’s most polished superstars faced off at SummerSlam 1991 to determine the fate of the Intercontinental championship.
Hart and Hennig had all the chemistry in the world and went on to wrestle for nearly twenty minutes with the same intensity and pace. In the end, it was the Hitman who came out on top, putting an end to Mr. Perfect’s second title reign which lasted 280 days.
This was also the Hitman’s first ever intercontinental championship win, making it more special for him. Perfect on the other hand was taken out of the title scene with some young blood injected into the scene.
#1 Ricky Steamboat wins against Randy Savage in 1987
A majority of the WWE fans would only remember the Hulk Hogan – Andre the Giant clash when WrestleMania III comes into debate. However one match which turned out to be a cult classic in the same card was the one between Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage.
Steamboat and Savage literally delivered one of the best matches in the history of WWE and it was also the first time when the Intercontinental title changed hands at WrestleMania.
It was a surprise for many when Steamboat overcame Savage but then again, the result got overshadowed by the in ring action which was too good to ignore.
