7 Top Superstars who have never won the Intercontinental Championship

The Intercontinental Championship is one of the most Prestigious Titles in WWE history.
The Intercontinental Championship is one of the most Prestigious Titles in WWE history.

Intercontinental Championship is one of the most prestigious titles in WWE. It has been around for over 40 years and held by all-time greats such as Pedro Morales, Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Edge etc. Additionally, the Intercontinental Championship has to be won by a Superstar if they want to complete their Grand Slam.

Although the title has been featured prominently in the mid-card division for many years, it has been treated as the "Top Title" on many occasions as well. The Intercontinental Championship is also the reason why we got to witness many instant classics, for example, Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Wrestlemania X), Seth Rollins vs. The Miz (Backlash 2018) etc.

However, not every major WWF/E Superstar hasn't had the privilege of holding this coveted title. Countless household names have either never tried or unsuccessfully tried to win the IC Title.

So without any further ado, here are 7 top WWE Superstars who have never won the Intercontinental Championship.

#7 Matt Hardy

Intercontinental Championship is the only current mid-card Title that Matt Hardy has never won in WWE.
Intercontinental Championship is the only current mid-card Title that Matt Hardy has never won in WWE.

After competing as a local performer, Matt Hardy and his brother Jeff were signed full-time by WWF in 1998. During their initial years, they competed as a tag team and along with Edge and Christian and The Dudley Boyz, put on some instant classic performances. The Wrestlemania 17 TLC match between the three teams is still talked about by many.

After splitting up and becoming a singles performer, Hardy witnessed several ups and downs. He won multiple Titles in WWE as well as other promotions he competed in. In WWE, Hardy has won every mid-card Championship that exists today except for the Intercontinental Championship. He has competed for it multiple times but in vain.

Now that Matt is nearing the end of his career, it is the right time for him to enjoy at least one reign as the Intercontinental Championship. He still possesses the charisma and in-ring skills to pull it off.

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#6 Hulk Hogan

The Hulkster spent the majority of his prime chasing World Championships.
The Hulkster spent the majority of his prime chasing World Championships.

This might come as extremely shocking to many, considering that almost every top Superstar of the 80s and 90s held the IC Title at least once. However, you can count Hulk Hogan out of that list. The Hulkster, during the majority of his WWF career, remained in the WWF Title hunt.

The closest he came to winning the prestigious Championship was at Wrestlemania VI when he faced off against The Ultimate Warrior. It was a "Winner Takes All" match with Hogan entering as the WWF Champion and Warrior heading in as the Intercontinental Champion. Hogan then moved to WCW (after a short stint in NJPW) and didn't return to WWF until 2002. This rendered him unable to compete for WWF's resident mid-card title during the 90s.

There is no denying that Hulk Hogan is one of the biggest names in professional wrestling history. However, the absence of an Intercontinental Title reign in his extensive list of accomplishments can't go unnoticed.

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#5 Batista

Batista was involved in a short feud with the Intercontinental Champion Edge during the Summer of '04.
Batista was involved in a short feud with the Intercontinental Champion Edge during the Summer of '04.

"The Animal" Batista emerged as one of the biggest Superstars of the Ruthless Aggression Era when he went solo in 2005. From 2005 to 2010, he won six World Titles (one every year). In addition to that, he had a short-lived Tag Title reign with John Cena in 2008. Therefore, it can be said that he didn't spend much time in the mid-card division to have gotten his hands on the IC Title.

When the title was re-introduced at Judgement Day 2003, Batista was healing from an injury. Upon returning to action later that year, his Evolution stablemate Randy Orton got his hands on the title. After Orton dropped the title to Edge in 2004, Batista finally began his pursuit for the Championship. The Triple Threat match at Summerslam 2004 involving Edge, Chris Jericho and Batista was quite an enjoyable match. However, Batista came out short in his attempt and was, therefore, knocked off the title picture.

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#4 Sheamus

Sheamus has tried on multiple occasions to win the Intercontinental Championship.
Sheamus has tried on multiple occasions to win the Intercontinental Championship.

Sheamus needs no introduction whatsoever. He became the first Irish-born WWE Champion by dethroning John Cena, merely months after his WWE main roster debut. Unlike others on this list, Sheamus has been featured prominently both in the main event as well as the mid-card scene throughout his career. He has competed both as a singles as well as a tag team player.

He has reigned as the World and Tag Team Champion on various occasions. He has also won the United States Championship. To add icing to the top, he has won Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank and the King of the Ring tournament as well. So, saying that Sheamus has had a decorated career as a WWE Superstar would be an understatement.

The only thing he has yet to win (and to complete his Grand Slam) is the Intercontinental Championship. The Celtic Warrior has acknowledged this missing accomplishment as well. With injuries now nagging him more than ever, it is the right time for Sheamus to win the IC Title and become a Grand Slam Champion.

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#3 Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar has only won World Championships during his time in WWE.
Brock Lesnar has only won World Championships during his time in WWE.

Brock Lesnar was sky-rocketed to the top shortly after his WWF debut in 2002. He became the youngest WWE Champion of his time at the age of 25 by dethroning The Rock at SummerSlam 2002. The Beast Incarnate remained in the WWE Title picture until his departure in 2004. He made his return 8 years later as a part-timer and has only been used as a star attraction since then.

The fact that Lesnar has never won the Intercontinental Championship shouldn't surprise anyone. He has never won any mid-card Title throughout his WWE career. He briefly pursued it in 2002 when he was feuding with Rob Van Dam but didn't end up winning the title.

At this point in Lesnar's career, the chances of him winning the Intercontinental Title are minimal. So, we can say that The Beast Incarnate will definitely go down as one of the most successful professional wrestlers to have never won the prestigious IC Title.

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#2 John Cena

John Cena needs to win the Intercontinental Title to become a Grand Slam Champion.
John Cena needs to win the Intercontinental Title to become a Grand Slam Champion.

Whether you passionately follow professional wrestling or not, there's absolutely no chance that you have never heard of the name John Cena. Cena is perhaps one of the most recognized Superstars in the history of WWE. His popularity matches that of the likes of Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The leader of Cenation also shares the record of most World Title reigns (16) with two-time Hall of Famer Ric Flair.

Cena's main-event push began in 2005, nearly 3 years after his main roster debut. Before that, he worked various established Superstars and even won the US Championship 3 times (in under a year). Cena has also had multiple reigns as the Tag Team Champion. The only reason why Cena hasn't entered the list of Grand Slam Champions yet, despite of being the face of the company for more than 10 years, is because he hasn't won the Intercontinental Championship.

Cena unsuccessfully challenged Roman Reigns for the title back in 2017. Now that he has become a full-time Hollywood actor, the chances of him winning the Title have reduced significantly. However, one thing that we have learnt from WWE after all these years is to expect the unexpected. Therefore, the hope of seeing Cena hoisting the Intercontinental Championship above his head still lives!

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#1 The Undertaker

The Undertaker hasn't had many Championship reigns during his tenure as a Professional Wrestler.
The Undertaker hasn't had many Championship reigns during his tenure as a Professional Wrestler.

Not many professional wrestlers have stayed loyal to the sport, let alone one company, for nearly 30 years. The Undertaker has proven time and again why he is among one of the all-time greats. The Undertaker hasn't always had a title around his waist. He is one of those rare performers who didn't need Championship reigns to define their credibility.

Consequently, The Phenom never got his hands on the Intercontinental Championship. The closest he ever came to winning the title was when he defeated Albert for it via disqualification in 2001. He has spent a vast majority of his career as a special attraction competing in non-title matches. It's highly unlikely that we will be seeing The Deadman pursuing the 40-year old Title at this stage of his career. However, that won't impact his legacy at all.

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