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The WWE Intercontinental Championship, albeit not handled properly throughout its storied history, was long considered the second most important belt in the company. With the Universal Championship being introduced in 2016, it's safe to say that it has become considered the third.
Over the years, there have been plenty of workhorse champions who elevated the title solely due to their individual creative efforts and in-ring talents. It's hard to give credit to the company as many times it has been relegated to an afterthought more than anything else.
Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho once talked about Vince McMahon claiming "no one cares" about the workhorse title in WWE when the former approached him for a match against then champion Wade Barrett at WrestleMania 29.
The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla ultimately had a triple threat bout on RAW prior to the Show of Shows against the Champion and The Miz. The latter went on to win the title at the event at the Kickoff Show.
Some stats about the belt: it is the third oldest title (1979) right behind the WWE Chamionship (1963), and the United States Championship (1975). Pat Patterson was the first-ever Intercontinental Champion, and Chris Jericho has the most number of reigns to his credit at nine, with The Miz being a close second at eight.
Pedro Morales, Don Muraco, and Randy Savage have all held the title continuously for over a year, and Honky Tonk Man is the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in history at 454 days. Cody Rhodes' run in 2011 was a breath of fresh air for the title, bringing in a redesigned version of the classic look of the strap.
We have compiled a list of wrestlers who have held the title since 2013, and have either elevated the title or the other way around. So without further ado, here are the five best Intercontinental Champions of the last decade.
#5. Sami Zayn is an underrated former three-time IC Champ
Let's begin with the man who introduced the new belt design on the November 22, 2019 episode of SmackDown, presenting it to champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
Sami Zayn had previously never won the title, and found himself embroiled in a feud with none other than The Monster Among Men, of all people, in early 2020.
After managing both Cesaro and The Artist, Zayn became the center of the story involving all of them. The trio wound up defeating Braun Strowman at the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event. As per prior stipulations, Zayn won the title for the first time in his career.
After a victory over Daniel Bryan at Mania 36 - an exciting albeit relatively short bout that seemed to be lost in the shuffle - Zayn was forced to vacate the title as he refrained from competing owing to the pandemic. In the storyline, he still called himself the champion and walked around with a copy of the belt.
Zayn's second win came at WWE Clash of Champions later that year, where he defeated defending champion Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles in an absolutely wonderful ladder match. He then dropped the title to Big E in a Lumberjack match on the December 22, 2020 episode of SmackDown.
His third and last win to date came earlier this year when he defeated Shinsuke Nakamura on the February 18th episode of SmackDown. The reign was short-lived as Zayn lost the title to Ricochet on the March 4th edition of the blue brand.
#4. Kevin Owens makes the list over AEW Superstar
Dean Ambrose defeated Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens in a non-title tournament-match at the Survivor Series in 2015. This led him to advance to the finals against Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship.
From there, the duo got into a long program over the IC Title. At WWE TLC, Ambrose won the belt from The Prizefighter. At the 2016 Royal Rumble Premium Live Event, the two met in arguably their best match to date, in a Last Man Standing match. Once again, the AEW Superstar now known as Jon Moxley walked away with the win.
On the February 15, 2016 episode of Monday Night RAW, however, Kevin Owens regained the title in a Fatal-5-Way match. The match also featured Tyler Breeze, Dolph Ziggler, and Cody Rhodes, who at the time wrestled under the moniker Stardust.
Whilst both The Prizefighter and Moxley deserve credit for this feud and making the title relevant again, the latter went on to have a stinker against Seth Rollins in late 2018 over the IC Title.
Tthe former Shield brothers' match at WWE TLC was not bad given who was involved. However, the whole angle was so bad, admittedly by Moxley, it was almost unbelievable that the company booked the storyline that way, considering all parties involved were big stars.
Kevin Owens, on the other hand, having held the title twice, dropped the belt at WrestleMania 32 in a multi-man ladder match.
The Prizefighter made the title look like a million bucks from the time he took the title off Ryback and subsequently feuded with Mox, before moving on to a Feud-of-the-Year worthy storyline against Sami Zayn. It was a win-win for the belt and the champion.
#3. Dolph Ziggler's career on the line at WWE No Mercy
Dolph Ziggler is a former six-time Intercontinental Champion. Early on in his career, he had a stellar feud with Rey Mysterio over the title. The two opened Summerslam in 2009 stealing the show from the rest of the wrestlers, at least until the DX and Legacy match happened, followed by the main event.
The Miz might be his greatest rival considering the fact that both wrestlers feuded over the IC Title twice over the span of two years, trading wins.
In 2014, The Show Off and the former two-time WWE Champion played hot potato with the belt. It was also during this time that Ziggler had a brief yet exciting feud with late great Luke Harper, which led to a ladder match between the two at WWE TLC in December of that year.
The Miz once again became the Intercontinental Champion on the RAW after WrestleMania 32, 2016. Dolph Ziggler re-entered the title picture in the second half of that year.
This was perhaps the most significant time period of The Show Off's career as during their feud, the two met in a Title vs. Career match at WWE No Mercy in October. The bout was absolutely astonishing and stole the show on a card featuring AJ Styles vs. John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose, Heath Slater and Rhyno's Tag Team Championship win, and Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton in the main event.
Ziggler and Miz clearly deserved to close the show. Nevertheless, The Show Off won the title, only to drop it a month later back to The Awesome One.
On the night of the WWE No Mercy Premium Live Event, however, Dolph Ziggler was the hero of the masses. He fought for his career and won one of the greatest belts in WWE history. This was not the end, however.
The former World Heavyweight Champion wound up getting tangled with Seth Rollins during the latter's stellar reign in 2018. He even won the title from him on the June 18th edition of RAW.
At the Extreme Rules Premium Live Event that year, in surprising fashion, Ziggler retained the title against Rollins in the main event of the show in a 30-minute Ironman match. The Show Off ended up dropping the IC Title back to Rollins at Summerslam later that year.
#2. Gunther brought legitimacy and power to the WWE IC Title that eluded it for years
Gunther has an aura surrounding him that helps him stand out from the rest of the pack. Unlike previous champions, The Ring General is a pure wrestler who walked the grounds of Friday Night SmackDown, holding on to the workhorse title of WWE in 2022. He even brought the company their second five-star match on the main roster in eleven years. At Clash at the Castle, he reformed Imperium as well.
The fact of the matter is, you don't see him simply accepting any "nobodys" as challengers. This makes the title more special than it ever was in years.
He gave 'Banger after Banger' in the second half of this year in his feud against Sheamus, and he is currently the prime target of Braun Strowman. Rumors have been swirling online of a potential 'Mania' match against The Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar.
Truly, one of the all-time great champions in both the belt and the company's history owing to his exceptional work and the gravitas he brought it.
Honorable Mentions: Zack Ryder and Daniel Bryan's WrestleMania Ladder match Ws
Whilst nothing of note came post their mesmerizing victories on the Grandest Stage, one couldn't take away the sheer excitement and astonishment that came with the win itself.
Zack Ryder, in particular, was such a random choice to win the Ladder match for the IC Title at WrestleMania 32. He even dropped the belt the next night to The Miz. But at AT&T Stadium, the crowd ate it up and showered the former WWE Superstar with cheers and approval.
The leader of the Yes Movement back in 2015, returned from a severe injury that caused him to vacate both WWE World Championships. After a universally panned Royal Rumble match and a highly underrated classic between Bryan and Roman Reigns at WWE Fastlane, the current AEW Superstar opened WrestleMania 31 the exact same way he closed the previous year's extravaganza.
#1. The most must-see WWE Champion of all-time? Absolutely not. But he is the best Intercontinental Champion of the last decade.
The Miz has had such a great career with multiple championships, accomplishments, and several high-profile storylines, among other eventful happenings in a WWE run that began all the way back in 2004 at Tough Enough.
He won his first IC title in 2012 at RAW 1000. He defeated Christian to become the 25th Triple Crown Champion and a Grand Slam Champion in the process. Over the next ten years, he went on to win the title eight times. The Awesome One will tie the record alongside Y2J with just one more win.
Not only has he won the belt a number of times, but he has played a major part in bringing prestige to the workhorse championship. The Miz has been involved in substantial programs on television and premium live events. This includes the aforementioned feud against Dolph Ziggler and Jon Moxley in 2017.
He even had a remarkable triple threat bout with Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor at WrestleMania 34, where he dropped the belt for the last time to The Visionary.
The Miz has been hands-down, the most must-see Intercontinental Champion of the last decade and there is a chance of him breaking the record currently held by Chris Jericho.
And that's our list of the five greatest Intercontinental Champions of the last decade!
