The Intercontinental Championship: Who’s the Greatest in History?

The Intercontinental Championship: Who’s the Greatest in History?



What are your thoughts when you hear and think of the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship? Do you think of such great matches like Steamboat/Savage/WrestleMania III or the Michaels/Ramon/Ladder Match at WrestleMania X? Or do you think of such great wrestlers that held it like Ricky Steamboat, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “the Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Diesel, Jeff Jarrett, Randy Orton, Santino Marrella, or even Chris Jericho? I do hope that when you guys hear and think of the Intercontinental Championship, you do think of when the title did mean something in the business, like it did prior to 2000ish and, in my opinion, in the past couple of years.

The reason why I believe the Intercontinental Title didn’t mean anything more a good part of the 2000’s is because I couldn’t think of any matches for the IC title that stood out like recently or even from the 90’s. In my honest opinion, I don’t think anyone (or any match for that matter) could outdo the Intercontinental Title match from WrestleMania X.

The match at WrestleMania X in 1994 put Shawn Michaels, part challenger, part guy who never lost the title before he got suspended in ’93, against Razor Ramon, part champion, well, most champion, but never beating Michaels for the title. So when Michaels came back on television after his suspension, he came back with the title he originally had when he was the champ. With this tension, and WrestleMania around the corner, add a steel ladder, you had a great match waiting to happen.

I watched this match last night just to relive that match. I remember renting the VHS tape from the video store when I was younger, gee, must have been 1995ish to, gee, must to about 2000ish when I moved, then when the WrestleMania Anthology came out, I had to get it on DVD and relive that match. I pull out that ppv and match everyone couple months. That had to be the greatest IC title match, ever… Or should I say eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever!

Enter Chris Jericho, the record setting nine-time Intercontinental Championship, winning his seventh (at that time, record setting) in September 2004 at Unforgiven against Christian, get this, in a Ladder match. Jericho won his eighth Intercontinental Championship (breaking his seventh title reign) on Raw in March 2008 against Jeff Hardy, then his ninth against Rey Mysterio at Extreme Rules in a No Holds Barred match. It’s giving the title to guys, like Jericho, a former World Champ, or guys who will be future World champs.

To me, that’s why the IC title sucked in the 2000’s, it changed hands way too many times for a good champion to come in and hold it, or even good match or two to come in and steal the show.

That’s why I believe Jericho is the greatest Intercontinental Champion. He’s a former five-time World Champion, he doesn’t need to be put in the mid-card matches, but he’s there. He can help make the new faces of the business with being the Intercontinental Champion. And whoever tries to break his record, closest has to win it four times to even come to pass Jericho’s record by one. And we all know if Jericho catches wind of this, he’ll win the title a couple of more times, just to stay on top.