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With the renewed passion in the WWE Women’s and (to a lesser extent) Tag Team Titles, the historically mid-card titles in WWE have gave the impression to fall even further down the totem pole. This is a really unhappy phenomenon taking into consideration the storied history of the Intercontinental Title with WWE. In analyzing both the losses and successes of this identify, it's attention-grabbing to notice the males (and one lady) who have held this prestigious title.
As such, this checklist will record the 8 best, and 7 worst Intercontinental Champions of all time. Covering over 3 decades of WWE wrestling, the Intercontinental Championship has been an enormous phase of pro wrestling history. On this record, you will see WWE Hall of Famers in addition to little known wrestlers. By inspecting which of those superstars had been the best (and worst) Intercontinental Champs, in all probability we will be able to decipher exactly what components lead to a success IC Title runs, and ultimately allow us to restore this now floundering title.
15. Best: Jeff Jarret
Many of you contemporary WWE enthusiasts won't even know who Jeff Jarret is, however in the late 90’s-early 2000’s he was one of WWE’s emerging stars and a staple of its flourishing mid-card. Due to his position in the mid-card, Jarret clearly had lots of probabilities to get acclimated to the conventional mid-card title, the Intercontinental Championship. In reality, all through his fairly brief time with WWE, Jarret would win the Intercontinental Title an astounding 6 occasions. This places him in the realm of the all-time chief Chris Jericho, who has controlled to win the name on 9 separate events (despite the fact that admittedly over a much longer length of time). Had Jarret no longer decided to go away the WWE for greener pastures (greener pastures being a generous method of portray the horribly managed TNA), who knows how a lot he would have impacted the legacy of the IC Title.
14. Worst: Rikishi
To get started out our list of the worst all-time IC champs, Rikishi is an ideal instance of what makes for an unsuccessful title reign. For starters, Rikishi was once the champion for 14 days. For those of you unfamiliar with the weekly agenda of WWE, that signifies that Rikishi received the identify on Smackdown, and then a trifling two presentations later lost the title. This signifies that there was once just a single Smackdown where Rikishi held the identify for the complete display. While this list isn’t completely predicated on time spent as champion, it’s exhausting to be a memorable champ in this sort of short quantity of time. Rikishi’s a great instance of this as his reign is fully forgettable, thus incomes his spot here.
13. Best: The Ultimate Warrior
I felt that the Ultimate Warrior deserved to be on this list of just right Intercontinental Champions largely because of the way that he increased the IC Championship to the major event scene. As most of you already know, the IC and United States Titles are considered “mid-card championships”. This implies that they are singles titles intended for the ones wrestlers who have not rather made their means into the more essential major match tale strains. The Ultimate Warrior, on the other hand, would problem this longtime observe as his monumental upward push while preserving the mid-card IC Title would power WWE to put the Championship on a degree which had by no means been noticed in the modern generation. The Ultimate Warrior would in the end need to vacate the IC Title in his quest for the a lot more coveted World Title, however in that quick period, he no doubt raised the status of this historically lost sight of title.
12. Worst: Triple H
Triple H is a long run WWE Hall of Famer and one of the most influential superstars in the history of WWE. It could also be sudden, due to this fact, to see him on our list of worst WWE Intercontinental Champions. The explanation why the King of King graces the dangerous aspect of our checklist is that his IC Title reign in 2002 is the best possible example of how a mid-card identify should no longer be handled. Triple H gained the title that 12 months as phase of his ongoing feud with the Big Red Monster Kane. Triple H was World Heavyweight Champion at the time, so when he defeated his nemesis for the IC Title, the two titles have been unified, thus essentially eliminating the Intercontinental Title. We can glance again at moments like this and obviously see the devolution of this Championship from its height in the early 90’s.
11. Best: Bret Hart
If you’re going to discuss the best all-time Intercontinental champions, it might most definitely be smart to include the superstars who had been most responsible for elevating the name to its top heights in the early 90’s. One such celebrity was obviously the most famous superstar of the early 90’s, Bret “the Hitman” Hart. With his traditional technical mastery, Hart used to be the famous person who sort of defined who the Intercontinental Champ must be.
I believe Bret actually embodies the soul of the stereotypical IC champ as a shockingly proficient guy who for no matter reason didn't get the attention from WWE control that he deserved, at least at the time. Thankfully, as we are positive you realize, Hart would in the end gain popularity from the WWE for his accomplishments and is thought of as to be one of their more cherished superstars.
10. Worst: Ken Shamrock
The explanation why Ken Shamrock makes our list of bad WWE Intercontinental Champions is as a result of the former MMA fighter used to be ready to mess up no longer simplest the outstanding traditional of the Intercontinental Title but also as a result of he did so after being arrange spectacularly through WWE management. A bonafide star in his own right by means of the time he made it to WWE, the corporate tried to fast-track Shamrock by means of having him win a tournament for the Intercontinental Title after it have been vacated earlier that month. The downside with that is that Shamrock wasn’t an excessively compelling professional wrestler. As such he never connected with the fans and finally ends up being one of the most disappointing IC champs in fresh memory.
9. Best: Honky Tonk Man
The Honky Tonk man may not have the accolades or giant name popularity of other superstars who have ruled the Intercontinental Title scene, however this doesn't mean that he was once any less influential in shaping the long run of this prestigious identify. An established heel wrestler, throughout Honky Tonk Man’s historical name reign (which amazingly lasted for over 300 days), he changed into a valid thorn in the aspect of the WWE Universe. The lovers ardently hated (the sign of any just right heel) this crappy Elvis impersonator, but he by hook or by crook at all times managed to win when his coveted identify used to be on the line. Thus leading the lovers to utterly erupt when he would in the end lose the name to every other wrestler named on the excellent facet of this checklist, the Ultimate Warrior.
8. Worst: Curtis Axel
If you clicked in this article hoping to see horrible superstars that WWE mistakenly pushed enough to grant the prestigious Intercontinental Title, I present to you your sacrificial providing. When Curtis Axel debuted as part of the (soon debunked) New Nexus, it was once with a considerable quantity of hype. The son of the past due great “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, Curtis Axel was so highly valued that WWE made him a “Vince McMahon” man to spice up his status within the company. The factor with this of course being, Curtis Axel isn’t an overly proficient wrestler.
Aside from the comedic “Axlemania” gimmick he invented himself, Axel hasn’t been a very compelling superstar and the fans have lately treated him accordingly. Anytime WWE misses so arduous on a prospect it's sure to get unsightly, and Axel’s reign as Intercontinental Champion used to be simply embarrassing enough to get him put on our record at #8.
7. Best: Randy Savage
I have a hard time placing a superstar on the good facet of this list as a result of of one match, however, it’s onerous to ignore the superb fit that Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat put on at CombatMania 3 for the Intercontinental Title. Considered via many the largest CombatMania match of all time (and for some the largest match of all time), this fit was a masterpiece of skilled wrestling that in many ways jumpstarted the career of Randy Savage. The momentum he won right here would in the end translate into a World Title opportunity and the huge Mega-Powers blowup between him and Hulk Hogan. Therefore, Savage now not only served as a noteworthy Intercontinental Champion, but his fit with Steamboat over the IC Title literally changed the direction of the complete WWE.
6. Worst: Ricky the Dragon Steamboat
After studying the Randy Savage access above, it’s hard to know the way his opponent for that ancient WrestleMania Three match (and the guy that actually won the fit) may make the worst portion of our record. However, while the fit jumpstarted the career of the Macho Man, it did necessarily not anything for the career of Ricky Steamboat. Following his win at CombatMania 3 Steamboat would pass on to a lackluster identify reign which didn’t do anything to lift the prestige of the IC Title. Considering the platform he was placed on after WrestleMania 3, this can't be considered anything else rather then a sadness and puts him squarely on the bad facet of our record right here at #6.
5. Best: Chris Jericho
Not most effective does Chris Jericho make our record of great Intercontinental Champions, however I also suppose that he may just very well be the most underrated superstar in the WWE trendy era. While he hasn't ever been given the main tournament alternatives that different superstars have (apart from a mismanaged loss to Triple H at Strive againstMania 18), he has still managed to do on the subject of each and every single factor value doing in the WWE. Y2J not too long ago received his first United State Championship through defeating Roman Reigns, but his most noteworthy contribution to the mid-card identify scene is the incontrovertible fact that he has held the Intercontinental Championship a document 9 instances (up to now!). During his quite a lot of title reigns, Jericho has been all in favour of many a memorable storylines and suits, thus making him one of the extra entertaining (and therefore largest) superstars to ever be crowned Intercontinental Champion.
4. Worst: Chyna
It makes me a little bit uncomfortable to position the simplest female winner of the Intercontinental Title on our listing of worst champions, alternatively, it was once WWE Creative’s remedy of mentioned first girl titleholder that puts her IC Title run on this checklist. Rather than spotlight it as the landmark accomplishment that it was once, they allowed her championship run (brief thought it used to be) to devolve right into a most commonly comedic rivalry with Eddie Guerrero. Chyna’s stint as Intercontinental Champ will have to had been a few woman being strange enough to win a vital males's title, however instead, it turned into all about Eddie Guerrero getting roughed up by a lady nearly twice his measurement. This used to be indubitably a ignored alternative on the section of WWE and I can’t assist but position it on the unhealthy portion of our record at #4.
3. Best: Razor Ramon
With the selections of Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat previous in this listing, now we have already lined one of the maximum iconic suits ever to contain the Intercontinental Title. The different fit which falls underneath this category is the ladder fit between Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania. Voted match of the yr, these two superstars revolutionized the ladder match, and at the end of the night it didn’t really topic who would snatch the two (after losing the IC Title Shawn Michaels refused to give up his belt, inflicting both superstars to carry round their version of the Title) title belts hoisted above the ring. It is fits like this that may ceaselessly cement the legacy of the Intercontinental Title, which Ramon would pass on to hold an excellent 4 times right through his tenure with WWE.
2. Worst: The Mountie
I think the maximum amazing factor about the Mounties improbable Intercontinental Title run was that it all started along with his defeat of WWE Hall of Famer Bret “the Hitman” Hart. As phase of an already ridiculous Canadian as opposed to Canadian storyline, somebody at WWE thought it would be a good suggestion for Hart to drop the name to the Mountie. Instantly regretting this decision, WWE had the Canadian law enforcer drop the name a mere two days later. Not best does the Mountie lose points for such a surprisingly brief identify reign, however his career as a complete used to be in large part underwhelming, unquestioningly making him the worst guy to ever break of day the Intercontinental Title strap. Luckily the IC Title was in a position to live to tell the tale the brief reign of the Mountie, simply in time for it to be taken to new heights by means of the men bracketing the Mountie on this listing.
1. Best: Shawn Michaels
If you’re going to select the biggest Intercontinental Champion of all time, why now not pick out perhaps the largest WWE famous person of all time. Long before Shawn Michaels used to be the bonafide major eventer that he was in his prime, he used to be both a tag-team and mid-card specialist. Not best would Michaels win an outstanding 3 Intercontinental Championships, however he can be thinking about some of the greatest suits and rivalries ever to revolve around the IC Title. Who can disregard the superb IC Title clashes HBK had with Bret “the Hitman” Hart? Or Michael’s death-defying soar from the ladder onto Razor Ramon at WrestleMania? Both of the ones males have already graced our checklist for their contribution to the Intercontinental Title’s legacy, so it is only truthful that a man who was once so integral in making these title suits must-watch TV, crowns our listing in the #1 spot of greatest IC Title champs.
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