Top 10 IC Title Matches

[Guest Patriotsfan2000]

Well, we've looked back and questioned what has happened to the IC title and we've looked at some of the greatest IC champions in history. But, there have also been some classic matches held for that very belt. My rules for ranking the matches are pretty simple: I simply have to have actually seen the match. If I haven't seen it, it won't make the list. For example, Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon from Summer Slam 1995...never seen it. Feel free to respond to this post with your own favorite matches. Hope you enjoy!

 

10. The Ultimate Warrior vs The Honky Tonk Man--Summer Slam 1988: Okay, I know this match isn't a classic my any means, but the sheer historical significance puts it on the list. You see, the Honky Tonk Man was in the middle of a 14 month reign as champion, and the fans were just itching to finally see someone beat him. Well, after an injury to Brutus Beefcake, the Warrior was happy to come down the aisle and make short work of the Honky Tonk Man, much to the delight of the crowd.

 

9. The Rock vs Triple H--Summer Slam 1998--Ladder Match:

This was without a doubt both of these men's greatest match up to that point. With the IC title hanging high above the ring, these two men would go on to wrestle the match of their lives. And to make it all the more spectacular, HHH was wrestling on an injured knee that would put him out of action for some time after this match. After brutalizing each other for over 20 minutes, Triple H would eventually come out the victor in this classic IC title match up.

 

8. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Owen Hart--Summer Slam 1997:

Although Steve Austin will never be known for his IC title reigns, this match in particular is one that has defined the career of Stone Cold. At the time, Austin was feuding with the hated Hart Foundation, and if he lost this match to Owen, he would be forced to kiss owen's rear end. Well, the two would put on a solid wrestling match up, but the historical moment came near the end, when Owen botched a tombstone piledriver and broke Austin's neck, nearly ending his career. The ending came when Owen stalled long enough for Austin to crawl over and weakly roll him up and win his first IC title. Really good match, which will forever be overshadowed by the piledriver incident.

 

7. Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho--Ladder Match--Royal Rumble 2001: These two Canadian's absolutely brutalized each other for nearly 20 minutes en route to an absolutely classic matchup. Who can ever forget Benoit's swandive over the top rope only to get nailed with an unprotected chair shot from Y2J. Or how about the innovative Walls of Jericho on top of the ladder??!! These two men gave it everything they had and more, and in the end Y2J would grab the IC title in an anti-climactic ending to an awesome match.

 

6. Bret Hart vs The British Bulldog--Summer Slam 1992

The place was Wembley Stadium in England, the home country of Davey Boy Smith, aka The British Bulldog. There is a backstory, something to do with Bret's sister Diana, who is also the Bulldog's wife, being torn over who to cheer for. But these two men don't need a backstory. They just need a ring. They had one, and they preceded to put on a wrestling clinic. Really awesome wrestling match between these two brothers-in-law which would eventually end with The Bulldog pinning the Hitman and recieving the monster pop from his Home country. As a side note, I think this is the only IC title match to ever headline a PPV, but you can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

5. Shawn Michaels vs Jeff Jarret--In Your House II--1995

This was pretty much an awesome old school kind of match between Jarrett and HBK. There really wasn't much of a backstory here, but regardless, the two put on an awesome match full of near falls and psychology. The end came when the Road Dogg accidentally tripped Double J, leading to an HBK superkick and a third reign as IC Champ for Michaels.

 

4. Bret Hart vs Roddy Piper--Wrestlemania 8--1992:

This match is personally one of my favorite matches of all time and for good reason. The backstory here is that basically Bret Hart lost the title to the Mountie in a fluke, and Roddy Piper would win his first ever WWF singles title by defeating the Mountie at the Royal Rumble. That was all well and good, but Hart wanted his title back and a match was signed for Wrestlemania 8. The pre-match iface to face interview with Hart and Piper was intense and got you even more pumped for the match. The match itself was an awesome mixture of brawling (Piper) and wrestling (Hart) that meshed together nicely. Hart ended up extremely bloody in the match. The end was hot, as Hart was laying unconscious on the mat and Piper was about to bash him w/ the ring bell. He went for the sleeper instead, and Hart was able to do a victory roll and get the pin and the title. Crowd was split big time in this match.

 

3. Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon--Ladder Match--Wrestlemania 10--1994: Yes, this is "the" match that started it all. The first ladder match ever televised on PPV and it was a dandy. The backstory is that Michaels was stripped of the IC title and a tournament of sorts was held which gave the belt to Razor Ramon. Well, Shawn came back with his own version  of the belt, claiming he never lost it. Well, both titles were hanging high above the ring for this classic encounter to decide the undisputed IC champ. Although not as spectacular as some of the more recent ladder matches, this is the one that set the standard. The ladder was used quite innovativel in this one, and the ending came when Michaels fell from the ladder and got his foot caught in the ropes, leading to Razor easily being able to grab both belts and be called undisputed IC champ.

 

2. Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect--Summer Slam 1991:

This match is another one of my personal all time favorites. This would be the start of Bret's singles push that would eventually lead him to the World Heavyweight Title. Mr. Perfect's back was in bad shape for this match and it was thought that this would be his final match ever. The match itself was a classic. Mr. Perfect was able to put on an awesome match, bad back and all, and Bret Hart was really over with the crowd. Perfect methodically worked Bret over the entire match. Perfect attempted to finish the match with the Perfect Plex, which Bret kicked out of (commentators Bobby Heenan and Gorrila Monsoon did an awesome job of selling the fact that noone kicks out of the Perfect Plex). The end came when Perfect had ahold of both of Bret's legs and Bret was able to take down Perfect and reverse into a Sharpshooter, gaining the submission and his first singles title. Bret celebrated with Stu and Helen afterwards.

 

1. Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat--Wrestlemania 3:

Was there really any other choice for number one?? The backstory, if memory serves, was that Savage went nuts on Steamboat and injured his throat with the ring bell. Steamboat would be out a few months and would return with vengance on his mind. With the IC title on the line, these two men put on one of the absolute greatest wrestling matches of all time. With more near falls, reversals, and wrestling maneuvers than you can shake a stick at, these two tore down the house at the Silverdome in front of 93,000 fans and left fans breathless with each near fall. The end would come as Savage attempted a body slam and Steamboat would roll him up and get the three count and the IC title, in not only the greatest IC title match of all time, but maybe the greatest match overall.