5 Greatest Intercontinental Champions

[Darth Vader 0]

ready. go

 

1. Randy Savage

2. Shawn Michaels

3. The Rock

4. Razor Ramon

5. Mr. Perfect

[humanoid92 0]

What's the criteria supposed to be?

 

I don't know about the order, but I suppose my top five would be some combination of Savage, Perfect, Bret, Shawn, and Razor.

[RonL21 0]

Yes indeed....My Favorite title when i was a kid...sad to see what it's become.....

 

Well i'll use my own criteria....I saw the IC Belt as the cooler belt back then so naturally the coolest wrestlers had it...

1. Bret Hart

2. Razor Ramon

?. Mr. Perfect

?. Shawn Michaels

?. Randy Savage

 

as for my top 4..i actually remember when they each won it cause it was all in the early 90s..i don't remember Macho Man's reign...

My favorite actually would have to be Razor because when i thinkn of the IC belt when i as coming up...I think of Razor...I even had the Dog Tags...Spray painted copper and all

[Australian Pride 0]

This looks like a decent place to make my return to TSM after a several year hiatus.

 

1. Curt Hennig. Man I loved Curt, he was pretty much the first heel I had ever gotten behind, and a lot of it had to do with his stellar work as IC champ.

2. Bret Hart. Bret still rates as my favourite wrestler, his runs with the IC belt were great and established him as a solo wrestler.

3. Tito Santana. Everything you want in a mid-card champ. Was popular with the fans and put on some fantastic matches.

4. Randy Savage. Intense and talented, Macho came onto the scene with a bang and then followed it with a superb IC run.

5. Honky Tonk Man. Yep, HTM. You can't argue with success, and despite his failings Honky was extremely successful.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

In no order:

 

Shawn Michaels

Mr. Perfect

Razor Ramon

The Rock

Randy Orton

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

1. Randy Savage. When he was IC Champion, he was truly the #2 draw in the company and was a huge boost to the title. He had a long reign, and it boosted him to bigger and better things within a year of losing the title in the WWF match of the decade. This is basically the picture-perfect way the IC Title should be used.

 

2. Bret Hart. He went from tag team wrestler to WWF Champion by virtue of this belt and series of great matches against the likes of Curt Hennig, Roddy Piper, Shawn Michaels & Davey Boy Smith. He lost the belt for the final time a year after winning it for the first time and was WWF Champion a month later.

 

3. Ultimate Warrior. He went from midcard act who came out of nowhere in 1988 to demolish Honky for the title, and aside from a fluke loss to Rick Rude, crushed everybody all the way to Wrestlemania VI where as IC Champion he gave Hulk Hogan his first (and only) clean pinfall loss of his WWF run from 1984-1993.

 

4. Razor Ramon. While it didn't exactly boost his career as much as the others above him, for approximately 3 1/2 years in the mid-90s the belt seemed to be on him more than not. He is one of the defining aspects of that period.

 

5. Honky Tonk Man. Sometimes considered the greatest IC Title reign of all time, I have it #2 behind Savage's. It was certainly the longest, and the demise of Honky is one of my all-time biggest mark out moments.

[cabbageboy 0]

If anything I'd consider HTM one of the worst IC champs ever. I suppose his reign was a draw on a certain lesser level, but the guy had no good matches and retained 95% of the time by getting DQed or counted out.

 

You can pick most anyone out of the usual suspects here:

 

1. Savage

2. Bret

3. Razor Ramon

4. Hennig

5. Warrior.

 

I can't in good conscience put Shawn on this list. Frankly the guy never jobbed the belt in the ring, being stripped of it in late 1993, being stripped of it again in 1995, etc.

 

Some guys like Jericho and RVD had an insane amount of IC title wins, but it's hard to pinpoint a real good single run with the belt (and in RVD's case he is more known for another secondary title run with the ECW TV title). Other's like Orton had a pointless run with the IC that meant nothing and only served as a prop for a feud that required no belt (like the Foley feud). I don't recall hardly any defenses Orton had aside from against Foley. The Rock as well...mostly had a series of goofy Dusty Finish type matches vs. Shamrock while IC champ.

[humanoid92 0]

I can't in good conscience put Shawn on this list. Frankly the guy never jobbed the belt in the ring, being stripped of it in late 1993, being stripped of it again in 1995, etc.

 

Some guys like Jericho and RVD had an insane amount of IC title wins, but it's hard to pinpoint a real good single run with the belt (and in RVD's case he is more known for another secondary title run with the ECW TV title). Other's like Orton had a pointless run with the IC that meant nothing and only served as a prop for a feud that required no belt (like the Foley feud). I don't recall hardly any defenses Orton had aside from against Foley. The Rock as well...mostly had a series of goofy Dusty Finish type matches vs. Shamrock while IC champ.

 

I agree with you on the likes of Jericho and RVD. Same goes for Benoit. This is obviously up for debate, but I can't put anyone from after the mid-90's on this list. And whether they realized it or not, I think some would agree with me since Rock and Orton are the only guys I've seen mentioned from the last decade (and I'd have to agree those were the best two reigns of the last ten years). I love a ton of guys that have held the belt in the last decade (Owen, Jericho, Angle, Benoit, Edge, Christian, etc.) but as soon as '97 and '98 started rolling around, the belt just became meaningless. There was a brief revival in the early 2000s with Jericho, Benoit, etc. where it meant something again, but it just wasn't the same. There's been so much goofy stuff, from Chyna's reign, the "co-reign" with Chyna and Jericho, too many title-holders every year, frequent title-changes, various former World Champs going back to it for no reason because of how the business has changed (Jericho, HHH, Kane, Benoit), random guys that never deserved it (Godfather, Road Dogg, Albert), the unification with other belts, the retirement and resurrection, the fact that there are now about 50 other midcard titles, the general perception of midcard titles not meaning all that much anymore, etc. Too much has happened to cheapen it, to the point where you can't convince me that anyone who first held the belt after 1996 had any sort of worthwhile reign that's comparable to the reigns of most of the guys mentioned in this thread.

 

As for Michaels, it bothered me too that he's a jerk and would never drop titles in the ring, but I still think he deserves to be on the list. He used the IC Belt in the traditional way that a lot of the greats did. Great wrestler, regular-sized guy that had a bunch of great matches as IC Champ en route to catapulting himself up to the WWF Title. He had a lot of great matches involving the IC Title: the two ladder matches, the three Jannetty matches, the Jarrett match, even the Bulldog match when he first won it. I just think if you're going to put guys like Warrior and Razor on there, Shawn definitely deserves to be there too.

[theintensifier 0]

Randy Savage

Mr. Perfect

Bret Hart

Razor Ramon

Shawn Michaels

[Dandy 0]

Orton and Shelton both had great runs. I am not putting them in the top 5, just commenting that they both had great runs. The held the title for a long period of time, and they had a match (usually for the title on TV every week, where it was a competitive back and forth match. That is a good way to build the title up.

 

 

As for the top 5, I would say:

 

1. Savage---He was the wrestler that made me take notice of the IC title, even though I was watching when other wrestlers held it before him. He had a terrific run with the belt, and the Steamboat feud put this reign over the top as the best IC reign ever for me. Savage later becoming World Champ established a "push" pattern that worked very well since then.

 

2. HBK---I liked the matches he had while he was an IC champ. Also, I liked how he wore different colored straps every now and then, as the white leather strap IC belt is my favorite of all time.

 

3. Bret---Followed the Savage "push" of allowing his singles work with the second tier belt to catapult him into a believable main eventer. Bret got to shine as a worker.

 

4. Mr. Perfect---Awesome wrestler that should have been a World Champ at some point in his career. This was as high as he got in the WWF, and to me, it was believable that the IC Champ could defeat the World Champ any night (until they booked Perfect to lose to Hogan night in and night out).

 

5. The Rock---His matches weren't on par with the others on this list, but he was always entertaining, and a major focus of the show. If he hadn't been handed the title by Steve Austin for his secons reign, it would have been better in my opinion.

[Darth Vader 0]

I got to agree the the Honky Haters here. Sure the payoff at the end was great but it was still poor use of the IC belt for those 15+ months. If the WWF had a 3rd tier belt at the time I'd use it for that purpose for sure. Kinda like Steve Regal in WCW with the TV title.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I got to agree the the Honky Haters here. Sure the payoff at the end was great but it was still poor use of the IC belt for those 15+ months. If the WWF had a 3rd tier belt at the time I'd use it for that purpose for sure. Kinda like Steve Regal in WCW with the TV title.

Honky was a HUGE draw while he was the IC champ. Shows that he headlined did just as well as the A shows in some cities and were totally sold on the idea of Honky getting his ass kicked. I don't know how you can consider that a poor use of the belt when it got him, his challengers and the belt over in a monster way.

[humanoid92 0]

Yeah, I've never been a Honky fan, but I've gotta defend him here. Sure, he's not the "greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time." That was just a catch-phrase that was repeated enough that some people actually believed it's true. But he definitely served his purpose, played his role well, and should be remembered as one of the more successful IC Champions.

 

I'm gonna throw out another name that I haven't seen mentioned yet: Jeff Jarrett. I know he's not well liked around here but I really enjoyed his '95 work. I wouldn't put him in the top five but he was kind of the classic prototypical heel IC Champion. He didn't take it to another level or have it for an extended period of time like Savage, Perfect, or Michaels did but he was always solid, and I'd put him on the next tier below those guys. He had some really underrated matches with Razor and of course the classic with Michaels. As I said earlier, the treatment of the IC Title really went downhill in the late 90's, but when Jarrett won the thing in '99, with the right booking I thought his status as a former champ from the better days of the belt could have really elevated it again after the crap Russo had been doing with it. But even if he'd never come back and won it again in '99 I'd still consider Jarrett one of the better IC Champs just based on his reigns in '95.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I'd agree with that. Jarrett is in the next tier of great I-C champs alongside Rude, the Rock, and HTM.

[Perfxion 0]

1: Savage - He could headline A shows when he was champion. Thats how big of a draw he was.

 

2: The Rock - his second IC title reign had him go from most hated to most loved AND he was still a heel.

 

3: Bret Hart - His two reigns were what turned him from tag team guy to main event player. (didn't hurt him having singles matches off and on since 1985 and the top two guys in 1992 flaking out).

 

4: Mr Perfect - Not so much for drawing crowds but some of the best matches with the title with him as champion

 

5(tie) Roddy Piper/Ricky Steamboat - not for their long reigns but people talk about BOTH of them winning the belts as major moments from that era.

[AlexPuma 0]

In no real order:

 

1. Tito Santana

The definite highlight in this man's career. He was one of the top babyfaces in the company, knowing full well he's never going to be as big as Bob Backlund or Hulk Hogan, but still nearing him in popularity. Afterwards, he didn't do a whole lot, but he still brought his A game despite falling far down the card.

 

2. Razor Ramon

The highlight of Scott Hall's career. He had a decent run in the AWA before, and a hell of a run in WCW afterwards, but he was never as big of a star as he was the Intercontinental Champion in the WWF. This man was true main event material that never got a chance to show it, most likely due to his personal demons.

 

3. Shelton Benjamin

A bit recent. Even though his IC run probably isn't his career highlight, as beating Triple H two times in a row probably would be. His popularity after his feud with Evolution showed that this youngster had potential to be a big star on the rise. In fact, he was so popular, that the fans chose him to face Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Championship at Taboo Tuesday over the entire RAW roster. It's a shame that what happened after his reign, though.

 

4. Mr. Perfect

Another man where the IC Title wasn't probably his career highlight, but its still probably the of the best run of his career. Even as a former AWA World Champion, the Intercontinental Championship still meant a lot for Mr. Perfect. After his injury, though, Hennig was never the same and even had a craptastic run with the West Texas Rednecks. But he still has his run as the IC Champion to prove that the man, at one time, was perfection.

 

5. The Honky Tonk Man

Really, the only real highlight of his career was winning the Intercontinental Championship, and he based the rest of his career off the success of his title reign. The definition of a one trick pony, but it worked in this case. He still holds the record to this day.

[CanadianChris 0]

I don't want to live in a world where Chico Santana is the greatest IC champ ever.

 

My five are Savage, Perfect, Bret Hart, Rock, and Warrior.

[Darth Vader 0]

I got to agree the the Honky Haters here. Sure the payoff at the end was great but it was still poor use of the IC belt for those 15+ months. If the WWF had a 3rd tier belt at the time I'd use it for that purpose for sure. Kinda like Steve Regal in WCW with the TV title.

Honky was a HUGE draw while he was the IC champ. Shows that he headlined did just as well as the A shows in some cities and were totally sold on the idea of Honky getting his ass kicked. I don't know how you can consider that a poor use of the belt when it got him, his challengers and the belt over in a monster way.

 

Yeah but while he was doing his thing with the belt others could have been wearing it and doing more that having shitty matches and getting DQed. I mean as a storyline it worked but I just don't see what favors it did for the belt.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Magnificent Muraco yet. One of the top heels in wrestling in the early '80s.

[CanadianChris 0]

I had thought about him, but I didn't start watching wrestling until 1986, long after he'd lost the title to Santana, so I couldn't really judge.

[cabbageboy 0]

Yeah in all fairness to Muraco most people didn't really watch WWF until well after he had lost the belt. And to be honest, Muraco's most well known stuff isn't really his IC title reign (it'd have to be the silly skits with Fuji, haha). The Snuka feud, Morales, etc. It's just that most people aren't that aware of his work, and frankly from what I've seen a lot of his matches are a bit plodding.

[AlexPuma 0]

Well, the trouble I have with most of the choices, those being the Bret Harts, the Rocks, the Randy Savages, and the others are the fact that winning the Intercontinental Championship was far from being the highlight of these men's careers. People remember Bret Hart more for his multiple WWF Title reigns or as a member of the Hart Foundation. The Shawn Michaels that was Intercontinental Champion was at the crossroads of his career. And The Rock and Stone Cold, while great IC champs, the belt just seems to be just another notch in their achievements in the long run. Ultimate Warrior used it only as a stepping stone to the top. Only Randy Savage I could see, because the held the Intercontinental Championship like it was a World Title, despite later becoming a multiple time World Champion himself.

[CanadianChris 0]

I don't see what one has to do with the other. You don't need to have had the IC title be the highlight of your career to have been a great IC champion.

[King Kamala 0]

Alright here's my Top 5

 

5. Don Muraco

4. Bret Hart

3. Honky Tonk Man

2. Shawn Michaels

1. Randy Savage

 

 

 

 

And just for fun, the bottom 5 and I'm not counting guys who only had it for one or two nights (Dean Douglas or The Mountie)

 

5. The Godfather

4. Marty Jannetty

3. Billy Gunn

2. Santino Marella (May be soon to tell but even though the title is a mere shadow of what it once was, his whole title reign is a crock)

1. Albert

[cabbageboy 0]

It's a bit unfair to put Santino on there at the moment. The dude hasn't even defended yet or shown us what he can do. If he just loses it pronto....then yeah.

 

My 5 worst and this took some doing since in the past 10 years there have been a bunch that sucked.

 

5. The Godfather (A total Russo era push, didn't really last very long...not any good as a wrestler either. I considered D'Lo for this spot but he did at least sorta unify the IC and Euro, so he has that going for him.)

4. Road Dogg (Another lame Russo era push, almost the same exact time. He held it for maybe two weeks before jobbing it to Goldust.)

3. Albert (Agreed. I have no idea what they were trying to accomplish with this push.)

2. Umaga (I doubt anyone will back me up on this, but Umaga's IC title run was totally pointless, he never defended the title at all, and the ONE time he did was against a plant "fan" in Santino Marella and he jobbed. Instead of trashing Marella, trash the guy who actually jobbed to him.)

1. Billy Gunn (Terrible, god awful push where he actually beat Eddie and then Benoit cleaned his clock immediately after that. Also, Chyna was involved so that raises him even further.)

[Perfxion 0]

Bottom 5:

 

5: HBK: Great matches but THREE times just gives up the title. Never jobbed any title until his match against Sid.

4: Road Dogg, he was going for the Hardcore title at WM yet, thanks to Russo he ends up going for the IC title and winning it yet jobbing it to Dust weeks later with ZERO point.

3: Rocky's first reign: it was bad, but he was so green and boring back then that everyone hated him for his 70s babyface bullshit act. Maybe his minor injury was a blessing to his career.

2: Umaga, what was the point taking the belt off of Jeff Hardy, atleast he defended the title more than once. Umaga's title reign was the second most pointless reign of the title.

1: Chyna, there was NO point in her becoming champion. It killed the belt and made both Jarrett and Jericho look like dipshits.

[King Kamala 0]

I was going to put Chyna on there as an honorable mention. When she got the belt, that's when it jumped the shark for me (Even though it's reputation had fallen quite a bit in the mid and late 90s). Despite a few good champions here and there, the Intercontinental Championship hasn't been the same to me since she won the belt.

[cabbageboy 0]

There have been plenty of quality guys holding the IC title since Chyna, but the business had changed and nobody was given a good run with the belt. Van Dam, Eddie, Jericho, Benoit....all could have been near the top of this list but none held the belt any one time for a decent length to be great IC champs. That said, I didn't include Chyna in the bottom 5 since some of her matches against Jarrett and Jericho were pretty good for what they were. That said, why on earth did they go to such lengths to protect Jarrett, who they hated for leaving the way he did, with the "belt isn't a household item" Dusty Finish? The dude was leaving, they paid him 100,000 to job there, so I'd have jobbed him the FUCK OUT. If he was holding me up for 6 figures to lose one match I'd have had Chyna squash him and make sure he had no way of ever being taken seriously in WCW (not that he was anyway). This booking is highly bizarre when you look at them jobbing Jericho out to Chyna cleanly soon after, which essentially wrecked his initial momentum in the WWF and in a lot of ways he never quite got back on track. Why protect a guy who is leaving that you feel isn't doing proper business, while burying a guy you just signed and in theory had high hopes to push?

 

I thought of mentioning Rocky Maivia in 1997, but since the Rock started a better run that same year I didn't feel having one lackluster reign qualified him for the list.

 

As far as Michaels goes, when you watch SD next week and see UT likely drop the belt while seriously injured just think about how much of a punk ass bitch HBK really was circa 1993-95. That said, I don't want to turn it into the 1000th HBK bashing thread. At this point we all know the past shortcomings of one Michael Hickenbottom.

[Corkscrew_Senton 0]

The story of Jarrett holding the title up for six figures isn't really true. He didn't get any additional money for jobbing the belt, he just got his PPV return bonus early. Plus he got to choose how he was going to job it.

[Darth Vader 0]

Then whats with the hatered Vince has for Jarrett like when he buried him on similcast Raw.