The Top 13 WWE Intercontinental Champions of All Time

While the WWE Championship may be considered the pinnacle of the professional wrestling industry, another title has carried enough history to hold its own as one of the most prestigious.

The Intercontinental Championship was first introduced in 1979, and has become an indicator of what is next to come for the person holding it. Many view the Intercontinental Champion as the next in line to become a world champion, and some of the most famous performers in wrestling have held the championship. Thirteen of them stand above the others though, with lengthy title reigns and legendary feuds over the belt.

1. Gunther

Gunther’s character claimed to be the greatest WWE Intercontinental Champion ever, and frankly, there is no disputing this assertion.

“The Ring General” holds the record for the longest reign with the championship at 666 days, which came to an end in dramatic fashion against Sami Zayn at WrestleMania XL. Before that, though, he redefined what championship dominance was in WWE, bringing prosperity and attention back to a championship sorely missing both. His Intercontinental Championship run elevated him to a main eventer, and he won the World Heavyweight Championship not long after losing the title.

2. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho was a nine-time Intercontinental Champion, making him the most decorated to hold the belt in company history.

Jericho’s longest reign was 111 days, but he had meaningful matches each time he held the championship. Jericho’s feud in 2001 with Chris Benoit saw one of the most memorable ladder match moments in WWE history, locking in the “Walls of Jericho” over the top of a black ladder. His title runs have been used to elevate talent like Rob Van Dam, and his nine reigns help add to his legacy as a true WWE legend.

3. ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage

WWE Hall of Famer “Macho Man” Randy Savage is one of the most colorful figures to ever step in a wrestling ring, but he was an incredible Intercontinental Champion as well.

Savage held the title for 414 days, with his reign culminating in what many consider to be a WrestleMania classic. “Macho Man” faced off with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat after a heated feud led them on a collision course at WrestleMania III. The two put on what was considered at the time to be a technical match for the ages, with quick near-falls and callbacks to different parts of their rivalry. Steamboat won the match, ending Savage’s impressive run.

4. Mr. Perfect

Curt Hennig truly embodied the “Mr. Perfect” mantra during his WWE tenure, and the Intercontinental Championship played a big role in the gimmick becoming so popular.

Hennig held the championship twice in WWE, with notable feuds against the likes of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Kerry Von Erich (The Texas Tornado), and Bret Hart. Hart and Hennig put on a technical masterpiece at SummerSlam in 1991, with Hart winning the title in an 18-minute affair that stole the show. Altogether, Perfect held the title for 406 days.

5. Honky Tonk Man

If you were a wrestling fan of the 1980s, you remember how Honky Tonk Man used to boast about being the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time whenever he could. And to be fair, it was a claim he could make fairly.

Honky Tonk Man burned through the likes of the “Macho Man” and Brutus Beefcake during his time as champion, holding the belt for a then-record 454 days. But it all came crashing down at SummerSlam in 1988 when The Ultimate Warrior challenged him for the title. Warrior picked up the win in seconds, squashing HTM’s legendary title run.

6. The Miz

The Miz has quietly put together one of the most impressive resumes ever for a WWE Superstar, with the Intercontinental Championship being a central thread to his success over the last two decades.

Miz has held the title eight times for nearly 600 total days, with his longest lasting for 188. He won the title in the pre-show of WrestleMania 29, and then five years later, he, Seth Rollins, and Finn Balor had a memorable match that opened the show in style. Miz’s Intercontinental Championship match with Dolph Ziggler at No Mercy is maybe the greatest singles match of his career, and he’ll go down as one of the best to ever hold the belt.

7. Shawn Michaels

Many know Shawn Michaels as the best big-match performer in WWE history, but the Hall of Famer laid the groundwork for his main event run in the midcard with the Intercontinental Championship.

Michaels held the belt three times for more than 400 days combined, but his most-discussed feud was with Razor Ramon. Michaels was champion in the fall of 1993 but was stripped of the belt for not defending it enough. Ramon won the title shortly after, but Michaels refused to acknowledge he was no longer champion. They had the first televised ladder match in WWE history at WrestleMania X, where Ramon won the belt in a highly influential encounter.

8. Bret Hart

Bret “The Hitman” Hart notched every accolade in the book over his Hall of Fame career, and he was a strong Intercontinental Champion in his prime.

Hart held the championship twice during his run in WWE, and cemented its value with excellent technical matchups with the likes of Shawn Michaels and Roddy Piper. He carried the belt for a total of 290 days, the peak coming at SummerSlam in 1992. There, he headlined the big event with The British Bulldog at a packed Wembley Stadium, doing the honors and dropping the title to Davey Boy Smith.

9. Razor Ramon

Scott Hall’s career will always carry questions about whether or not he could have been a true world champion, but his days in WWE were defined by his prowess as Intercontinental Champion.

Hall, as Razor Ramon, won the prestigious title four different times, holding it for 438 days total. Holding the belt solidified him as a major player in the company, battling guys like Jeff Jarrett and Diesel (his future New World Order partner) for it. But his most memorable period of time with it came in 1994 when he feuded with Shawn Michaels, culminating in the aforementioned ladder match at WrestleMania X. His win there told the wrestling world his ceiling was enormous, and it was pivotal in him eventually jumping to WCW and making big money.

10. Pat Patterson

Sometimes, you have to throw some appreciation to the guy who started it all.

Pat Patterson was the very first Intercontinental Champion, crowned through a “tournament” in September of 1979. Though it is claimed he won, in reality, the tournament never actually took place, and Patterson was simply given the title. Still, he held the belt for 233 days, with notable feuds against Ken Patera and Ted Dibiase to boot. Most fans today may not have seen his title reign, but it was nevertheless an important one.

11. RVD

To have lived the Rob Van Dam experience in the 1990s and the Attitude Era was to witness a true enigma in his prime.

RVD made a great Intercontinental Champion as he climbed the ladder after debuting in WWE in 2001. He is a six-time title-holder, with his longest reign sitting at 114 days. Van Dam had outstanding bouts with Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, and Eddie Guerrero throughout his title feuds, adding a new dynamic to the belt. His high-flying arsenal, combined with stiff kicks, gave the championship something fresh, an important contribution to its lineage.

12. The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior’s legacy is extremely complicated, but he contributed major equity to the Intercontinental Championship during his WWE career.

Warrior held the championship twice, winning it initially from HTM and ending his record-long title reign to the delight of fans around the world. However, the most significant achievement Warrior had with the title was actually at WrestleMania VI. There, in front of nearly 70,000 fans in Toronto, Warrior faced Hulk Hogan with both the Intercontinental Championship and WWE Championship on the line. Warrior, the Intercontinental Champion, defeated Hogan for both belts, a major moment for the midcard title.

13. Pedro Morales

Pedro Morales was one of the most impactful WWE wrestlers of all time, and the first-ever Triple Crown Champion in company history. Morales held the Intercontinental title for 619 days cumulatively, the second-most amount of time for anyone who has been champion. He first won the title in an intense feud with Ken Patera, and would have a memorable series with Don Muraco over the belt as well. He’d win the championship back in 1981, becoming the first person to hold the title twice.