Intercontinental Championship - Who do you think of?

[The Crock]

This is the first thread in my new series. I will try to find out who you guys most associate with a certain championship. In today's installment we'll focus on the Intercontinental Championship.

The IC Title has meant a lot throughout the years, it was at one time considered the belt that the number one contender held. It has been held by some of the all-time greats, and it has been defended on many a different stage, at one point it was even unified with the World Championship. All that being said, when I think of the IC Title which guy comes to mind? It is easily this man:

Chris Jericho. He is a record nine-time Intercontinental Champion, and he is associated with it most. Jericho was the guy that brought prestige back to the IC Belt, he was the guy that elevated the belt whenever he held it. A former World Champion, Jericho never hesitated in his pursuit of the IC Title, and he really turned it into an upper-midcard belt whenever he held it.

Thoughts?

 

[pepentorresHHH]

For me jericho was a good champion but he didnt held the belt that long or had memorable title reigns ..... Its either 2: either the honky tonk man who had the longest title reign ever, i also considered mr perfect as an iconic IC champion.... He just looked perfect (no pun intended) with it.... A case could be certainly be made for shawn michaels or macho man!

 

[S.J. Maximus]

I agree Chris Jericho was definitely (in my opinion) the best Intercontinental Champion having held it 9 times, each of those times being an upper midcard wrestler. He was so good on the mic and on the ring that he always made the IC belt look more valuable than it was.

Another person that's easy to think of is Honky Tonk Man, since he is the longest reigning champion of all time and they shoved that fact down our throats during Santino Marella's most recent title run

But to answer this question from a personal standpoint, I actually think of Randy Orton's 7-month reign as champ whenever I see the guys holding it. I feel like that reign really put Orton over as a young heel in 2004 and got the crowd interested in him, which then led to his face turn in 04 after his WHC win. I don't think any reign since then has put over the titleholder the way orton was put over during his reign

 

[IrishCanadian25]

In order:

1. Bret Hart. The third guy to take the IC Title and use it to springboard to the World Title, and author of some of the greatest IC Title matches in history vs guys like Henning, Smith, Michaels, Martel, etc.

2. Shawn Michaels. The man played the midcard heel champion like it was an art form, had amazing matches with Jannetty, Henning, Tatanka, and many others.

3. Mr. Perfect. The original 'owner' of the IC Title. Did some great work in helping develop guys like Hart in the mid card. Really helped solidify the IC Title as a 'workers title' after the Warrior run with the belt and paved the way for Hart, Michaels, Jericho, etc.

 

[TheHammerMan]

I also think of Jericho, but one that kept slapping me in the back of the head was Shawn Michaels. The ladder match at WM 10 was phenomanal. Yes Jericho is an excellent example, but when I hear Intercontinental I think of Shawn. Yes, he only had it a few times and Jericho had it 9 times, but HBK defined it with that ladder match.

 

[The Brain]

When you say Intercontinental Champion the first name that pops into my mind is The Honky Tonk Man. Honky beating Ricky Steamboat was the first title change I ever saw. He went on to hold the title for 15 months. He would constantly brag about being the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. His feud with Randy Savage is what opened my eyes to drama and emotion in wrestling. I hated Honky so much and couldn’t wait for someone to take the title off him. My favorites Steamboat, Savage, and Beefcake kept failing and it just made me hate Honky more. Honky absolutely made the Warrior by dropping the title to him at SummerSlam 88. The crowd went insane when Honky got pinned and Warrior went from midcarder to superstar overnight. The fans’ hatred for Honky is what made Warrior so popular.

Others have had far better matches over the IC title, but due to his long reign during my early years as a fan and my overall hatred of him, The Honky Tonk Man is with whom I most associate the IC title.

 

[legendkiller1979]

I think of Razor Ramon. He was so cool. Razor was on the list of guys that were crazy over as heels. The WWF had no choice buy to turn him face. His feud with Shawn Michaels was one of the best ever for the belt and they were able to extend that into a feud with Diesel. He was the first four time champion and his reigns and champion were long and distinguished. It's too bad he was never given the opportunity to be world champion. He is one of the best.

 

[UltimateHitman]

My picks are going to be kind of redundant, save for one. Number one is definitely Mr. Perfect for the reasons stated above and more. My number 2 pick is Bret Hart again because of the amazing matches that stemmed from his reign. And number 3 would be Rick Rude. He was a great worker, was a great heel champ, and went after the belt with such focus he even had the belt airbrushed onto his tights. Now that's dedication. He may have had just one IC title reign, but he did it so well it remains memorable.
I do want to give honorable mention to HTM as well as Warrior. HTM was, as the Brain said, a guy you just had to watch because you hated him and wanted to see somebody finally knock the cocky bastard off his high horse. And I included Warrior because his IC reign shot him into superstardom and he was actually a passionate, believable champion. He was chased by some good talent for the belt which helped him have some better matches, and with his rising popularity helped to elevate the focus of the belt even more.

 

[#hamler]

I have to say Mr. Perfect, Curt Hennig is the man who comes to mind when I think about the Intercontinental Championship. Hennig held the Championship in the time where it gained a lot of its prestige. Facing the likes of Tito Santana, Big Bossman and Bret Hart in some tremendous matches. He was really the guy who made the Intercontinental title a championship that was worth holding. It would be nice if Michael McGillicutty to try and follow in his dad's footsteps. Both are phenomenal in ring athletes.

Mr. Perfect had everything. Elite technition skills, tremendous in ring ability, awesome mic skills, and one of the best heel managers ever in Bobby "The Brian" Heenan. I mean WWF had a "perfect" wrestler and could elevate him into the world title picture at anytime. I mean its pretty much a damn shame he was never a contender for the WWF Championship. But I am thankful for his time and the prestige he brought to the Intercontinental Championship. A true, perfect Champion.

 

[marklouis]

The first guys that come to mind for me are: Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude, & Ricky Steamboat. The reason I say that is they were champions at a time when being IC champion meant something far bigger than it is now. This was at a time when Hogan owned the WWF title, except for the time he lent it to Savage. So, for 99% of the WWF roster, the IC title was the best they were ever going to get. Holding that title meant just as much to those guys as holding the WWF title meant to Hogan. While it's true that Hart & HBK & Jericho were great IC champions, I don't really like the idea of the belt being a stepping-stone title. Steamboat had one of the greatest Wrestlemania matches ever with Savage over the IC title, & judging his reaction after that match, you'd have thought he'd just won the world title. Perfect & Rude were great heel champions, & like Steamboat, they treated the title with reverence & respect. I could definitely include Honky Tonk Man in this, but I just hate the guy, so I'll leave him out due to spite.

I'll add that Hart was a great champion, but I think more of his world title reigns when I think of his career. But he did have some great matches over the IC title.

 

[closet_fan]

Randy Savage. He was one of the more popular champions, trumping Hogan in many venues. The matchup between he and Steamboat for the title was the best match at WM3, hands down.

 

[spinningtorturerack]

There are a couple of people who I normally associate with the title, and it really reflects the era i started watching:

- D'lo Brown - He was a classic midcard champion who was the first person to be a euro-continental champ. He had so much charisma and energy, he made it seem like he really wanted that title.

- Ken Shamrock - A vicious fighter with a horrible mean streak. He stunk of intercontinental and really made the Rock fight for it. I would have mentioned the rock here too, but I more associate him with the main event.

- Chyna - Finally I think Chyna deserves to be mentioned here, being the first (and so far only) woman to win the title. She was on such a role at the time, and this was the pinnacle of her career. Kudos to Jericho for carrying her through it!

 

[disturbedbob]

I think of in chronological order:

1/ WM III - Savage v Steamboat, probably one of the greatest matches ever

2/ Honky Tonk Man - He held the title longer than anyone - 18 months, was billed as the lucky guy who always retained until....

3/Ultimate Warrior - pinned Honky in 30 secs in an open challenge, kept the belt for 8 months, regained and never lost the title, but vacated (which gave Perfect his title in a torney) and ultimately (no pun intended) was the first guy to hold both IC and world titles simultaneously.

4/ SS 91 - Perfect/Hart, what an exhibition, which would have been even better if Perfect wasn't working with a messed up back. The transition from perfection to excellence was immaculate.

5/ SS 92 - Bulldog/Hart, Wembley Stadium, 80,000 people, the loudest pop I ever heard in my life, an IC title as main event on a ppv (Savage/Warrior for the wwf title was midcard), Heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis with the Union Jack, an awesome too and fro match, completely unpredictable and an out of the blue ending.

To me this match signified the end of the great IC battles and the belt became secondary from hereonin. The era of long reigns was over and we would go on to have as many as 5 or 6 different champs in one year. Props to guys like Jericho, Edge, Micheals etc for trying to give the belt meaning again, but I felt when they were champs the IC belt became relevant because they were wearing it and not because the IC title match was the 1st or 2nd most important match on a ppv.

 

[dman1373]

their are four guys i think of when i think of the ic title. Razor Ramon, bret hart, shawn michaels, mr. perfect. They made the ic title more important than the wwe title at times. And that is something that hasn't been done before or even again. It didn't hurt that they were all great workers.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

For me I automatically think of Mr. Perfect when I think of the IC Title. Its not necessarily because he was the best IC champ (that honor goes to Macho Man) but he was the constant champion when I was watching wrestling going up, through most of 1990-91 he was the IC champ and did such a great job as champion. He was one of the few people who made the IC title as prestigious as it once was and when he held it, the IC title meant more than it did before it was around Perfect's waist.

As champ he had a lot of great matches, some solid feuds and never failed to deliver no matter who he was in the ring with.

Maybe not the greatest, but because Perfects one of my all time favorites and was probably my favorite IC champion. Growing up I was just used to seeing Perfect as IC champ and because of that he is the 1st person I think of when I think of the IC title.

 

[silverwraith720]

The Rock and Triple H. More specifically, the ladder match at Summer Slam 98.

I didn't start watching WWF until somewhere between 97 and 98, so I never saw the matches with Hart, Mr. Perfect, Honky Tonk, or Bulldog.

 

[longlivetheBrood]

I always think of "Macho Man" Randy Savage first and foremost, I think because he was the first IC champion that I knew of as a fan of WWE (F). His matches against Steamboat especially at WM3 and George "The Animal" Steele were legendary to me at the time.
Overshadowing him in retrospect though has to be the Honky Tonk Man, great image that was played to the hilt, cool theme music, Peggy Sue & Jimmy Hart, the whole 9 yards. Plus the 15 month reign. Good stuff.

 

[The Crock]

While guys like Mr. Perfect, Hart, and HBK had big impacts, there is one other guy I think of. Honky Tonk Man. Jericho is still the guy I think of, but Honky Tonk is right there. He was champ for 64 weeks, and what made him so memorable was his character. He was cool, the theme music was recognizable, and he had a mean streak. Sadly, though, his most memorable match with the belt is probably when he lost to The Ultimate Warrior in just about 30 seconds. All that being said, Honky Tonk still identifies with the title in my mind.

 

[Tattooed Jesus]

For me I first and foremost think of Honky Tonky Man and Randy Savage. Honky had it for the longest and Savage and Steamboat had some of the best matches for the title. So I guess Steamboat would be included in here as well.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

I'm giving the top 5.

Don Muraco- He was a great heel, could talk on the mike and his battles with Snuka and Tito were remarkable

Tito Santana - His battles with Hammer and Savage were a testament to his ability and it's a shame that people have forgotten his talent

Randy Savage - He wrestled all comers and started -or greatly contributed to- the age of the small guy and the aerial acrobats. He had the ability to wrestle on the mat, could nail from the sky and could cut a decent promo.

Bret Hart - Good if not great workers who wrestled their asses off.

Mr. Perfect-Same as above.

 

[nbrew2119]

ill also do a top 5 when i think of the IC title
1. Randy Savage some of his matches for the IC was/and still classics....i already seen a mention of the match with Ricky Steamboat.

2. Ultimate Warrior a perfect build up to his World title reign. A cheap loss to Rick Rude, which he quickly made up for. The only reason he truly lost the title was when he was stripped of it when he won the World title

3. Ken Shamrock as I seen earlier, he was the perfect IC champion. He wasnt quite good enough to be a main event, but, plenty good enough to carry the IC title.

4. The Rock much like the Ultimate Warrior, the IC title was the perfect way to build him up to the World title. He even had one reign that lasted for 8 months, which at the time he won it, was unheard of.

5. Chris Jericho he has the record of IC title reigns with 7(i think). some of his reigns werent the longest, but, whenever he won the title, it was instantly an attention getter. just look at his feud with Rey Mysterio over it last year.
[/B]

 

[The Aussie Invasion]

Chris Jericho for me. The guy held the title 9 times!
That guy brought prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship as soon as he won it the first time after he came back. Before him you had Johnny Nitro (aka John Morrison) who used to dangle the belt from his pants coming to the ring. You had Umaga who had Armando Estrada carry the belt while he made his was to the ring. Last but not least you had Jeff Hardy, Hardy was a good IC Champ, but he just didn't bring any prestige back into it.

Jericho's 2009 fued with Rey Mysterio over the Intercontinental Title was classic!. That is what really stood out and made me say "Jericho is who I think of". He (and Rey) turned the IC Title into more then just a mid-card or "development" title, they turned it into an upper mid-card title with alot of prestige.

 

[Trill Co$by]

two people for two different reasons

1. Macho Man: When I first started watching wrestling, he was the man who had the strap. His in ring work and charisma, to me, was is and forever will be the standard of Pro-Wrestling. With his promos and his Slim Jim commercials, I was a Macho mark... I even had some look-a-like clothes that i wore one halloween.


2. Owen Hart - Say what you want but his reign as IC and Half Tag champion (and first ever two time slammy award winner) was fucking amazing. He was the perfect guy for the strap and he had some of the best damn matches anybody can think of. His matches against Bret, Shawn, Austin, and countless others literally made me love the business as a sport the way macho man made me love it as a form of entertainment.

 

[OutsiderDX]

I suppose on your age and when you watched wrestling.

My initial though when i read the title of the post was The Honky Tonk Man. Probably cause he was the champion during the time when i first started watching wrestling.

It's actually kinda sad that people growing up now a days, have no definitive indentification with a mid-card champion. Just the sign of the glutton of champions.

 

[GameOver]

too many guys who were great IC champs to nail it down.
Honly Tonk Man - Longest reigning
Macho Man, Bret Hart, HBK, Mr Perfect - Mat technicians
Razor Ramon/Ultimate Warrior - Championship look
Jericho - Most IC title reigns
HHH/Rock/Austin - Superstars

nailing it down to one - Mr Perfect was the PERFECT champ, too bad it was really quick
he had everything going for him, and had he not done his back in, who knows what heights he could've achieved