Who is the best Intercontinental Champion of all time?

[Lionheart_Y2J_fan.]

From Pat Patterson to Kofi Kingston, there is a very long list of superstars who have held the coveted Intercontinental Championship. The IC championship was inaugurated in 1979 when the WWF North American champ Pat Patterson went to Rio De Janeiro and won the South American Championship he combined both titles and made the legendary Intercontinental Championship. Since then many of the greats of the WWE/WWF have held the prestigious title. Such greats as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Ravishing Rick Rude,Don Muraco, Pedro Morales, Tito Santana, Greg The Hammer Valentine,Mr. Perfect etc. Now being held by a star in the making Kofi Kingston and just before him another star in the making Drew McIntyre. But the question is Who is the greatest? Now judging by my name you've probably all assumed who I thought and you were right, in my opinion the greatest IC champ of all time is Chris Jericho. Not just because he's my favorite but because he's held it more then anyone but because he pretty much represents it. I mean sure when you picture chris jericho you may see him holding other prestigious titles but when i picture Y2J i see him holding the IC title. I mean just look at the list of who he's beat to win the title...

(1) Chyna
(2)Hardcore Holly
(3)Chris Benoit
(4)Rob Van Dam
(5)Christian
(6)Jeff Hardy
(7)Rey Mysterio

Now i know what your thinking, "wow thats not even an impressive list" or "HBK is a greater IC champ than jericho". IMO i think HBK is the greatest WWE champ of all time, not the IC. But hey this is all just my opinion. So please put down a response. you can disagree or agree with me. not looking for a fight here just want to hear other peoples opinions.

 

[Agent_of_Anarchy]

The question you ask in the poll has nothing what so ever to do with your post you dumbass.

I still voted however and I voted for the I.C title, purely because it has been a constant in pro wrestling since I started watching. There was a huge period of time where the I.C title matches were the most amazing matches of the card, even up to last year with the Jericho vs Mysterio matches.


Why would I be thinking that beating RVD, Hardy, Benoit, Christian and Mysterio isn't impressive?

 

[Tattooed Jesus]

The WWE title has lost a ton of prestige over the last few years because of it constantly changing hands. Plus the fact that there is the World title along with it make them both lackluster in my opinion.

Same could be said for the US Title and the IC titles, but both of these have a much richer history than either of the top titles in the current WWE landscape.

As for the greatest IC Champ of All time, of course it is non other than the Honky Tonk Man. No one held the title longer and probably never will. He was a decent enough in ring worker and it helped that he had some of the all time greats in WWF history to feud with. He was brilliant on the mic, and was one of the greatest heels ever. You may look at him as a joke but Honky Tonk Man should be considered the greatest of all time.

Macho Man Randy Savage, Rick Rude, Ricky Steamboat, Chris Jericho, Mr Perfect, HBK, Bret Hart, and Tito Santana would also make my greatest list.

 

[XgringolocoX]

I don't understand what we should be answering here. I voted though.....
You went from the most prestigious title....to whos the best IC champ...to whos better HBK or Y2J....I just fucking confused.
IC Title obviously. Best IC champ Santino...obviously. Better IC Champ.....I'll give Y2J to ya just to be nice. And no HBK wasn't the greatest WWE Champ of all time. That's just ridiculous. Close, but not numero uno.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I'm utterly confused by this thread – your thread title asks who the best Intercontinental Champion of all-time is, yet your poll asks Which title is the most prestigious out of the 3 (European, Intercontinenteal, US) and your thread body backs up the title... what are you really asking here?

As for the OP, which I presume is still based on who the best IC champion of all-time is, it's Mr. Perfect for me, hands down. Perfect as IC champion gave way to one of the best matches in wrestling history when Bret Hart and Perfect squared off at Summer Slam '91. Perfect was a fantastic mid-card wrestler – probably the best of all-time if you ask me.

 

[hewittor]

Yall are insane. I would place Jericho second. He can't be first, because half of his reigns are because no one else was credible. The best IC champion of all time would have to be a toss up between Mr Perfect and the Rock. The title meant the most when those 2 carried it. That's the problem with the IC title now, no one really cares about it. They are just now doing things to make the title matter again with the Kofi-McIntyre angle. Hopefully all of the getting fired shenanigans don't overshadow it.

 

[Dave]

Wow!

This thread may just be the worst thing I have encountered this month and I was there for the entirety of The Danielson thread…

That being said, I will try and answer the original question and not tear apart the thread from this point on. The best Intercontinental Champion for me is a toss up between Mr. Perfect and Chris Jericho. Both of these guys were tremendous as Intercontinental Champions and both of them used it for different things.

Perfect was a damn solid mid-card wrestler and his run with the Intercontinental Championship meant more then than it does now. Back then, the IC title was hugely prestigious. When you consider that Michaels and Perfect held it, you can see why it help so much acclaim as it does now and did then too. Mr Perfect held that Championship like a true Champion. He went out every match and gave everything to it. The IC Championship became a big deal when he was wearing it and it was honestly, the best thing that he would do in his illustrious career.

However, Jericho used the IC Championship much like they do right now, as a tool to go onto better things. The people holding on to it now are nowhere near as good as people like Pedro Morales, Randy Savage and Mr Perfect were but they have made it work for them and have progressed thanks to the IC belt. Jericho had, arguably, his best days in the WWE with the IC title around his waist and was certainly my favourite era of his. Everyone my age will tell you that Jericho made that Championship mean a whole lot more when he held it and brought a tonne of prestige to it with great matches against the likes of Chris Benoit.

There have been multiple brilliant IC Champions but, for me, these guys are the cream of the crop.

 

[TheAnimal]

The IC title beyond all doubt for me. It was prestigious and is always fought over, plus unlike the WWE title, it doesnt seem to much of a stretch to see certain people winning it, which makes it more competitive. And that isnt a bad thing because on Smackdown you have Ziggler, Christian, Kofi, Matt Hardy, McIntyre etc who would all be deserving of it.

Plus going back the champions are great and mostly take the next step to become WWE champ. It is always a great belt to test the waters for the next main eventer. I think that one of the best champions of all time with regards to the IC title is Bret Hart because he did exactly what i said above about holding the belt and stepping up to become a main eventer.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As has been said already, I'm a tad confused by this thread as it's asking two completely seperate questions.

However, as to who the best IC champ of all time is...that's a tough one because there've been a lot of great ones. Hmmm..I think I'm probably going to go with Macho Man Randy Savage overall. Savage was a great heel IC champ and it was ultimately his great showing as champion that caused the WWF to elevate him to a main event level wrestler. He did have some great matches as champ and some shitty ones, such as against George The Animal Steele, but I think that Savage ultimately epitomized what the IC title was in those days, which was a title typically held by the best worker in the company.

As for which is the most prestigious overall, I think I'm going to give the nod to the United States Championship. When you look at the overall 35 year history of the title, the men that've held it reads like a whose who of pro wrestling in the past 40 years. Harley Race, Johnny Valentine, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Terry Funk, Jimmy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Roddy Piper, Wahoo McDaniel, Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, Michael Hayes, Sting, Stan Hansen, Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Big Van Vader, Chris Benoit, John Cena and so on and so forth. Prior to Jim Crockett, Jr. gaining a virtual stranglehold on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, his territorial version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship was the top title in his company and has kind of been retroactively looked upon by many as the greatest mid-card title probably of the 70s and 80s.

 

[Goliath Uterus]

Well I think it boils down to three guys, Mr. Perfect, Macho Man Randy Savage, and Chris Jericho. (And the other guys I'm forgetting)

Mr. Perfect is the perfect (pun absolutley intended) mid card heel in the wrestling buisness, people loved to hate him and he soaked it in, great matches w/Bret Hart and many others are highlights of his title reign.

Randy Savage, on the other hand, could play a heel or a face, and do both to perfection, at the time of his IC title reign, he was a heel and boy, did they hate him. His reign was highlighted, and ended with a spectacular match againest Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.

Chris Jericho has won the IC title a record NINE times, need I say more?

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I need to take my head off and screw it back on backwards to actually begin reading this thread...

Anyway...from the ones I HAVE read..im glad they haven't mentioned Honky Tonk Man..IMO he was the worst IC champion...

The best can't be said here...I'll name a few though...Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, Shawn Michaels and Jericho...(in no order btw..)

Razor Ramon...never held a world title, but what a great IC champion he was..involved in the best IC title match at WMX...

Mr. Perfect..same as above..never held a world title..but he was a magnificent IC champion...I mean his match with Bret, at 92 Summerslam was epic..

Shawn Michaels...what can be said..amazing..he just had all that energy back n the early 90's...he was the arguably the best IC champion from 1993-1995...

Chris Jericho...He's just the best at what he happens to do(credit to Santino)...a 9-time champion...and continues to beat his own record...i don't think anyone will become a 10 time champion..mostly because people go from IC champion to World champion..but Jericho went from IC to World to IC to World etc...looking at combines days..he aint so impressive...

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I am going to vote for who springs to mind when I think of an IC champion

Chris Jericho. He has been around the IC scene pretty much all the time I have been a huge wrestling fan, and his number of title reigns make him synonomous with the IC title to me. When I think of Jericho, I see him holding the IC title, not a World title.

Also, Razor Ramon would be up there, along with Randy Orton and The Rock