12 Best Intercontinental Champions in WWE History (Ranked)

Having first been launched in 1979, the Intercontinental Championship is likely one of the most prestigious titles in WWE and the checklist of males who’ve held the gold options among the high names to have ever handed by means of the corporate in its historical past. Generally considered as a stepping stone to greater issues, the title has typically been used as a device to raise a wrestler to the subsequent degree, getting them used to the strain that comes with being a champion earlier than the corporate decides whether or not to push them into the principle occasion scene, though, in some instances, among the greatest Intercontinental Championship by no means made it to the very high.

Whether or not the height of somebody’s profession or one thing that pushed them ahead to additional success, the Intercontinental Championship has given followers numerous memorable moments and matches throughout its existence, and a few males really stand out above the remaining in the case of their time with the gold. So, let GIVEMESPORT take you thru the 12 greatest Intercontinental Champions ever.

12 Edge

When speaking about how the Intercontinental Championship can take a wrestler to the subsequent degree, Edge must be somebody who instantly involves thoughts. Because it goes, when he shocked followers by capturing the Intercontinental Championship from Jeff Jarrett at a home present in Canada, the Rated R Celebrity wasn’t meant to take house the title with the highway agent calling an audible on the night time that resulted in a brand new champion. Nonetheless, it went a good distance in proving that Edge was somebody who was to be taken critically going ahead.

From there, he was capable of name himself Intercontinental Champion an additional 4 instances, together with defeating Randy Orton and Christian in title matches, along with his final IC Championship win coming in 2004, just below 18 months earlier than his iconic first WWE Championship win over John Cena in January 2006.

11 Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam is somebody who did his very best to make the Intercontinental Championship value combating for throughout his time with it. RVD had a complete of six reigns with the title and definitely has the match catalogue to equal every other wrestler on this checklist, vying for the championship in some immediate classics that summed him up as a performer.

By way of status, Van Dam was additionally the titleholder who defeated European Champion Jeff Hardy and Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer respectively to unify the Intercontinental Championship with their respective gold, including one other layer of honour to the mid-card title.

10 Jeff Jarrett

Jeff Jarrett’s successes with the Intercontinental Championship all got here inside a comparatively brief house of time. After defeating Razor Ramon at 1995’s Royal Rumble, Double J would go on to win the title an additional 5 instances, placing him in joint third for many reigns with RVD and Dolph Ziggler.

All coming whereas he was a heel, Jarrett was excellent for the position of the cocky mid-card champion. He’d defend it towards among the firm’s high faces, together with his aforementioned position in giving Edge his first large title triumph in entrance of his hometown crowd. Jarrett was a really sturdy character who WWE might depend on when wanted and that confirmed in his routine seize of the celebrated championship.

9 Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes has at all times been somebody who values the historical past {of professional} wrestling and his reigns with the Intercontinental Championship present how a lot he respects the lineage and historical past of the title. As many fondly bear in mind, Rhodes was the person who introduced again the traditional title design of the Nineteen Eighties, this time with a white strap that might final till 2019.

Having two stints with the gold, Rhodes’ first championship reign was 236 days earlier than he misplaced out to The Large Present. Whereas his subsequent title reign was a lot shorter and solely included one defence, Cody had already turn into top-of-the-line champions in current reminiscence at that time and definitely did his bit in reminding everybody what the Intercontinental Championship means.

8 Jeff Hardy

All through his complete WWE run, Jeff Hardy was by no means somebody to carry onto a championship for significantly lengthy. Nonetheless, The Charismatic Enigma has had an extremely profitable profession that features 5 separate Intercontinental Championship wins. From his first reign in 2001 to his final in 2020, it’s the opponents that Hardy overcame to say the title that stands out.

Beating Triple H to earn his first go together with the championship, Jeff’s later wins noticed him defeat Johnny Nitro, Umaga and even AJ Kinds to reclaim the gold and stay a persistent risk each time he was in and round title rivalry.

7 The Miz

For individuals who grew up watching WWE within the 2010s, there is no such thing as a title extra synonymous with the Intercontinental Championship than The Miz. Some will criticise the ‘A-Lister’ for not being as standout as others on this checklist in the case of his in-ring performances, however how can we not point out him in the case of this prestigious title?

Holding it a complete of eight completely different instances, Miz is just one Intercontinental Championship reign away from tying the report for many IC Title wins in historical past. Between two separate two-year intervals (2012-14 and 2016-18), the 43-year-old was routinely relied upon to re-establish the belt at instances when it was maybe missing the significance of years passed by.

6 Bret Hart

Bret Hart is about nearly as good an in-ring employee as you may be, and his skill got here to the forefront throughout his time within the Intercontinental Championship scene. Having two reigns, his first started with a superb win over Mr. Good and ended shockingly when he misplaced to The Mountee. Nonetheless, after Roddy Piper had turn into the subsequent champion, Bret wasn’t going to let his time with the gold finish there, defeating Scorching Rod to reclaim the belt.

He performed his half in historical past too, being the champion who The British Bulldog wanted to beat at a packed Wembley Stadium in probably the most beloved title switches in its historical past. General, the Hitman isn’t a nasty alternative to carry any championship, and he definitely gave his all to placed on nice matches over the Intercontinental Title.

5 Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels is remembered as a legend of the business, and rightly so. The now 59-year-old is a former multi-time world champion and a WWE Corridor of Famer, but it surely was his time with the Intercontinental Championship by which Michaels first confirmed simply how good he might be as a singles star.

Having nice matches typically got here naturally to HBK, however we should point out his iconic Ladder Match with Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X. He’s one of many first names that involves thoughts when pondering of the traditional Intercontinental Championship and the title was the right first step in his solo profession that noticed Michaels attain true superstardom.

4 Mr. Good

Earlier, we talked about how generally even the most effective Intercontinental Champions by no means bought to name themselves co-world champions, and Mr. Good is the most effective instance of this. Many won’t ever perceive how Curt Hennig was by no means the WWF Champion, however his Intercontinental Championship reigns communicate for themselves by way of his excellence.

Holding the belt for 406 days throughout two completely different reigns, Good’s first stint with the Intercontinental Championship noticed him primarily centered on Tito Santana, the person he beat for the gold earlier than his second included high quality encounters comparable to his retentions over Shawn Michaels, Large Boss Man and Roddy Piper.

3 Chris Jericho

The report holder. Chris Jericho has an astonishing 9 reigns with the Intercontinental Championship and, for a very long time, it regarded as if nobody would get near matching Y2J. A few individuals have since come inside one or two reigns of Jericho, but it surely’s merely unimaginable to decrease the greatness of his work with the Intercontinental Title.

He first received it from the one lady to ever maintain the mid-card title, defeating the legend that’s Chyna in 1999, and, though none of his stints with the gold have been significantly prolonged, his first and ninth reigns have been a decade aside. This leaves him with a myriad of traditional feuds and matches with an entire vary of opponents that helped create the legacy that the Intercontinental Championship has immediately.

2 Randy Savage

Randy Savage solely had one run with the Intercontinental Championship, defeating Tito Santana in February 1986, but his reign might simply be argued to be worthy of high spot on this checklist. At 413 days, he defended the title a powerful 25 instances in simply over a 12 months, welcoming all comers from George ‘The Animal’ Metal to Jake Roberts and even Bruno Sammartino.

Then, when it got here time for the Macho Man to drop the belt, he did so in some type. Placing the gold on the road at WrestleMania III, the match between Savage and Steamboat is thought to be top-of-the-line in firm historical past. It was in contrast to something frequently seen on WWE programming at the moment and completely capped off a legendary Intercontinental Championship run for Savage.

1 Gunther

Gunther is a throwback to eras passed by. The Austrian bought his palms on the title at a time when it definitely wasn’t at its hottest, and few might have ever predicted the reign that adopted his title win in June 2022. Gunther has at all times valued honour and status in skilled wrestling, and he made the Intercontinental Championship really feel like crucial prize on this planet at factors throughout his 666-day reign.

The Ring Normal had constructed the title as much as the extent that opponents like Sheamus and Chad Gable made chasing the championship their high precedence, however nobody might topple Imperium’s chief, and he was seemingly unbeatable at one time limit. By the point Sami Zayn turned champion at WrestleMania 40, Gunther had restored the glory of the title, and for our cash, this makes him the best Intercontinental Champion ever.