There are many title belts that have been considered the top-of-the-line championships to hold in the world of professional wrestling. The big gold belt of the NWA and the now defunct WCW now rests around the waist of whoever the World Heavyweight champion is. The winged eagle belt that once signified who the top dog in all of WWE is no longer anywhere in sight even after numerous renovations and face-lifts. So many great names have worn the United States title that used to be in WCW and now belongs to the wrestler that captures it on Friday Night SmackDown. All of these titles and countless others have their places in history, but maybe none with as prestigious a list of title holders and contenders as the Intercontinental title.
The Intercontinental Championship has been a staple in the WWE since 1979 and is just about to come up on the thirtieth anniversary of its inception. It has seen a number of different wrestlers hold it over their shoulder or wear it around their waist, beaming with pride that they possess the gold. Ever since I started watching wrestling back in 1985, I’ve seen so many different personalities capture the title and showcase it to let everyone know that they are the champ. It wasn’t always captured by the fairest practices, but no matter how it was achieved it was seen as a great accomplishment to have won it. Some of the greatest names in wrestling have held onto that title: Bret Hart, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Mr. Perfect, Goldust, Ultimate Warrior, Pat Patterson, the Honky Tonk Man, and numerous others. There have also been some questionable champions and those who weren’t always some to be proud of: The Mountie, Chyna, Billy Gunn, Santino Marella, and some other names I won’t disclose at this time. No matter what though, they still have the distinct pleasure of stating they held the Intercontinental Title.
Some may look at the title as secondary or a mid-class level belt. Back in the eighties I remember seeing the Intercontinental Title as a stepping stone to the WWE Title and whoever held it would always be one step away (number one contender) to the top. The Ultimate Warrior captured the belt and soon got into a feud with Hulk Hogan that lasted almost a year and came to a head at WrestleMania VI in a match that was title for title. It was a match that was talked about all over the world and not just because of those involved but because it would pit the World champion against the Intercontinental champion which is the best versus the best. Consider it a secondary title if you wish, but I know that many wrestlers the world over would love to capture it and proudly wear it.
The belt itself has also gone through a number of looks and face-lifts throughout time. Early on it was a silver looking belt with a couple guys grappling on the front of it. The leather strap the gold rests on has been changed at times to be white, orange, yellow, and even baby blue. In the eighties, it started out a bit more squared and almost looked a bit like a puzzle piece in its original incarnation. As time went on; the belt would change shapes and become a bit more streamlined so that it could fit in with the times. It is currently an oval shape and actually looks to be about the same size as the eighties-style belt. One thing stays put though and that is portraying all the continents to let everyone know that whoever holds the belt will defend it no matter where their plane may land.
Disc One – The 1980s
~ The Inaugural Champion
~ Madison Square Garden 10/22/79: WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match – Pat Patterson Vs. Ted Dibiase – So strange seeing Dibiase in plain brown tights and without dollar signs all over him. A lot, and I do mean a lot, of stalling from Patterson to begin the match and Dibiase talking some trash as well. When things finally get going though, Dibiase really takes it to Patterson beating him from pillar to post and even throwing some submission moves in there for good measure. And playing the part of the cowardly heel the entire match continued into the result which saw Patterson use the ropes for the pin.
~ Olympic Strongman Vs. The Fiery Latino
~ Madison Square Garden 10/20/80: WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match – Ken Patera Vs. Pedro Morales – Strongman Patera was the first Intercontinental Champion with an Olympic background and would be the only one until twenty years later when Kurt Angle did it. Patera gets some serious heat from the crowd before the match and even goes as far to say that “Morales will never see the belt around that fat Puerto Rican waist.” I had forgotten how big a part of wrestling the stalling played back in the day. Morales didn’t end up winning the title here thanks to just losing it on Patera and choking him out which led to a big old fashioned brawl.
~ Knockdown Drag Out Fight
~ Madison Square Garden 12/28/82: WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match – Pedro Morales Vs. The Magnificent Muraco – Muraco drew some serious heat with Lou Albano at his side and these guys appeared to really hate one another. They are two big dudes who just wanted to beat the ever living life out of the other and walk out with the title. This is a really great match and they’d go on to feud a while longer, but this match showed just how entertaining a match they could put on together.
~ The Super Splash
~ Madison Square Garden 10/17/83: WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match – The Magnificent Muraco Vs. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka – In case you’ve been in a box for the past thirty years or never heard of Mick Foley, then let me share this visual with you. Imagine the intense and love-filled Superfly fifteen feet high above the ring and looking down at a bloody Muraco lying on the mat. He holds up the famed “I love you” sign and flies through the air to splash down upon Muraco. And this all happened after the match was over and the Magnificent one stole another victory. The match is rather brutal and a good one between the two men but it is the aftermath that most remember it for.
~ Arriba! & The Hammer
~ Madison Square Garden 03/17/85: Lumberjack Match for the WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship – Greg Valentine Vs. Tito Santana – Let’s see who I recognize from the lumberjacks. I see Big John Studd, Junkyard Dog, King Kong Bundy, Matt Borne, Ricky Steamboat, Terry Gibbs, and Jimmy Snuka just to name a few. Greg Valentine always looked old as hell even way back then in 1985. Santana looks like a kid out there in the ring with Valentine and those huge guys surrounding them. Lumberjack matches are always a lot of fun with the guys outside the ring either helping someone or beating him to death and throwing him back in the ring. Santana keeps a quick pace and tries to keep things rolling along while Valentine wants to slow the match and deliver some clubbing blows. Man, the heels really owned this belt early on didn’t they?
~ Enter The Macho Man
~ Boston Garden 02/08/86: WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match – Tito Santana Vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage – Back when I was a kid, Savage was always one of my favorite wrestlers no matter if he was a heel or face. Here he gets an oddly strange amount of cheers even though he’s playing the part of the heel. No matter for this is a great match between Santana and Savage as they just were perfect in the ring together. There is a lot of back and forth action with high-flying stuff from both of them which is really way before its time here.
~ The Greatest Ever
~ WrestleMania III 03/29/87: WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match – Randy “Macho Man” Savage Vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat – This is it. This is THE match that is brought up numerous times every year when talking about wrestling, or WrestleMania for that matter. The storyline behind this match is that Savage and Steamboat were having a match when Savage went nuts (as usual) and “crushed” Steamboat’s throat with the ringbell. A few months later Steamboat returned and out for revenge which culminated in this epic match. It’s just a great match in every aspect from the technical wrestling to the brutality to the storytelling to the historic finish that sent the crowd into a huge frenzy. Even twenty-one years after it originally happened, this is still one of my all-time favorite matches and I can never see it enough.
~ The Guitar Playing Antagonist
~ SuperStars 06/02/87: WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Match – Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat Vs. Honky Tonk Man – Honky’s theme song is incredibly awesome and I realize now how much I miss it. I also miss Jesse Ventura on commentary which should show all heel announcers how they need to act out there. This is an extremely quick match that doesn’t see a clean finish, but it paved the way for the longest Intercontinental Title reign in WWE history. It also let me see Jimmy Hart’s over the top celebrations after his guys got big wins.
~ End Of An Era
~ SummerSlam 08/29/88: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Honky Tonk Man Vs. Ultimate Warrior – It may be one of the shortest matches ever, but it’s still cool. Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake was meant to be Honky’s opponent but was injured and therefore a replacement was needed. Warrior ran down to the ring, destroyed Honky, and ended the longest reign in Intercontinental history.
~ The Ladies man
~ SummerSlam 08/28/89: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Ravishing Rick Rude Vs. Ultimate Warrior – I could never get enough of Warrior and Rude back in the day because it just seemed like they were always destined to be enemies. Hell, the feud went on for absolutely ever so it was only appropriate that they were great together in the ring and always put on some good matches. Rude and his manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan screwed Warrior out of the title at WrestleMania V which saw Heenan hold down Warrior’s ankle so Rude could make the pin and take the belt. Even though the end result seemed rather obvious, this match was back and forth the whole time and a lot of fun to watch.
Disc 2 – The 1990s
~ The Perfect Champion
~ SummerSlam 08/26/91: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Mr. Perfect Vs. Bret “Hit Man” Hart – Could you ask for much better than the late Mr. Perfect and Bret Hart? Later on in Perfect’s career it was said that he was alright with making wrestlers look better in the ring and helping younger stars. No matter who stepped into the ring with Perfect at any point in his career, he made them look good. This match is said to be the stepping stone that would shoot Bret Hart up the singles ladder and make him a star. It is obvious why they say that because this match is awesome.
Bret plays all the rules that a babyface is supposed to play and uses his God given ability to get the advantage over Perfect. Yet time and time again, Perfect would use one little evil move such as a poke to the eyes in order to get the advantage and take control. This is a much better match than the earlier one from MSG. Even though Perfect would go on to lose this match, it is one of the best of his entire career and a great sight to see from start to finish.
~ Divided Loyalties
~ SummerSlam 08/29/92: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Bret “Hit Man” Hart vs. British Bulldog – My Lord a lot of good Intercontinental Title matches happen at different SummerSlams. This match took place in England and ended up being the main event of the night simply because Bulldog was in it. Another classic match here that sees a number of camera shots showing Bulldog’s wife in the crowd who also happens to be Bret’s sister so it’s needless to say but there’s a lot of tension here. The crowd is also insanely into the match making it that much more intense and gigantic. Back and forth action throughout with a lot of near falls that will have you on the edge of your seat and not questioning at all why this match fell into the main event slot.
~ Stealing The Show
~ WrestleMania X 03/20/94: Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship – Razor Ramon Vs. Shawn Michaels – Does this one really need to be explained to anyone? It is perhaps the most famous and well known ladder match in all of wrestling history. Not just for reasons of the ladder, but the match itself has already gone down in history as a true classic. Razor Ramon is the champion going into the match with the real Intercontinental Title while Shawn Michaels came into the match with the title that he held when suspended. Both titles were hung above the ring and the winner grabbed both of them. No matter how you do it; just watch this match. Much like Steamboat/Savage, it is one of the very best matches not only in this DVD set, but in all of wrestling ever.
~ Believing In Yourself
~ Royal Rumble 01/22/95: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Razor Ramon Vs. Jeff Jarrett – Here you actually get almost two full matches in one as we see a countout victory not be sufficient enough for Jeff Jarrett. I find it kind of odd though because seeing Ramon get counted out due to “injury” and then having a match restart would seem like grounds for the comeback win against all odds. Strangely then Jarrett is the one who makes the comeback and scores his first singles title in WWE. The match itself isn’t too bad as a whole, but it’s nothing special.
~ One Of The Greatest Rivalries In History
~ In Your House: D-Generation X 12/07/97: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Rocky Maivia Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin – Odd that they still had “one hour time limits” as recently as 1997. Oh, this was during the Nation Of Domination era and when the “Rocky Sucks” chants rained down. Rocky comes out with the title but is the challenger and Austin comes out in a pick-up truck that would be a signature of some of his entrances for years to come. This match lasted maybe five minutes but it had a lot going on throughout it including brass knuckles, a ref bump, interference, and a truck getting demolished. Alright so this was early on in their careers and feud, but it would grow to much bigger heights. Hell, Austin didn’t even take his vest off until after it was all over.
~ A New Level of Popularity
~ In Your House: Fully Loaded 07/26/98: 2 Out of 3 Falls for the WWE Intercontinental Championship – Triple H Vs. The Rock – The Nation Of Domination and DX were in full feuding form and it shows after the match is over with a big brawl breaking out. As for the match itself, it’s a great back and forth fight that sees both men take advantage and then end up in peril at times. Like Austin and Rock, these two would also go on to better matches and battles over bigger titles. A crappy ending though sees the time limit run out and the match be called a draw. Boooooooo!
~ The Ninth Wonder Of The World
~ No Mercy 10/17/99: Good Housekeeping Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship – Jeff Jarrett Vs. Chyna – Jarrett was in the middle of his “domestic abuse” thing he had going on back at the end of the nineties. Not so sure then why he faced off against Chyna since…oh wait, she had had her surgery by this time; never mind then. This match is basically a hardcore match but with all the things one would find useful for housekeeping like a broom, garbage can, dustpan, mop, and so on. Chyna is in control for most of the matchup but took some good shots and held her own. You could call this a comedy match in a way especially with the cake mix being thrown into the faces of everyone involved, but it’s important since Chyna became the first woman to win a major men’s championship.
Disc 3 – The 2000s
~ The New Millennium
~ No Way Out 02/27/00: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Chris Jericho Vs. Kurt Angle – Holy hell! I almost forgot what Kurt Angle looked like with hair. He held the European Title at this time and looked to walk out with all the gold and become the “Euro-Continental Champion.” This match was early on in Angle’s career but it was evident even then that he was going to be something special. The ending of the match kind of sucks since it isn’t exactly a clean finish, but it still opened the doors for Angle to go a long way.
~ 3 Is Better Than 2
~ SmackDown 10/12/00: Triple Threat Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship – Eddie Guerrero Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. X-Pac – I liked X-Pac and I don’t care what anyone says. With three guys of this caliber and the amount of talent that they possess, a match longer than four minutes wouldn’t have hurt anybody. It’s hard to believe that this match went by so quickly because they were all destroying each other from the opening bell and flying around the ring and then BLAM…it’s over.
~ David Vs. Goliath
~ SmackDown 04/12/01: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Triple H Vs. Jeff Hardy – Jeff was still in the middle of his tag team career with his brother Matt, but was given this chance to win a major singles’ title. Trips and Austin were a heel tag team and Hardy got revenge on the duo, in the form of a steel chair, for taking out Lita earlier in the week. Here’s a match that isn’t very long and isn’t the best one ever, but the passion shown by hardy and the sheer goosebumps that come from every near fall make it that much better. Jeff came in as the ultimate underdog and walked out with an upset victory the likes of which he had never had before. I remember WWE.com announcing this title change online when it happened and even then it made a huge smile cross my face because it was just so unexpected.
~ The Unification
~ RAW 07/22/02: WWE Intercontinental Vs. European Championship Ladder Match – Rob Van Dam Vs. Jeff Hardy – The Intercontinental Title was hanging above the ring because the two belts would become one after this match was over. They are no strangers to a quick pace, hardcore rules, or ladders being used to get up high in the air and retrieve their prize. Perhaps not as much time was given to this match that would have been if it had taken place on a PPV, but it’s still pretty good. Both men do some insane things with the ladders and one situation near the end makes me think that if Jeff had landed one inch more forward then he would have broken his neck.
~ Battle Of The Young Guns
~ Vengeance 07/11/04: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Edge Vs. Randy Orton – Edge was back and in rare form, but not his best. Edge is always better as a heel and that is evident as watching him play the babyface role just seems to take something away from his character. It doesn’t help either that this match is incredibly boring except for the hot finish that sees Edge capture the title. There is a lot of stalling from Orton to begin everything and then things just turn very plodding and slow moving. Not one of the better matches for either guy.
~ Former World Champions Collide
~ Taboo Tuesday 11/01/05: Steel Cage Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship – Ric Flair vs. Triple H – The choices the fans could vote for were steel cage, submission, and “one fall to the finish.” It was always obvious which decision the fans would make here. Kind of an odd match when you stop and think about it because both Flair and Triple H have been in main event matches for years and fighting for the heavyweight titles of whatever show they were on yet here they are brutalizing one another over the Intercontinental strap. And brutalize doesn’t even begin to describe the beatings they give one another here as it is just an extremely violent match. They go back and forth for close to twenty-five minutes and use every dirty trick there is in the book to get the advantage. What makes this match so incredibly special for me is that it is a cage match that sees the winner escape the cage instead of getting a pin or submission. Having two wrestlers the caliber of Flair and Trips also shows the prestige the Intercontinental Title holds.
~ Winner Takes All
~ Backlash 04/30/06: Money In The Bank & WWE Intercontinental Championship Winner Takes All – Rob Van Dam Vs. Shelton Benjamin – The winner of this match got both the Intercontinental title and RVD’s money in the bank briefcase for a shot at a world title. Both men are high-flying and very innovative when it comes to the moves they bring out in their matches, but sometimes it takes them a little while to set them up. Such is the case here and it slows down the action a bit, but it’s still an awesome match when the spots finally come together. They know how to perform some innovative counters and bring out the huge moves when needed and that is proven by RVD breaking out the Van Terminator and that’s always impressive.
~ Fresh Faces
~ Vengeance 06/25/06: Triple Threat Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship – Carlito Vs. Johnny Nitro Vs. Shelton Benjamin – All three of the men involved here have gone on to prove to me just how successful their careers will be in years to come. Sadly the formulaic triple threat rule applies here as one guy gets knocked out for a while and lays there as the other two battle it out only to come back and knock one of them out so the same thing can happen again. That doesn’t matter too much though because all three of these men have great futures ahead of them and they show it here with some great action and awesome maneuvers. It also changes things up as the “fresh faces” moniker implies because we are seeing some guys challenge for the title that never had before meaning they stepped up their game to get to the Intercontinental Title level.
~ One Man Wrecking Crew
~ The Great American Bash 07/22/07: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Jeff Hardy Vs. Umaga – An ultimate test of big and strong versus small and fast. Hardy and Umaga work really well in the ring together with Jeff getting in all the quick shots he can while trying to stay away from Umaga. But when he’s caught, Jeff gets laid into with some hard shots and has to constantly work for an escape. Both wrestlers are entertaining in the ring and have such different styles that it makes for a very fun match. Umaga is a massive force that was a great champion and should end up seeing success in the main event scene for a long time to come.
~ # 8
~ RAW 03/10/08: WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Jeff Hardy Vs. Chris Jericho – Jeff had recaptured the title and made his way back to successful defenses but now had to face off against the recently returned Y2J. This match stems from incidents happening on Jericho’s Highlight Reel the week before and the upcoming Money In The Bank match at WrestleMania XXIV. What an excellent match between these two that sees some great action happen throughout and a really hot ending that shows truly that Jericho is back. I love the intensity both of these guys put forth in this match and really liked the back and forth finish that left me thinking it could have gone either way.
~ The Matches Speak For Themselves
The event is shown in 1.33:1 Full Screen format and some of the older matches do show a bit of dullness and some grain every now and then, but nothing too severe and it’s not like that isn’t expected.
The event is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and even the older stuff sounds just fine with the commentary, entrance themes, pyro, and every punch and kick can be heard loud and clear.
Pre-main menu screen Trailers – Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia, Viva La Raza: The Legacy Of Eddie Guerrero, and Hell In A Cell
Well, it’s going to have to ring true that the matches speak for themselves because the WWE decided to not include any special features on this DVD release at all. Maybe that’s because of just how much stuff you get in the main attraction and that’s going to find no complaints from me. So not all of the matches are four and five stars, and to be honest with you some of them aren’t even two stars, but they all play an important role in the history of this most prestigious title. So many great names have held that belt and it is truly a piece of history in the professional wrestling world and just as important to me as the big gold belt that has been around for decades. There are some wrestlers that probably should have held at least this title sometime in their careers and they include Jake Roberts, Ted Dibiase, and Rick Martel but it just wasn’t meant to be. This DVD set shows some classic matches and a lot of wrestlers that put everything on the line for what so many considered to be a secondary title to the world championship. I dare anyone to go up to the past title holders and see what their reaction is to be called a “secondary champion” for they most surely were not. Wrestling fans around the world need to pick up this set and see a great collection of matches and history of an awesome championship.
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WWE Home Video presents The History Of The Intercontinental Championship. Featuring: Ted Dibiase, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Ultimate Warrior, Ravishing Rick Rude, Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, Edge, Tito Santana, and many more. Running time: 540 minutes on 3 discs. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: November 25, 2008. Available at Amazon
