The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested in and owned by the American promotion WWE on the Raw brand. The title was introduced into WWE in 1979, which was known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) at the time. Pat Patterson, holder of the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship, was awarded the title (with the kayfabe explanation that he won a tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and unified the North American and South American titles).
Overall, there have been 78 different Intercontinental Champions. Chris Jericho holds the record for the most reigns with nine, The Honky Tonk Man holds the longest reign at 454 days. Only three more wrestlers – Pedro Morales, Don Muraco, and Randy Savage – have held the championship for a continuous reign of more than a year.
Title History[]
Names[]
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| WWF Intercontinental (Heavyweight) Championship | September 1, 1979 – May 6, 2002 |
| WWE Intercontinental Championship | May 6, 2002 – October 20, 2002; May 18, 2003 – present |
Reigns[]
| Reign | The reign number for the specific champion listed |
|---|---|
| Location | The city in which the title was won |
| Event | The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title was won |
| + | Indicates the current reign is changing daily |
| # | Wrestlers | Reigns | Date | Days held | Location | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pat Patterson | 1 | September 1, 1979 | 233 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | — | Patterson became the first champion as a result of defeating Ted DiBiase to win the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship on June 19, 1979 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and defeating Johnny Rodz in a fictional tournament final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to unify the North American Heavyweight Championship with the fictional South American Heavyweight Championship to create the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. |
| 7 | Tito Santana | 1 | February 11, 1984 | 226 | Boston, MA | House show | |
| 8 | Greg Valentine | 1 | September 24, 1984 | 285 | London, ON | Maple Leaf Wrestling | Aired on tape delay on October 13, 1984. |
| 9 | Tito Santana | 2 | July 6, 1985 | 217 | Balitmore, MD | House show | This was a steel cage match. |
| 10 | Randy Savage | 1 | February 8, 1986 | 414 | Boston, MA | House show | |
| 11 | Ricky Steamboat | 1 | March 29, 1987 | 65 | Pontiac, MI | WrestleMania III | |
| 12 | The Honky Tonk Man | 1 | June 2, 1987 | 454 | Buffalo, NY | Superstars of Wrestling | Aired on tape delay on June 13, 1987.
By mid-1988, the title was renamed the WWF Intercontinental Championship. |
| 13 | Ultimate Warrior | 1 | August 29, 1988 | 216 | New York, NY | SummerSlam | |
| 14 | Rick Rude | 1 | April 2, 1989 | 148 | Atlantic City, NJ | WrestleMania V | |
| 15 | Ultimate Warrior | 2 | August 28, 1989 | 216 | East Rutherford, NJ | SummerSlam | |
| — | Vacated | — | April 1, 1990 | — | Toronto, ON | WrestleMania VI | The title was vacated when The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
| 16 | Mr. Perfect | 1 | April 23, 1990 | 126 | Austin, TX | Superstars of Wrestling | Defeated Tito Santana in a tournament final for the vacant title.
Aired on tape delay on May 19, 1990. |
| 17 | The Texas Tornado | 1 | August 27, 1990 | 84 | Philadelphia, PA | SummerSlam | |
| 18 | Mr. Perfect | 2 | November 19, 1990 | 280 | Rochester, NY | Superstars of Wrestling | Aired on tape delay on December 15, 1990. |
| 19 | Bret Hart | 1 | August 26, 1991 | 144 | New York, NY | SummerSlam | |
| 20 | The Mountie | 1 | January 17, 1992 | 2 | Springfield, MA | House show | |
| 21 | Roddy Piper | 1 | January 19, 1992 | 77 | Albany, NY | Royal Rumble |
Combined reigns[]
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of Reigns | Combined days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | The Honky Tonk Man | 1 | 454 |
| 6 | Razor Ramon | 4 | 438 |
| 7 | Ultimate Warrior | 2 | 432 |