WWEHall of Famer Pat Patterson became the first Intercontinental Champion in WWE history when he won the Intercontinental Championship on a steamy night in Rio de Janeiro in 1979. The Intercontinental Championship is a prestigious title and has become a stepping stone to the WWE Championship. It's seen as the workhorse championship with the likes of Mr. Perfect, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage getting their hands on the Intercontinental Championship.
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The majority of wrestlers lose their championship on merit whether it be by pinfall or submission, but there have been occasions where a reigning Intercontinental Champion has been injured and forced to relinquish the title. Some wrestlers have lost the championship for several other reasons and with some decisions logical and others nonsensical.
11 WrestleMania 6 (April 1, 1990): The Ultimate Warrior Focuses On The WWE Championship
The Ultimate Warrior regained the Intercontinental Championship from Rick Rude at SummerSlam 1989, and eight months later, Warrior squared off with Hulk Hogan, who was the WWE Champion at WrestleMania 6. It was title-for-title, and one of the biggest matches in WWE history.
The storytelling was fantastic, and Warrior dethroned Hogan to become the first man to hold the WWE and Intercontinental Championships simultaneously. However, Warrior relinquished the Intercontinental Championship as the WWE Championship was the bigger prize, and he prioritized that.
10 September 27, 1993: Shawn Michaels Suspended For Testing Positive For Steroids
Shawn Michaels recaptured the Intercontinental Championship from his former tag team partner Marty Jannetty on the June 6, 1993, edition of Raw. Michaels retained the Intercontinental Championship against the likes of Crush and Mr. Perfect at King of the Ring 1993 and SummerSlam 1993 respectively.
Champions used to have to defend their title within 30 days, or they would be stripped of the title. Michaels didn't defend the title in 30 days, but in reality, Michaels tested positive for usage of steroids, and he relinquished the Intercontinental Championship.
9 April 30, 1995: Jeff Jarrett's Title Reign Ends Controversially
Jeff Jarrett defeated Razor Ramon for his first Intercontinental Championship reign at the 1995 Royal Rumble. Three months later, Jarrett and Holly battled over the Intercontinental Championship on the April 30, 1995 edition of Action Zone.
Jarrett and Holly's Intercontinental Championship match ended controversially as referee Tim White saw that Jarrett cheated to retain the title. It was strange as Jarrett was stripped of the title, but he regained the championship on the same night.
8 April 15, 1996: Goldust Is Stripped As Intercontinental Champion
Goldust clinched his first Intercontinental Championship at Razor Ramon's expense at the 1996 Royal Rumble. On the April 15, 1996 taping of Raw, Goldust was close to dropping the Intercontinental Championship to Savio Vega as Vega nailed him with the title belt.
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WWE President Gorilla Monsoon spoke to ring announcer Howard Finkel and Finkel announced that Goldust would be stripped of the Intercontinental Championship. The title was vacant, but Goldust beat Vega in a rematch a week later to become a two-time Intercontinental Champion.
7 August 12, 1996: Ahmed Johnson Has A Kidney Injury
Ahmed Johnson made history when he defeated Goldust for the Intercontinental Championship at King of the Ring 1996. He became the first black wrestler to win the Intercontinental Championship, which is a phenomenal achievement.
Johnson's two-month Intercontinental Championship reign was average, but after he competed in an 11-Man Battle Royal, he was assaulted by Faarooq. Johnson had a legitimate kidney issue, but they turned it into a storyline with Johnson written off television as the Intercontinental Championship became vacant.
6 September 8, 1997: Steve Austin Has A Legitimate Neck Injury
Steve Austin feuded with the Hart Foundation for the majority of 1997, and at SummerSlam, Austin challenged Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Championship. Unfortunately, the King of Harts botched a Tombstone Piledriver leading to Austin sustaining a broken neck.
Austin captured his first Intercontinental Championship with one of the worst roll-ups in WWE history. Austin was a double champion as he held the WWE World Tag Team Championship alongside Dude Love. Nevertheless, Austin relinquished the gold a month later, but he recaptured the title from Owen Hart at Survivor Series.
5 October 8, 1998: Triple H Sustains A Knee Injury
DX and The Nation had a superb rivalry in the Attitude Era with championships changing hands between the two factions. At SummerSlam 1998, Triple H defeated The Rock for his second Intercontinental Championship in a brilliant ladder match.
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The leader of DX's Intercontinental Championship reign did not go according to plan. He was on the shelf for a couple of months as he sustained a legitimate knee injury, and therefore the championship was vacated.
4 September 6, 2004: The Injury Bug Strikes Edge Again
Edge has suffered a plethora of injuries throughout his WWE Hall of Fame career. Edge recovered from neck surgery, and he was drafted to Raw in the 2004 draft lottery. Furthermore, Edge targeted Randy Orton's Intercontinental Championship, and he defeated him at Vengeance to become a five-time Intercontinental Champion.
Edge received a hostile reception from his hometown fans in Toronto at SummerSlam 2004 when he beat Batista and Chris Jericho in a triple-threat match to retain the Intercontinental Championship. However, Edge sustained another injury and this time it was a groin injury that forced him to relinquish the Intercontinental Championship, although he wasn't on the sidelines for a long time.
3 June 30, 2014: Bad News Barrett Sustains A Shoulder Injury
Bad News Barrett never won a WWE World Championship and one of the reasons for that is because Barrett suffered numerous injuries. At Payback 2014, Bad News Barrett defeated Big E to become Intercontinental Champion for the fourth time.
Barrett's fourth Intercontinental Championship run was curtailed as he suffered a serious shoulder injury that required surgery. Barrett's Intercontinental Title reign lasted 57 days, and The Miz was his successor as he won the vacant Intercontinental Championship at Battleground 2014 in a Battle Royal.
2 May 11, 2015: Daniel Bryan Sustains A Concussion
Daniel Bryan has had his fair share of injuries that have plagued parts of his wrestling career. Fans rejoiced when Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental Championship in a seven-man ladder match at WrestleMania 31.
Unfortunately, Bryan suffered a concussion in a match with Sheamus on an episode of SmackDown in March 2015. It would have been hard for Bryan to have parted ways with the Intercontinental Championship on the May 11, 2015 edition of Raw, but he did the admirable thing as he knew that he couldn't defend the title with a concussion.
1 May 12, 2020: Sami Zayn Opts To Stay Home During COVID-19 Pandemic
Sami Zayn teamed up with Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro to beat Braun Strowman for the Intercontinental Championship in a handicap match at Elimination Chamber 2020. This was Zayn's first championship on the main roster which was a long time coming.
The Great Liberator managed to see off former five-time WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 36 in a successful Intercontinental Championship title defense. The COVID-19 pandemic struck during Zayn's Intercontinental Championship reign, and he opted to stay at home. He was stripped of the title, but they turned it into a storyline with Zayn returning with his Intercontinental Championship.
