5 wrestlers with the most WWE Intercontinental Championship reigns
The WWE Intercontinental Championship became a part of the WWE in 1979 and holds a historic legacy. From the first winner, Pat Patterson, right up until the latest champion as of this writing, Apollo Crews. Many greats have held the Intercontinental gold.
The Intercontinental Championship has always been considered the secondary championship behind the WWE Championship. It effectively is the main title for the mid-card.
This could ultimately give mid-card superstars the opportunity to show their talent and hold the gold to push them on further in their career. After all, it is the talent that makes the title, not the title that makes the talent.
That being said, let's take a look at the five longest reining WWE Intercontinental Champions of all-time.
#5. Rob Van Dam has held the WWE Intercontinental Championship six times
The Whole F'N Show has a longstanding legacy when it comes to the Intercontinental Championship. He has held Intercontinental gold six times throughout his tenure with WWE.
His first reign carrying this 'workhorse title' came at the WrestleMania 18 pay-per-view in 2002 where he defeated William Regal in the opening contest. He won the Intercontinental Championship two more times in 2002, defeating Eddie Guerrero in a ladder match and Chris Benoit at SummerSlam.
He held the gold again twice in 2003, defeating Christian and Chris Jericho, respectively. He wouldn't win the title again until three years later, when he faced Shelton Benjamin at the Backlash pay-per-view in 2006. This would also mark Rob Van Dam's final reign as Intercontinental Champion.
Rob Van Dam was recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, where he commented on the induction with the Battle Creek Enquirer:
"Being inducted into the Hall of Fame probably means more than being a world champion because there are probably a lot of world champions that will never be in the Hall of Fame. To have Vince McMahon stand up during the induction ceremony and tell me that I changed the style of the business was probably the highest compliment I could imagine." (h/t Bleacher Report)
Whether we see Rob Van Dam back in the WWE ring for one last run remains to be seen. Who knows? He may add a seventh Intercontinental Championship to his accolades before hanging up his boots.