WWE History Vol. 25: The Greatest Intercontinental Title Matches
The Intercontinental Championship is a creation of kayfabe in its purest form. After WWE officially withdrew from the territorial system and became a world wide phenomenon, they employed a massive roster of top Superstars.
Obviously, not all of these famous wrestlers could be WWE World Champion. A mid card belt was needed. Since WWE rival, the NWA, had the United States Championships as their mid card title, the WWE decided to go one better and create the Intercontinental championship, signifying the best wrestler in both North and South America.
The reason the Intercontinental championship is mired in kayfabe is due to how the first champion was crowned. Pat Patterson was the first champion, but he didn't pin a single person to get the belt.
The WWE decided to forgo the usual tournament format of crowning a freshly minted title's first owner, and decided to pretend that it had happened instead.
After Patterson, a virtual who's who of wrestling legends have held the Intercontinental Championship. Macho Man Randy Savage, The Rock, Chris Jericho are a few names who have held the prestigious title.
Over the course of its long and storied history, there have naturally been some fantastic bouts contested for it. Here are some of the finest, in chronological order.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.
#1 Ricky the Dragon Steamboat vs. Macho Man Randy Savage (C)
The Time: March 29 1987
The Place: WrestleMania III
The Angle: When people talk about the Intercontinental Championship, it's a good bet that this match will come up, for very good reasons.
The build up angle to the culminating title bout was nothing short of brilliant, and included wrestling legend George the Animal Steele. Steele had been making advances in his own innocent child like way towards Miss Elizabeth, the manager (and real life wife) of Macho Man Randy Savage.
Fellow babyface Ricky Steamboat became involved, trying to help his friend Steele, and for his troubles had his larynx 'crushed' (kayfabe) when Macho Man leapt off the top rope and landed on him with the ringbell.
After Steamboat 'recovered' from the assault, the match was booked for the IC title at WrestleMania 3.
Why it's considered to be great: There's no question that Andre vs. Hogan was the match that got everyone jumping off their seats, but this bout completely stole the show. Savage and Steamboat meticulously planned their bout, which turned out to be everything a pro wrestling match should be. Drama, technical acumen, and thrilling dives from the top rope all conspired with the stellar angle to make this perhaps the most beloved IC title bout of all time.