SummerSlam: 7 Best Intercontinental Title matches in history
The 33rd edition of SummerSlam takes place on August 23 and WWE has already started booking blockbuster matches for their biggest event of the summer. While five matches are already booked for Monday Night RAW's roster, including the WWE and United States Championships matches, the company has only announced one match on the SmackDown side.
While Braun Strowman is guaranteed to face Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship, we have yet to know who will challenge AJ Styles for the Intercontinental Championship. Given that The Phenomenal One has so far had a phenomenal reign, as expected, we are sure to get a huge match for the Blue brand's secondary title as well.
In the past 32 editions of SummerSlam, the prestigious title was defended on all but nine of them, and this has resulted numerous iconic matches, including the memorable start to The Ultimate Warrior's reign in the inaugural event and Steve Austin's infamous win with a broken neck in 1997.
Before Styles defends his title in at SummerSlam and potentially steals the show, we take a look at some of the greatest Intercontinental Title matches in SummerSlam history.
#7 Chris Benoit vs Rob Van Dam (SummerSlam 2002)
SummerSlam 2002 was a show for the ages. Headlined by the first and only showdown between The Rock and Brock Lesnar, SummerSlam also featured the in-ring return of Shawn Michaels as well as the greatest opening match in the event's history.
What gets completely lost in the shuffle between these historic matches is a stunning effort between two of the best wrestlers of their time, Chris Benoit and Rob Van Dam. Their inter-brand Intercontinental Title match, while not the best outing for either man, was still a highly competitive affair. The brand supremacy component, however, made the match more important than it was.
This 16-minute clinic had everything — mat wrestling, high-flying moves, hard hitting and near-falls. Add to the fact that the match had the perfect heel verusus face dynamics, with RVD as popular as ever and Benoit still in the middle of his heel run, and fans had a match that could have stolen the show on any other night. Mr. Monday Night bested the Rabid Wolverine, and brought the title back to for good.