WWE Intercontinental Championship
Encyclopedia
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling
championship
in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand
. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches
, in which participants execute scripted
finishes rather than contend in direct competition.
became the inaugural champion on September 15,1979. The title's creation came as a result of Patterson defeating Ted DiBiase
to win the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship
and defending the title in an apocrypha
l tournament to be unified
with a South American Heavyweight Championship in Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
. The title later became known as the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
On October 17, 1999, Chyna became the first and only woman to hold the Intercontinental championship by defeating Jeff Jarrett
at No Mercy
. Following the World Wrestling Federation's purchase of World Championship Wrestling
in March 2001, the title was unified
with the WCW United States Championship
at Survivor Series 2001
, causing the United States Championship to become inactive. The United States Champion, Edge, defeated the Intercontinental Champion, Test.
Following the WWF/WWE name change in 2002, the championship was further unified
with the European Championship
in a ladder match
on July 22, and the Hardcore Championship
on August 26. The Intercontinental Champion, Rob Van Dam
, defeated the European Champion, Jeff Hardy
, and the Hardcore Champion, Tommy Dreamer
respectively. As a result, Rob Van Dam was named the last European and Hardcore Champion. Then at No Mercy 2002
, it was unified with the World Heavyweight Championship
. The World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H
, defeated the Intercontinental Champion, Kane
, causing the Intercontinental Championship to become inactive. However, in May 2003, the title was reactivated by Raw co-General Manager, Stone Cold Steve Austin
, and was recommissioned to be a secondary championship to the Raw
brand. Shortly after, the WCW United States Championship was reactivated as the WWE United States Championship
by the SmackDown brand, making the title its counterpart. During the 2009 WWE Draft
on April 13, 2009, reigning champion Rey Mysterio was drafted to SmackDown, making the Intercontinental Championship exclusive to that brand.
On October 2, 2011, Cody Rhodes, the current champion, introduced a modified version of the classic belt design with the white strap (incorporating the modern WWE "Scratch" logo, and further embellishments) at the Hell in a Cell
pay-per-view event.
with a "South American Heavyweight Championship" in Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
in September 1979. Chris Jericho
holds the most reigns with nine. The Honky Tonk Man
is the longest reigning champion at 454 days while Triple H is the shortest reigning champion by unifying the title with the World Heavyweight Championship immediately after winning. Chyna is the only woman in history to win the title. The current champion is Cody Rhodes, who is in his first reign. He defeated Ezekiel Jackson for the title at the August 9 tapings for the August 12 edition of WWE SmackDown.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
championship
Championship (professional wrestling)
A Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...
in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches
Professional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
, in which participants execute scripted
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
finishes rather than contend in direct competition.
History
Following the title's introduction in 1979, Pat PattersonPat Patterson
Pierre Clermont , better known by his ring name Pat Patterson, is a Canadian former professional wrestler. He works for WWE as a creative consultant...
became the inaugural champion on September 15,1979. The title's creation came as a result of Patterson defeating Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
to win the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship
WWF North American Heavyweight Championship
The WWF North American Championship was a relatively short-lived title in the World Wrestling Federation from 1979 until 1981. It is considered to be the spiritual predecessor to the WWE Intercontinental Championship after Pat Patterson was awarded the Intercontinental Championship as a result of...
and defending the title in an apocrypha
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
l tournament to be unified
Championship unification
Championship unification is the act of combining two or more separate professional wrestling championships into a single title.-History:In professional wrestling, championships may be unified to consolidate the number of championships in a given promotion, or to add legitimacy and prestige to a...
with a South American Heavyweight Championship in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The title later became known as the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
On October 17, 1999, Chyna became the first and only woman to hold the Intercontinental championship by defeating Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
at No Mercy
No Mercy (1999)
No Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on October 17, 1999 at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio....
. Following the World Wrestling Federation's purchase of World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
in March 2001, the title was unified
Championship unification
Championship unification is the act of combining two or more separate professional wrestling championships into a single title.-History:In professional wrestling, championships may be unified to consolidate the number of championships in a given promotion, or to add legitimacy and prestige to a...
with the WCW United States Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
at Survivor Series 2001
Survivor Series (2001)
Survivor Series was the fifteenth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
, causing the United States Championship to become inactive. The United States Champion, Edge, defeated the Intercontinental Champion, Test.
Following the WWF/WWE name change in 2002, the championship was further unified
Championship unification
Championship unification is the act of combining two or more separate professional wrestling championships into a single title.-History:In professional wrestling, championships may be unified to consolidate the number of championships in a given promotion, or to add legitimacy and prestige to a...
with the European Championship
WWE European Championship
The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. A coveted singles title of the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was held by superstars such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and was...
in a ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
on July 22, and the Hardcore Championship
WWE Hardcore Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Championship is a hardcore wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and is contested under "hardcore" rules, meaning there is no disqualifications, no countouts, and pin falls could be counted anywhere...
on August 26. The Intercontinental Champion, Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, defeated the European Champion, Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
, and the Hardcore Champion, Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
respectively. As a result, Rob Van Dam was named the last European and Hardcore Champion. Then at No Mercy 2002
No Mercy (2002)
No Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on October 20, 2002, at the Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It was the fifth annual WWE No Mercy event and featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown! brand.The event...
, it was unified with the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. The World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
, defeated the Intercontinental Champion, Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
, causing the Intercontinental Championship to become inactive. However, in May 2003, the title was reactivated by Raw co-General Manager, Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
, and was recommissioned to be a secondary championship to the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand. Shortly after, the WCW United States Championship was reactivated as the WWE United States Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
by the SmackDown brand, making the title its counterpart. During the 2009 WWE Draft
2009 WWE Draft
The 2009 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft was the seventh Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The Draft took place over two days: the first day was televised live for three hours on April 13; the second part, the "Supplemental Draft", was held on April 15...
on April 13, 2009, reigning champion Rey Mysterio was drafted to SmackDown, making the Intercontinental Championship exclusive to that brand.
On October 2, 2011, Cody Rhodes, the current champion, introduced a modified version of the classic belt design with the white strap (incorporating the modern WWE "Scratch" logo, and further embellishments) at the Hell in a Cell
Hell in a Cell (2011)
Hell in a Cell was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on October 2, 2011 at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the third annual Hell in a Cell event. Like the 2009 and 2010 events, this event also featured the Hell in a Cell match...
pay-per-view event.
Reigns
The inaugural champion was Pat Patterson, who became champion before unifying his North American ChampionshipWWF North American Heavyweight Championship
The WWF North American Championship was a relatively short-lived title in the World Wrestling Federation from 1979 until 1981. It is considered to be the spiritual predecessor to the WWE Intercontinental Championship after Pat Patterson was awarded the Intercontinental Championship as a result of...
with a "South American Heavyweight Championship" in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in September 1979. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
holds the most reigns with nine. The Honky Tonk Man
The Honky Tonk Man
Roy Wayne Farris , better known by his ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American professional wrestler. A 1975 graduate from University of Memphis with a B.S. degree in Education. Coached high school football 2 seasons at Munford High School in Munford, Tennessee...
is the longest reigning champion at 454 days while Triple H is the shortest reigning champion by unifying the title with the World Heavyweight Championship immediately after winning. Chyna is the only woman in history to win the title. The current champion is Cody Rhodes, who is in his first reign. He defeated Ezekiel Jackson for the title at the August 9 tapings for the August 12 edition of WWE SmackDown.