What Happened To The INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP?

DAVE KNOWS that the WWE Intercontinental Championship is a wrestling title that has fallen from grace over the years. Which is a real shame as it used to be one a fan favorite title for wrestling fans. So what happened? When did this belt start going down hill? Who was the I.C. Champ that caused this title to turn into the lackluster strap that it is today? Well there is a lot to unpack as the WWE Intercontinental Title has a lot of history and a lot of potential weak points. Which is exactly why we're going to take a look at it all in this episode.

[@h_noel7380]

As someone who's been watching since the late 80's... I think it lost prestige in 99 when it was being hot potatoed from wrestler to wrestler. In random non-advertised matches too

[@Papawill13]

Its jumped the shark when the WWF/E decided to make the WCW title more important and even to some degree the US Belt.

[@Turp28]

The brand split and the doubling of Championships made them all less important.

[@pavv7741]

I feel like none of the belts feel like they mean anything anymore, creative is jumping from star to star so fast that they don't know what to do with them so they just change belts far too much, or in Brock's case it isn't defended more than once a year.

[@HardcoreGamer4Ever]

I really love and have intense nostalgia for Randy Orton's reign. I really despised him as a kid. Orton and JBL were probably my most hated heels back then, which means they were great at being heels.

[@jefferyjones8399]

Am I the only one that likes the oval version? I have fond memories of Jericho, Benoit, Angle, Guerrero, etc. holding the belt when I was a kid. Maybe it's nostalgia but then again I never really liked the Tag Title designs back then but I looked forward to the IC and Tag matches so much. The IC belt seems to ebb and flow. It seems like it has hot periods and then cools off for awhile.

[@tendresseak27]

Too many secondary titles, which is a reason why I think the world title is now not as meaningful, since there's 2 of them. Also too many title switches and not enough lengthy reins.

[@HorrorMetalDnD]

Sometime, I would like to see an Elimination Chamber match for a vacant Intercontinental Championship, where each participant is from a different continent. Excluding Antarctica, for obvious reasons.

[@tannermarkland5214]

The last time the intercontinental title meant something was when The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and Daniel Bryan feuded over it on smackdown in 2016

[@everetth-top4760]

I was there in Rio De Janeiro when Pat Patterson won the title. Let me tell you something. It was a hell of a match. Super bloody. Tons of high spots.

[@ejkdoeslife882]

Awesome video Dave!!!! Especially like the new lighting and background.

[@thealjohnsonshow2188]

1. Call me crazy, but I LOVE the Intercontinental Championship design from the Attitude Era.

[@jdust4]

Ahh yes. The Hack Break Skid. A wonderful WWE Champion for a refined era!

[@MrBeckenhimself]

Spot on. Growing up I always held the Intercontinental title in high regard. Guys like Razor Ramon made the title mean so much. Now a days the title is a mere empty shell of what it once was. That new design was the final nail in the coffin.

[@2121zebra]

I love the IC title. When I was kid I was watching Bret Hart wrestle multiple matches a night at times and the idea put in my head was that the title was for the "wrestler of wrestlers". Not just technical skill but that drive and devotion. Like Bret and Cody taking about it as if it was the only title in the company.

[@samclark379]

I agree with the IC belt being the "workhorse belt" back in the day. In keeping with that theme, I always felt the Winged Eagle was more, for lack of better description, the "merchandise belt", given to the more marketable wrestlers, like Hogan and Warrior. This would help explain why guys like Michaels and Hart were able to hold both.

[@thelinedrive]

Sometime after Randy Orton’s Intercontinental title run.

[@LeeePowers]

"I am the champion of all the continents!"

[@robcinq5956]

Bro....you responded to EVERY comment. That level dedication is not to be taken lightly or be ignored

[@BmanTheChamp]

I think, at least in my opinion, that the reason why the IC belt (and pretty much every other belt on RAW or Smackdown) feels so devalued is because of Vince's ass-backwards thinking that in order to get a guy over you have to put a belt on him. Whereas HBK said in his book that the way to make a belt more prestigious is to put it on a guy who's already over. I think it was either he or HHH who said "the title isn't supposed to make the guy(feel important), the guy's supposed to make the title(feel important)". I tend to agree with that line of thinking, I know I certainly was more interested in a title if the wrestler holding it was someone I already liked, or at least seemed like a big star.