wwe The Intercontinental Championship is one of the most prestigious titles in the business and something every wrestling fan knows all too well. However, even though it’s been around for so long, the company has certainly made a lot of changes over that time in this regard.
The title has been on television since 1979 when it was first introduced and that is why it is so highly regarded. However, there have been many changes to the title over the years, which is not surprising considering how often Vince McMahon likes to change things up.
10 Design
One of the most obvious ways that the Intercontinental Championship has changed over the years is the design of the title itself. This is something that comes as no surprise considering how many years this title has been around, as WWE has had to make sure it stays up to date in terms of design.
There have been many changes over the years, some of which lasted a long time and proved popular, and others that were not successful. However, this will likely continue to move forward as well because the company always likes to change designs after a while.
9 workhorse title
For a long time, the Intercontinental Championship was viewed as the workhorse title, this being something only the best workers in the ring would compete for and win. Certain wrestlers who were larger than life and had great star power but weren’t technically great often didn’t go for this one.
The title matches would be must-see matches that people thought would be amazing matches because of who was involved. Over time though, that idea certainly got lost, with many average wrestlers holding onto gold to the point where it was no longer seen at that level.
8 levels of respect
Early in the history of the Intercontinental Championship, it was a highly regarded title that was often seen at the main event level and those who won it always performed strongly. However, over time the title has ended up falling on the totem in terms of importance.
That’s one of the reasons the title ended up not being as respected as it was in the past because people couldn’t see it in the same light.
7 brand designation
When the Intercontinental Championship was first introduced, WWE only had one roster and one show, therefore it was featured in exactly that, but once WWE introduced SmackDown, the company had more to consider, especially with regards to titles. .
Over the years, the Intercontinental Championship has been moved from one brand to another, usually due to the draft that takes place. Instead of having the title strictly on a show, he’s floated around with WWE using it more of a prop sometimes that way.
6 Prominence at WrestleMania
The Intercontinental Championship has often been featured on wrestling, and while he got a big spot this year when Gunther defended him against Sheamus and Drew McIntyre, that hasn’t been the case on modern shows. The title has often not been felt as an important part of wrestling in recent years.
There have been times when the title was either on the pre-show or not part of the event at all, which shows just how far it fell at some points. This is a far cry from when he was often placed at the top of the card.
5 Chyna Reign
When the title was first introduced, it was done strictly as a title for the men’s division they were competing for. However, in 1999, WWE made a big change by having Chyna win gold, which made a big difference for the company as it was the first time a woman had held the title.
While she is the only woman to have held the title, she has two different reigns, proving that it wasn’t just one time. Although the company hasn’t returned to this idea since then, Chyna’s run means she could be open to a female reign again in the future.
4 eurocontinental championship
Combining two titles is not something many people like in wrestling, but over the years it has happened many times, and on occasion with the Intercontinental Championship. This has been held in conjunction with another title before, such as when D’Lo Brown took the European title at the same time.
This idea can help a fighter, but it doesn’t necessarily benefit the title itself. That’s because the focus ends up being split between titles, which led to the title being broken overall at times.
3 not a trampoline
For a long time, the Intercontinental Championship was used as a springboard for talent to get from the top half of the card to the main event scene, which was a great situation. It’s something that led to fighters being easy to invest in, as fans knew talent was going places.
However, over time that is something that has changed dramatically, with many forgettable talents receiving the title. It’s been either blowing up a crowd in a unique situation or just using the title for support, which is a waste of time.
2 Duration of title races
This is a change that has affected the entire industry, rather than just the Intercontinental Championship specifically, but there is no question that the duration of title races has become much shorter. While Gunther is currently changing that, WWE is still a long way from what the title used to be.
People used to hold this title regularly for over a year, however as time went on it ended up being a hot potato title that is usually passed around to people with very short and forgettable careers.
1 how to book
The booking of the Intercontinental Championship is something that has certainly changed over time because for many years it was considered to be almost on the same level as the world title. However, as the years passed, Vince McMahon stopped reserving this title prominently.
At times, the Intercontinental Championship became an afterthought. However, this has changed once again over the past year, as Triple H has gone to great lengths to make this title feel like a crucial part of the product once again.