The WWE Intercontinental Championship is one of the most prestigious in World Wrestling Entertainment. The title was introduced to the WWE back in 1979 when Pat Patterson became the first champion. Ever since then, the title has been held by some of the biggest names in professional wrestling, including: Shawn Michaels, the Rock, Bret Hart, Triple H etc. Below is the list of the 10 longest reigning Intercontinental Champions in WWE history.
**** Note: this is only based on individual title reigns and not combined.
The Longest Intercontinental Championship Reigns In WWE History
10) Pat Patterson – 233 days.
Not only is he the first ever WWE Intercontinental Champion, he also makes number 10 on our list. Patterson held the belt for 233 days (it was called the Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion when he won it) back in 1979. He held the title from September 1st, 1979 until being defeated by Ken Patera on April 21st, 1980.
9) Cody Rhodes – 236 days
Cody Rhodes defeated Ezekiel Jackson on August 9th 2011 to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion. Rhodes held onto the title for nearly 8 months before losing it to the Big Show in a match at Wrestlemania XXVIII.
8) Shelton Benjamin – 244 days.
Shelton Benjamin defeated Chris Jericho at Taboo Tuesday 2004 to become the Intercontinental Champ. His reign lasted 244 days before losing the title to Carlito on June 20th, 2005.
7) The Rock – 265 days
Stone Cold Steve Austin forfeited the Intercontinental Title to the Rock on December 8th, 1997. The Rock held the title until Summerslam 1998, where he would lose it to Triple H in a ladder match.
6) Mr. Perfect – 280 days.
Mr Perfect won the Intercontinental title in November of 1990. He held the belt for a number of months until Summerslam 1991 where he lost the belt to Bret Hart. His title run could have been a lot longer but injuries forced him to drop the title and take some time off.
5) Greg Valentine – 285 days.
Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine defeated Tito Santana in September of 1984 to win the Intercontinental Title. Santana won the title back from Valentine in a steel cage match in July of 1985, ending his reign. Valentine destroyed the Intercontinental Title in the ring after the match, forcing the WWE to create a new design for the title.
4) Don Muraco – 385 days.
Don Muraco won the Intercontinental Title from Pedro Morales on January 22nd 1983. During his reign, he successfully defended the belt against names like: Rocky Johnson, Jimmy Snuka, Bob Backlund and Tony Atlas. He lost the title to Tito Santana in February of 1984.
3) Randy Savage – 414 days.
‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage won the Intercontinental belt in February of 1986 after defeating Tito Santana with the help of a steel object he had hidden in his tights. Savage held onto the title until Wrestlemania III, where he lost the belt to Ricky Steamboat. This was voted as match of the year for 1987.
2) Pedro Morales – 425 days.
Pedro Morales won the Intercontinental title on November 23rd, 1981. He held the title until dropping it to Don Muraco in January of 1983 (which also began Muraco’s title run that got him number 4 on this list). He earns second spot on the list of longest Intercontinental Championship reigns of all time.
1) The Honky Tonk Man – 454 days.
The Honky Tonk Man defeated Ricky Steamboat in June of 1987 and went on to earn the longest Intercontinental Championship reign of all time with 454 days with the belt. He lost the title in only 30 seconds to the Ultimate Warrior at Summerslam of 1988, ending an impressive title run.
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We have a similar list, where you can check out the longest reigning U.S Champions.