First off, a scheduling note about the TWB Draft Spectacular. It's no longer going to be held in an AIM chatroom. We're going to be doing it via Live Blog. It's an easier interface, plus it keeps everything on the blog. Score! Now, onto the Six Pack for this week.
The Intercontinental Championship has a rich, storied history. That might be forgotten at times due to the way the title is treated, but at one time, the IC Title was the most hotly contested title on the card due to the foregone nature of how your average Hulk Hogan title defense would go. The following six men are the guys I feel held the IC title the best, how they elevated it and made it feel special. And in the case of the sixth guy on the list, entertainment value was factored in for that one really, really heavily. Here you go:
1. Chris Jericho
He's the man who held it the most times, but that's not the reason he's on here. Jericho has always found his way to make the belt seem bigger than the writers would make it feel on the card. Maybe it was because he was always involved in show-stealing matches, the ones that most come to mind were his ladder match against HWSNBN and the series he had with Rey Mysterio last year. Even when Jericho's heat is above where the IC title is, it never feels wrong around his waist.
2. Curt Hennig
He's perhaps the quintessential Intercontinental Champion. Maybe it was the matches he had with various opponents. Maybe it was that Henning never had the "it" factor to rise above the midcard, and thus felt like it was his natural place to be the IC Champ. Maybe he just held it so much that it felt like an extension for him. Between 1990 and 1993, was there a guy who epitomized the title more than Mr. Perfect? Nope, can't say there is.
3. Shawn Michaels
It might be cliche to name him here, but Michaels, like Hennig before him and Jericho after him, made the IC title a big, big deal. He'd always go around claiming he was the best IC Champ ever, and it felt like a big deal. Plus, the ladder match at WMX lends a lot to his credentials.
4. Randy Savage
Savage now might not be associated with the IC title when you first think about him, but really, he and the title were both big reasons why WMIII isn't just remembered for Hogan/Andre. For many people, myself included, Savage's tilt with Steamboat is the greatest WrestleMania match of all-time, and a lot of it was because Savage was such a great heel Champion.
5. Razor Ramon
Like Hennig before him, Scott Hall seemed to always have the Intercontinental Championship around his waist, and like Hennig, Da Bad Guy never made it to World Title level after leaving the AWA. A lot of Hall's shortfalls were self-inflicted, but that didn't mean that he was another guy who always made you feel at ease when he was the #2 Champ in the company. The ladder match at WMX and the preceeding feud wouldn't have been the same without him.
6. Santino Marella
Yeah, I know it might seem like a wonky choice, but for awhile, I was looking forward to seeing the Honk-a-Meter on RAW more than nearly anything else on the show. I was so pissed when it ended, because I thought it had stronger legs than they thought it did. Oh well. Still good for a laugh, even though it technically flies in the face of everything I usually look for in title credibility.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
