Guest Steffie Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 I hope to start a small series here naming the most Influential wrestler to hold a certain title. In here i'm gonna be looking at ten past IC champs who I think have been the greatest and most influential of all time, by brining entertaining wrestling to the division, adding value to the belt, or even using it to boost themselves to the main event. I'd like some feedback on who you think is the greatest, and if you think it's not someone I have feel free to give me your opinion on it. - Pat Patterson Lets start out with the first ever IC champ. Patterson won the title during a fictional tournament in Rio, but that doesn't change the fact that he was a deserving champion. He lost it sometime in 1980 if memory serves, but he will go down in history as the FIRST champ, and that alone, not just his legendary status, qualifies him to be called one of the most Influential. - Chris Jericho One of the greatest entertainers that the wrestling industry has ever seen, in my opinion anyway. Absolutely great on the mic, cool gimmick, and excellent in-ring skills, makes you wonder why he never won the world title for a second time. He's been IC champ 7 times losing it most recently to Shelton Benjamin last September. He's won the title more than anyone else, this is one of the reasons he can be considered most Influential. - Triple H He really speaks for himself. His four IC champ runs really set the stage for his ten time world champ runs. He's a future hall of famer and one of the best the business has ever seen. He was great with this title during the attitude era and really put on some great matches with Goldust and The Rock. - The Rock The most electrifying man in sports entertainment started somewhere, and that was with the IC title. His feuds with Triple H and Austin really did great things for the title, building it up and making it seem legitiment. - Shawn Michaels After his stint in "The Rockers" alongside Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels defeated The British Bulldog during an edition of Saturday Night Main Event in 1992. He regained the title two more tines, once against former partner Jannetty himself and once against Jeff Jarret. This man needs no introduction, when you look at his career as of now, and then back at what he's done with the IC title, there's no question he should be considered one of the best. - Razor Ramon He had a successful gimmick, could work the ring and the mic, and has won the IC title four times. He put on classics matches with Bret Hart and took part in the first ladder match with Shawn Michaels at Mania X. The match in question was voted match of the year. - Jeff Jarret While I would agree that he's terrible at every aspect of the business these days, he was at one day a reuptable heel, capturing the Intercontinental championship six times. While he didn't build on his career in WWE, his success brought him to the top of WCW. - Goldust This may be a controversial choice, but I believe that certain wrestlers who held the IC title, but never heavyweight title (IE: Razor Ramon, Jeff Jarret) really brought out the value in the title itself, making it seem more respectable than just a "stepping stone" to the world title. Goldust was once of these men. He really delivered some great matches during the attitude era, and three title reigns. It's men like this who really brought success to the championship, solidifying it. - Owen Hart Even though he only captured the title twice, he was certainly an entertaining champion, and he probably would have gone on to better things if not for what happened. He was a great in-ring wrestler, and the fact that he held the title brings a certain respect for the belt. - Ultimate Warrior Last but not least, my choice for the most Influential of all time, Is the Ultimate Warrior. The reason he is in my opinion, is because of his match with Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania IV. Champion vs Champion. When he pinned Hogan, he showed the world that the IC champion could hang with the world champion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 - Triple H He's a future hall of famer and one of the best the business has ever seen. Um... HHH is not one of the best wrestlers the business has ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cam Chaos Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 I'd say Randy Savage, who really set it up as the second tier title that generally was carried by a better worker than the actual headliner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steffie Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 - Triple H He's a future hall of famer and one of the best the business has ever seen. Um... HHH is not one of the best wrestlers the business has ever seen. Yea, I thought about it twice when typing it up, but he is a good wrestler and I quite enjoy watching him wrestling actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 I agree with Cam. Randy Savage brought real cred to the title and made it a feature unto itself. It was Savage, not Warrior, who made the IC title a stepping stone to the world title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alfdogg Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 Not to be rude, but how the hell are HHH and Goldust on this list and not Mr. Perfect??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShawshankRudotion Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 Steve Austin, influencing it in a very negative way. Throwing it over the bridge and the subsequent makeover I thought hurt it. Plus he had it at a time where he should have been contending for the world title and I think that distinction made the IC title look worthless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bruiser Chong Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 - Randy Savage: The belt had always been a bit of an afterthought prior to him capturing the title in 1986. There had been some good feuds over the title, but it never was anywhere near the level of the World title. When Savage won the title, it suddenly became the crown that the most talented wrestlers went after. By time he won it, it was becoming clear that the World title was Hogan's baby, so the IC title was the only way a talented wrestler could hold a singles title. - Bret Hart: This is the guy who made me care about the belt. His passion and desire to retain the title made the belt more important in my eyes than the WWF title, which had lost much of its luster thanks to Hogan. The IC title in Bret's hands delivered some great matches, feuds, and moments. While in the IC title picture, he never downplayed the title or acted as if it were a stepping stone to bigger and better things. We all know that was the belt's true purpose, but Bret created the illusion that it wasn't. There are some more I'll add later. Also, guys like Steamboat, Michaels, and Jeff Jarrett are all guys that I'd argue weren't influential IC champs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 I agree Savage made the IC belt mean something, as did the Honky Tonk Man when you think about it. Both guys were very good at getting people to buy tickets to see them get beaten. I'd say Steamboat should get honorable mention despite only having a very short (by 80s WWF standards) reign because his feud with Savage is what put the IC title on the map. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cam Chaos Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 Steamboat was only the champ for a brief time though, so he hardly got to make much of an imprint with his reign. Honky and Rick Rude were probably the best heel IC champs, Savage and Bret were probably the best face IC champs, IMO. I think the Rock deserves a small mention because he was the modern day Honky with his reign where he barely escaped or won by dubious means but retained his heat and title. They tried to pull the same deal with Orton recently and it was working but they pulled the trigger on the face turn too soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 I know Steamboat's reign was short, but it was his feud with Savage that put the IC belt on the map and he should get some credit for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Some Guy Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 I'd go with: Patterson Savage Honky Warrior Perfect Bret Shawn Razor Rock After Rock's reign in 98 the title ceased to really mean anything. HHH got injured in the match in which he won from Rock and after that Russo buried by putting it on Godfather, Road Dogg, Goldust (when he wasn't over), and after Russo left they never managed to make teh strap mean anything. I don't think that Jarrett, Benoit, Jericho, etc... really did anything to add pretige to the belt or even carried with pride. They used to treat the IC belt as an honor, now it's pretty much just another thing for the champ to carry through the airport. Back it was rare to have a 2 time IC champ, now a ton of guys have had it 4 times or more. I can't go back and tell you every IC champ from the last six years but I could tell you who they were from 86-98. When they considered the belt important I remembered, now that they don't I don't bother and frankly lost track around WM 15 with all the switches that went on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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