10 Superstars who elevated the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship

#6. Bret 'The Hit-Man' Hart

The man who turned Intercontinental Title into a stepping stone for WWF Title.

It would be nothing but an insult for the Intercontinental Title and The Hit Man to not include either of them when talking about the other. Even though some Intercontinental Title holders before Hart, such as Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior, used the title to catapult themselves to the main event scene, it was only after Hart's reigns that a series of wrestlers used it as a stepping stone for their WWE main event career.

Already a veteran tag team performer, Hart's singles career in the WWE only began after he defeated Mr Perfect for the Intercontinental Title at Summerslam 1991 in one of the best matches of the year. Later that year, he won the King of the Ring tournament and continued to defend the title throughout the remaining year before dropping the belt to The Mountie in January 1992.

Hart regained the title in an acclaimed match at WrestleMania VIII from 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper to begin one of the best title reigns in WWE history. In one of their first ever meetings, Hart defended the title against Shawn Michaels in the first ever Ladder Match under WWF banner. However, Hart saved the best match of his last ever defence as he lost the title to Davey Boy Smith at Summerslam 1992 in London, in what is regarded as the best Intercontinental Title match in Summerslam history, and started his climb to the main event scene soon afterwards.