When it comes to stepping stones towards the WWE Title, you won't find many better than the Intercontinental Championship. The secondary title has been a part of the company for well over 35 years now, and in that time, some of the best names in the business have held the strap at one point or another.
This includes The Rock, Stone Cold, Triple H, Ultimate Warrior and several more.
But interestingly enough when it comes to the men who had the longest reigns in history, none of the above names feature on the list. It goes to show that you don't necessarily have to hold onto the belt for a long time in order to have an impact, but at the same time, it proves how undervalued and underrated the men who feature here actually were.
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One or two went on to become World Champions, but for the most part, their greatest accomplishment within the WWE was holding the Intercontinental Championship. So whether you were a fan of these guys or not, nobody can deny how important they are when it comes to the illustrious history of this legendary title.
With that said, it's time to take a look at the five longest reigning Intercontinental Champions in WWE history.
#5 Greg Valentine (285 days)
Over the course of his career which spanned more than four decades, Greg Valentine certainly made a name for himself within the business. The now 65-year-old held more than 40 championships around the world and had three separate tenures in World Wrestling Entertainment, with the second featuring his famous Intercontinental Championship run.
Valentine won the title on an edition of Maple Leaf Wrestling back in September 1984. The win came against Tito Santana who also held the belt for over 200 days, and it was Santana who would eventually get his revenge on Valentine by re-capturing the championship in July 1985, during a house show in Baltimore.
Still, you've got to appreciate Valentine's work. Onto another old school entrant that actually came before The Hammer.
#4 Don Muraco (385 days)
Whilst his first reign with the IC Title wasn't too much to shout about, Don Muraco's second run with the belt certainly made some headlines. The Hall of Fame inductee spent seven years in the company and after winning the Championship back from Pedro Morales, he held onto it for over a year after the house show triumph.
He won it in New York but would lose it 97 miles down the road in Philadelphia. The man who won it from Muraco was ironically Tito Santana, who would go on to have the aforementioned feud with Greg Valentine.
We move on to the most recognisable name on this list.
#3 Randy Savage (414 days)
Oh yeah. Randy "Macho Man" Savage is one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time, with his stand out feuds and matches with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Ricky Steamboat turning him into an icon of the business. As far as the Intercontinental Championship goes, Savage won it from, you guessed it, Tito Santana in Boston and went on to hold it for 414 days.
The reign lasted all the way through to WrestleMania 3 where Steamboat captured the gold in what is still regarded as one of the greatest matches in the history of professional wrestling. Savage's run was truly legendary and the way it was capped off will ensure that it is forever remembered as one of the Championship's finest hours.
Onto a man who has already received a mention thus far.
#2 Pedro Morales (425 days)
Pedro Morales is most well known for his WWE Championship run in the company, and considering all of his achievements it's surprising that he isn't mentioned more frequently. With that in mind, it seems likely that some people won't realise that he actually had an impressive run as Intercontinental Champion back in the early ‘80s.
Morales won the title from Don Muraco in New York back in November 1981, holding on to the strap for 425 days, until Muraco won it back in January 1983. Morales always seemed to be a trusty hand when it came to long Championship reigns, and you could always count on the Puerto Rican star to put on top quality matches week in and week out.
As such, he should get a bit more recognition by WWE. We conclude with the most unlikely of record holders.
#1 Honky Tonk Man (454 days)
The Honky Tonk Man, whose gimmick was based around being an Elvis impersonator, was the IC Champion for well over a year back in 1987 and 1988. He managed to work his way out of a number of tricky situations with fans clamouring to see somebody take the belt off of him.
It was a really strong heel run, but it just wasn't anticipated that HTM would be the guy that was given the ball to run with.
The run came to a screeching halt when The Ultimate Warrior returned at SummerSlam 1988 and captured the Intercontinental Championship in what was essentially a squash match. The entire reign pretty much signifies that anything is possible in the WWE, and Honky Tonk Man should count himself lucky that he was given such an incredible opportunity.
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