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The WWE Intercontinental Championship is one of the most prestigious titles, not only in WWE, but professional wrestling entirely. The first-ever Intercontinental Champion was crowned in 1979 in Brazil, where Pat Patterson won gold defeating Johnny Rodz to unify the WWF North American Championship and the made-up South American Heavyweight Championship.
The championship is recognized as the secondary title to the main world championships, but holding the title can signify whether someone is ready to carry the main titles. In total, there have been 179 Intercontinental Championship reigns in WWE history.
That being said, let's take a look at five of the longest WWE Intercontinental Championship reigns.
#5 Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine was Intercontinental Champion for 285 days
The Intercontinental Championship was held by Greg Valentine in 1984 for 285 days. Valentine defeated Tito Santana to win the title on Maple Leaf Wrestling, which was an exclusive WWE show for Canadian fans only.
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The match was won in controversial circumstances, as Tito Santana thought he had won the match. Santana pinned Valentine to a two count, but Santana thought he'd won it and began to celebrate.
As he celebrated, 'The Hammer' rolled Santana up to win the match. Santana was already somewhat injured heading into the match, and Valentine inflicted more pain after the match was over. He delivered a figure-four leg lock to further injure Santana's knee.
From there, Valentine went on to defend the Intercontinental Championship at the first-ever WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden. His reign eventually came to an end at a house show, losing a Steel Cage Match to his rival Tito Santana.
Valentine will be remembered as one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all-time. The WWE Hall of Famer continued to flourish in his career following his title loss, but this period will go down as some of his best work in WWE.
In the Pro Wrestling Stories 350 Documentary, Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine discussed Tito Santana and the incident following their Steel Cage match where Valentine destroyed the Intercontinental Championship belt:
"I had to give the belt back to Tito after that angle. And one day when I saw him a few years ago, I asked whatever became of that belt, because Tito kept it after that angle. He told me his wife threw it out! Do you know how much money I could have made with that belt now?" Greg Valentine said (h/t Pro Wrestling Stories)
#4 Don Muraco held the WWE Intercontinental Championship for 385 days
Don Muraco captured his second Intercontinental Championship in 1983, defeating Pedro Morales. The match was featured on WWF on MSG Network and was filmed at Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City.
The WWE Hall of Famer was in his prime just a couple of years earlier in 1981, winning the award for Best Heel and Most Impressive Wrestler, awarded by the Wrestling Observer.
During Don Muraco's second reign as Intercontinental Champion, WWF withdrew from the NWA, becoming their own standalone World Wrestling Federation, which would have ramifications for pro-wrestling in the years that followed.
Don Muraco's reign came to an end the following year, as he was defeated by Tito Santana in February 1984, losing the championship in Boston, MA. Muraco would have more success the following year winning WWE's King of the Ring tournament.
#3 'Macho Man' Randy Savage held the WWE Intercontinental Championship for 414 days
Randy Savage's Intercontinental Championship reign in 1986 got off to an indifferent start. He won the championship using an object he had stuffed down his tights, to knock out Tito Santana, and win the championship. Savage and Santana had been feuding for the first few months of 1986 over the Intercontinental Championship.
Incredibly, Savage's reign lasted 414 days and feuded with the likes of George 'The Animal' Steele, Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino. It was when he crossed paths with Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat at WrestleMania 3, that Savage's reign came to a halt.
At the sold-out Pontiac Silverdome, the 'Macho Man' lost his Intercontinental Championship after interference from George 'The Animal' Steele, which saw Ricky Steamboat claim the title in front of over ninety-three thousand fans. The match itself was awarded match of the year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer.
Following the defeat, Savage eventually become WWE Champion just a year later.
#2 Pedro Morales held the Intercontinental Championship for 425 days
Pedro Morales' Intercontinental Championship reigns were something to behold for his generation. His first reign in 1980 saw him become the first-ever 'Triple Crown' champion in WWE history. In his second reign, he became the second longest Intercontinental Champion in history.
Of course, during this period, Morales was embroiled in a feud with Don Muraco over the Intercontinental Championship. Morales' second reign came when he defeated Don Muraco in November 1981 at Madison Square Garden. It was broadcasted on WWF on MSG Network.
A reign that lasts well over a year is something we don't quite see in modern day professional wrestling. The closest we have gotten to that kind of reign was CM Punk's reign as WWE Champion which lasted 434 days between 2011 and 2013.
In regards to the Intercontinental Championship, the longest reign we've had in the modern era came in 2011, where Cody Rhodes held the championship for 234 days on SmackDown. Following that, it was Shelton Benjamin, 2004, holding the gold for 244 days.
#1 The Honky Tonk Man held the Intercontinental Championship for 454 days
The award for the longest reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion of all-time goes to WWE Hall of Famer, The Honky Tonk Man.
The Honky Tonk Man won the Intercontinental Championship in 1987, on an episode of Superstars of Wrestling. During that time, Superstars of Wrestling was WWE's flagship show on their syndicated television.
Honky defeated Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat to start his incredible reign as the champion. Sadly for the heel Elvis Presley impersonator, his reign would only go so far as he lost the title to The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam in 1989.
The Honky Tonk Man told Wrestling INC. about his reign:
"So when I did lose, there was such an explosion in the building if you go back and listen. Then I lose to The Ultimate Warrior and then the people are like, 'Yes! Yes, he lost!' And then the second breath is, 'But not to that guy! We wanted him beat, but not to that guy.' So you can't win." The Honky Tonk Man (h/t Wrestling INC.)
