When you first read this, you might be thinking of the ever popular Honky Tonk Man, while some purists might insist that that particular title belongs to guys like Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, or even the late Curt Hennig or Owen Hart. I for one would like to offer a different take on the subject, by throwing in the name of a man who's IC title reign is often overlooked on account of his later accolades and pushes. That man's name is Randy Savage, better known as the Macho Man. Crazy you might say" But here is my rationale:

Before Randy Savage became the IC champ, previous holders of that belt were guys who used a "no nonsense gimmick". No lights, no flashy clothing, not much of a gimmick if any at all. Before Savage there was Tito Santana, sound technical wrestler, not much of a gimmick. Before that you had Greg Valentine, very sound technical wrestler, but not much of a gimmick. Before him you had Santana again. And before that you had Muraco, big Hawaiian, not much of a gimmick.

Go back any further than that and it would probably be hard to find any televised matches on account of wrestling not having hit the scene till later.

Let me be clear on this: obviously if one were determined enough, you could go back and find matches of former IC greats such as Pat Patterson, or Pedro Morales. But those men were IC champs before a rather important period of wrestling history, some might even say it was the most significant one of all: the Hogan Era.

The claim that Hulk Hogan put wrestling on the map, merits some consideration at the very least. Perhaps the most correct spin would be to say that Hulk Hogan put wrestling on millions of TV sets in America during the 80's. Having said that, lets remember the 80's, Hulk Hogan, for all his popularity, wrestled very discreetly on TV. In terms of matches, he limited himself to Saturday Night's Main Events. Otherwise, he would cut a promo or two leading up to series of house shows against a particular opponent. Or smaller promos about Hulkamania running wild, and prayers, and vitamins and all that.

In any case, the wrestling shows at the time: Challenge, Superstars, etc...relied on other superstars such as Mr. Wonderful, the British Bulldogs, George the animal Steele, etc., to entertain TV fans. Now with Hogan NEVER defending the title on a TV show (note that these shows were taped), the IC belt was the main singles title that fans could follow.

Now Savage's gimmick wasn't strong by today's standards, but the single fact that he came out to that glorious theme song, accompanied by Elizabeth in her shiny dresses, made him stand out amongst the other superstars. Add to that the IC title and it all looked amazing, a complete package.

Back in those days, the IC champions were lighter, more technical wrestlers than the McMahon-beasts who challenged for the World Title. Savage fought lighter men like Tito Santana, Ricky Steamboat, The Dynamite Kid, etc., in matches that were entertaining enough to top just about every TV show that was shown.

With Randy Savage, the IC title gained an importance all on its own, while still operating directly under the shadow the Hulkamania. Sure everyone knew that WWF meant Hulk Hogan, but just about every wrestling fan knew who Randy Savage was as well. "Macho Man" was becoming a household name.

I remember the very first time I went to see a live wrestling show at Madison Square Garden. The opening match starred Nick Kininski. The Main Event was Randy Savage vs Pedro Morales. When that song started to play...the fans would go wild. Hogan may have ruled the heavyweight scene but Macho was the king of mid-carders.

Macho Man's impact in the IC title scene would culminate at Wrestlemania III when in front of 97,000 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome, MI, would drop the title to Ricky Steamboat in match considered by many to be the best match of the night...even though it was an under-card for what some call the greatest main event of all time, Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant for the World Title.

I remember the wrestling magazines from the day, PWI, AllStars, etc., all putting over the Savage-Steamboat match, claiming it was an amazing technical match that went back and forth from the very beginning. Not too long after the event, I would end up renting up the WMIII tape and confirm such claims. Truly a joy to watch for fans of vintage Savage-Steamboat. It was no mere coincidence that Savage was given the heavyweight strap later on, and he would go on to become one of the WWF's greatest stars of all time.

After Savage's IC title reign, other wrestlers with stronger gimmicks would lay their hands on the title, taking the prestigious title one step higher each time.

But it took one man to get World Wrestling Federation Intercontinental Title off the ground and onto the map.

And not just any man.

A Macho Man.

Ooh Yeah!

by Marco Lima ..