Since its inception in 1979, the WWE Intercontinental Championship has stood as a symbol of excellence, athleticism, and rising superstardom. Often referred to as the “workhorse” title, it has been a launching pad for future world champions and a proving ground for in-ring mastery. This page traces the complete history of the Intercontinental Championship—from Pat Patterson’s unification in Rio de Janeiro to modern classics featuring stars like Seth Rollins, Gunther, and more—highlighting the matches, moments, and legends that have elevated this title to iconic status.
| Champion | Date | Location | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Patterson | 09/01/1979 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | House Show |
| Ken Patera | 04/21/1980 | New York City, NY | House Show |
| Pedro Morales | 12/08/1980 | New York City, NY | House Show |
| Don Muraco | 11/23/1981 | New York City, NY | House Show |
| Pedro Morales | 11/23/1982 | New York City, NY | House Show |
| Don Muraco | 01/22/1983 | New York City, NY | House Show |
| Tito Santana | 02/11/1984 | Boston, MA | House Show |
| Greg Valentine | 09/24/1984 | London, England | Maple Leaf Wrestling |
| Tito Santana | 07/06/1985 | Baltimore, MD | House Show |
| Randy Savage | 02/08/1986 | Boston, MA | House Show |
| Ricky Steamboat | 03/29/1987 | Pontiac, MI | Wrestlemania III |
| The Honky Tonk Man | 06/02/1987 | Buffalo, NY | Superstars |
| The Ultimate Warrior | 08/29/1988 | New York City, NY | Summerslam 88 |
| Rick Rude | 04/02/1989 | Atlantic City, NJ | Wrestlemania V |
| The Ultimate Warrior | 08/28/1989 | East Rutherford, NJ | SummerSlam 89 |
| Mr Perfect | 05/19/1990 | Austin, TX | WWF Superstars |
| The Texas Tornado | 08/27/1990 | Philadelphia, PA | SummerSlam 90 |
| Mr Perfect | 12/15/1990 | Rochester, NY | WWF Superstars |
| Bret Hart | 08/26/1991 | New York City, NY | SummerSlam 91 |
| The Mountie | 01/17/1992 | Springfield, MA | House Show |
| Roddy Piper | 01/19/1992 | Albany, NY | Royal Rumble |
| Bret Hart | 04/05/1992 | Indianapolis, IN | WrestleMania VIII |
| Davey Boy Smith | 08/29/1992 | London, England | SummerSlam 92 |
| Shawn Michaels | 10/27/1992 | Terre Haute, IN | Saturday Night’s Main Event |
| Marty Jannetty | 05/17/1993 | New York City, NY | RAW |
| Shawn Michaels | 06/06/1993 | Albany, NY | House Show |
| Razor Ramon | 09/27/1993 | New Haven, CT | RAW |
| Diesel | 04/30/1994 | Rochester, NY | WWF Superstars |
| Razor Ramon | 08/29/1994 | Chicago, IL | SummerSlam 94 |
| Jeff Jarrett | 01/22/1995 | Tampa, FL | Royal Rumble |
| Jeff Jarrett | 04/26/1995 | Moline, AL | House Show |
| Razor Ramon | 05/19/1995 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | House Show |
| Jeff Jarrett | 05/21/1995 | Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada | House Show |
| Shawn Michaels | 07/23/1995 | Nashville, TN | In Your House 2 |
| Dean Douglas | 10/22/1995 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | In Your House 4 |
| Razor Ramon | 10/22/1995 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | In Your House 4 |
| Goldust | 01/21/1996 | Fresno, CA | Royal Rumble |
| Goldust | 04/22/1996 | San Bernadino, CA | RAW |
| Ahmed Johnson | 06/23/1996 | Milwaukee, WI | King of the Ring |
| Marc Mero | 09/23/1996 | Hershey, PA | RAW |
| Hunter Hearst Helmsley | 10/21/1996 | Fort Wayne, IN | RAW |
| The Rock | 02/13/1997 | Lowell, MA | RAW |
| Owen Hart | 04/28/1997 | Omaha, NE | RAW |
| Steve Austin | 08/03/1997 | East Rutherford, NJ | SummerSlam 97 |
| Owen Hart | 10/05/1997 | St Louis, MO | RAW |
| Steve Austin | 11/09/1997 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Survivor Series |
| The Rock | 12/08/1997 | Portland, OR | RAW |
| Triple H | 08/30/1998 | New York City, NY | SummerSlam 98 |
| Ken Shamrock | 10/12/1998 | Uniondale, NY | RAW |
| Val Venis | 02/14/1999 | Memphis, TN | In Your House: St. Valentine’s Day Massacre |
| Road Dogg | 03/15/1999 | San Jose, CA | RAW |
| Goldust | 03/29/1999 | East Rutherford, NJ | RAW |
| The Godfather | 04/12/1999 | Detroit, MI | RAW |
| Jeff Jarrett | 05/25/1999 | Moline, IL | RAW |
| Edge | 07/24/1999 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | House Show |
| Jeff Jarrett | 07/25/1999 | Buffalo, NY | Fully Loaded |
| D-Lo Brown | 07/27/1999 | Columbus, OH | RAW |
| Jeff Jarrett | 08/22/1999 | Minneapolis, MN | SummerSlam 99 |
| Chyna | 10/17/1999 | Cleveland, OH | No Mercy |
| Chris Jericho | 12/12/1999 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Armeggedon |
| Chris Jericho & Chyna | 01/03/2000 | Miami, FL | RAW |
| Chris Jericho | 01/23/2000 | New York City, NY | Royal Rumble |
| Kurt Angle | 02/27/2000 | Hartford, CT | No Way Out |
| Chris Benoit | 04/02/2000 | Anaheim, CA | Wrestlemania 2000 |
| Chris Jericho | 05/02/2000 | Richmond, VA | SmackDown |
| Chris Benoit | 05/08/2000 | Uniondale, NY | RAW |
| Rikishi Phatu | 06/21/2000 | Memphis, TN | SmackDown |
| Val Venis | 07/05/2000 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | SmackDown |
| Chyna | 08/27/2000 | Raleigh, NC | SummerSlam 2000 |
| Eddy Guerrero | 09/04/2000 | Lexington, KY | RAW |
| Billy Gunn | 11/21/2000 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | SmackDown |
| Chris Benoit | 12/10/2000 | Birmingham, AL | Armaggedon |
| Chris Jericho | 01/21/2001 | New Orleans, LA | Royal Rumble |
| Triple H | 04/05/2001 | Oklahoma City, OK | SmackDown |
| Jeff Hardy | 04/12/2001 | Philadelphia, PA | Smackdown |
| Triple H | 04/16/2001 | Knoxville, TN | RAW |
| Kane | 05/20/2001 | Sacramento, CA | Judgement Day |
| Albert | 06/28/2001 | New York, NY | Smackdown |
| Lance Storm | 07/23/2001 | Buffalo, NY | RAW |
| Edge | 08/30/2001 | San Jose, CA | SummerSlam |
| Christian | 09/23/2001 | Pittsburgh, PA | Unforgiven |
| Edge | 10/21/2001 | Pittsburgh, PA | No Mercy |
| Test | 11/05/2001 | Long Island, NY | RAW |
| Edge | 11/18/2001 | Greensboro, NC | Survivor Series |
| William Regal | 01/20/2002 | Greensboro, NC | Royal Rumble |
| Rob Van Dam | 03/17/2002 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | WrestleMania 18 |
| Eddie Guerrero | 04/21/2002 | Kansas City, MO | Backlash |
| Rob Van Dam | 05/27/2002 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | RAW |
| Chris Benoit | 07/29/2002 | Greensboro, SC | RAW |
| Rob Van Dam | 08/25/2002 | New York, NY | SummerSlam |
| Chris Jericho | 09/16/2002 | Denver, CO | RAW |
| Kane | 09/30/2002 | Houston, TX | RAW |
| Christian | 05/18/2003 | Charlotte, NC | Judgment Day |
| Booker T | 07/07/2003 | Montral, Ontario, Canada | RAW |
| Christian | 08/10/2003 | Des Moines, IA | Live Event |
| Rob Van Dam | 09/29/2003 | Chicago, IL | RAW |
| Chris Jericho | 10/27/2003 | Fayetteville, NC | RAW |
| Rob Van Dam | 10/27/2003 | Fayetteville, NC | RAW |
| Randy Orton | 12/14/2003 | Orlando, FL | Armageddon |
| Edge | 07/12/2004 | Hartford, CT | Vengeance |
| Chris Jericho | 09/12/2004 | Portland, OR | Unforgiven |
| Shelton Benjamin | 10/19/2004 | Milwaukee, WI | Taboo Tuesday |
| Carlito Cool | 06/20/2005 | Phoenix, AZ | RAW |
| Ric Flair | 09/18/2005 | Oklahoma City, OK | Unforgiven |
| Shelton Benjamin | 02/20/2006 | Trenton, NJ | RAW |
| Rob Van Dam | 04/30/2006 | Lexington, KY | Backlash |
| Shelton Benjamin | 05/15/2006 | Lubbock, TX | RAW |
| Johnny Nitro | 06/25/2006 | Charlotte, NC | Vengeance |
| Jeff Hardy | 10/02/2006 | Topeka, KS | RAW |
| Johnny Nitro | 11/06/2006 | Columbus, OH | RAW |
| Jeff Hardy | 11/13/2006 | Manchester, England | RAW |
| Umaga | 02/19/2007 | Bakersfield, CA | RAW |
| Santino Marella | 04/16/2007 | Milan, Italy | RAW |
| Umaga | 07/02/2007 | Dallas, TX | RAW |
| Jeff Hardy | 09/03/2007 | Columbus, OH | RAW |
| Chris Jericho | 03/10/2008 | Milwaukee, WI | RAW |
| Kofi Kingston | 06/29/2008 | Dallas, TX | Night of Champions |
| Santino Marella | 08/17/2008 | Indianapolis, IN | SummerSlam |
| William Regal | 11/10/2008 | Manchester, England | RAW |
| C.M. Punk | 01/25/2009 | Chicago, IL | Royal Rumble |
| John Bradshaw Layfield | 03/09/2009 | Jacksonville, FL | RAW |
| Rey Mysterio | 04/05/2009 | Houston, TX | WrestleMania 25 |
| Chris Jericho | 06/07/2009 | New Orleans, LA | Extreme Rules |
| Rey Mysterio | 06/28/2009 | Sacramento, CA | The Bash |
| John Morrison | 09/04/2009 | Cleveland, OH | SmackDown |
| Drew McIntyre | 12/13/2009 | San Antonio, TX | Tables, Ladders, and Chairs |
| Kofi Kingston | 05/14/2010 | Buffalo, NY | SmackDown |
| Drew McIntyre | 05/14/2010 | Buffalo, NY | SmackDown |
| Kofi Kingston | 05/23/2010 | Detroit, MI | Over the Limit |
| Dolph Ziggler | 08/06/2010 | Laredo, TX | SmackDown |
| Kofi Kingston | 01/07/2011 | Tucsan, AZ | SmackDown |
| Wade Barrett | 03/25/2011 | Columbus, OH | SmackDown |
| Ezekiel Jackson | 06/19/2011 | Washington DC | Capitol Punishment |
| Cody Rhodes | 08/12/2011 | Sacramento, CA | SmackDown |
| The Big Show | 04/01/2012 | Miami, FL | WrestleMania 28 |
| Cody Rhodes | 04/29/2012 | Chicago, IL | Extreme Rules |
| Christian | 05/20/2012 | Raleigh, NC | Over The Limit |
| The Miz | 07/23/2012 | St. Louis, MO | RAW 1000 |
| Kofi Kingston | 10/17/2012 | Memphis, TN | Main Event |
| Wade Barrett | 12/31/2012 | Washington, DC | RAW |
| The Miz | 04/07/2013 | East Rutherford, NJ | Wrestlemania 29 |
| Wade Barrett | 04/08/2013 | East Rutherford, NJ | RAW |
| Curtis Axel | 06/16/2013 | Chicago, IL | Payback |
| Big E Langston | 11/18/2013 | Nashville, TN | RAW |
| Wade Barrett | 05/04/2014 | East Rutherford, NJ | Extreme Rules |
| The Miz | 07/20/2014 | Tampa, FL | Battleground |
| Dolph Ziggler | 08/17/2014 | Los Angeles, CA | SummerSlam |
| The Miz | 09/21/2014 | Nashville, TN | Night of Champions |
| Dolph Ziggler | 09/22/2014 | Memphis, TN | RAW |
| Luke Harper | 11/17/2014 | Roanoke, VA | RAW |
| Dolph Ziggler | 12/14/2014 | Cleveland, OH | TLC…and Stairs |
| Wade Barrett | 01/05/2015 | Corpus Christi, TX | RAW |
| Daniel Bryan | 03/29/2015 | Santa Clara, CA | WrestleMania 31 |
| Title vacant | 05/11/2015 | Cincinnati, OH | RAW |
| Ryback | 05/31/2015 | Corpus Christi, TX | Elimination Chamber |
| Kevin Owens | 09/20/2015 | Houston, TX | Night of Champions |
| Dean Ambrose | 12/13/2015 | Boston, MA | TLC |
| Kevin Owens | 02/15/2016 | Anaheim, CA | RAW |
| Zack Ryder | 04/03/2016 | Dallas, TX | WrestleMania 32 |
| The Miz | 04/04/2016 | Dallas, TX | RAW |
| Dolph Ziggler | 10/09/2016 | Sacramento, CA | No Mercy |
| The Miz | 11/15/2016 | Wilkes-Barre, PA | SmackDown |
| Dean Ambrose | 01/03/2017 | Jacksonville, FL | SmackDown |
| The Miz | 06/04/2017 | Baltimore, MD | Extreme Rules |
| Roman Reigns | 11/20/2017 | Houston, TX | Monday Night RAW |
| The Miz | 01/22/2018 | New York City, NY | Monday Night RAW |
| Seth Rollins | 04/08/2018 | New Orleans, LA | WrestleMania 34 |
| Dolph Ziggler | 06/18/2018 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Monday Night RAW |
| Seth Rollins | 08/19/2018 | Brooklyn. NY | SummerSlam 2018 |
| Dean Ambrose | 12/16/2018 | San Jose, CA | TLC |
| Bobby Lashley | 01/14/2019 | Memphis, TN | Monday Night RAW |
| Finn Balor | 02/17/2019 | Houston, TX | Elimination Chamber 2019 |
| Bobby Lashley“ | 03/11/2019 | Pittsburg, PA | Monday Night RAW |
| Finn Balor | 04/07/2019 | East Rutherford, NJ | WrestleMania 35 |
| Shinsuke Nakamura | 07/14/2019 | Pittsburgh, PA | Extreme Rules |
| Braun Strowman | 01/31/2020 | Tulsa, Ok | Friday Night SmackDown |
| Sami Zayn | 03/08/2020 | Philadelphia, PA | Elimination Chamber |
| AJ Styles | 06/12/2020 | Orlando, FLA | Friday Night SmackDown |
| Jeff Hardy | 08/21/2020 | Orlando, FLA | Friday Night SmackDown |
| Sami Zayn | 09/27/2020 | Orlando, FLA | Clash of Champions |
| Big E | 12/25/2020 | Orlando, FLA | SmackDown |
| Apollo Crews | 04/11/2021 | Tampa, FLA | WrestleMania 37 Night 2 |
| King Nakamura | 08/13/2021 | Tulsa, OKL | SmackDown |
| Sami Zayn | 02/18/2022 | New Orleans, LA | Friday Night SmackDown |
| Ricochet | 03/04/2022 | Miami, FLA | Friday Night SmackDown |
| Gunther | 06/10/2022 | Baton Rouge, LA | Friday Night SmackDown |
| Sami Zayn | 4/6/2024 | Philadelpha, PA | WrestleMania 40 – Night 1 |
| Bron Breakker | 08/03/2024 | Cleveland, OH | SummerSlam |
| Jey Uso | 09/03/2024 | Ontario, CALI | WWE Monday Night RAW |
| Bron Breakker | 10/21/2024 | Philadelphia, PA | WWE Monday Night RAW |