10 Huge Stars Who Only Held The WWE Intercontinental Title Once
Despite their legacies within the WWE, the 'work horse title' only adorned their waist once.
Despite it's standing dipping over the last decade or so, many fans still cling to the prestige of the Intercontinental Title.
Dubbed "the workhorse title" by many, it used to sit proudly behind the WWE Championship as one of the most coveted prizes in wrestling. A second world championship and a counter-part US Title has diminished the belt since then, but it has still been held by some of the biggest stars in wrestling history.
Its legacy is legendary, with stars such as The Rock, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, HHH, Shawn Michaels and Jeff Hardy all using the belt as the intended stepping stone to superstardom.
In recent years, the belt has become synonymous with wrestlers like Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, The Miz and Wade Barrett, all of them swapping the title on a seemingly monthly basis and stacking up countless reigns. Surprisingly, there are some major WWE stars who have held the belt only once, some of whom you associate with the IC Title despite their one and only time with the belt.
Some of these reigns are memorable. Some not so much. But let's kick things off with the most surprising one time title reign of the list...
10. Randy Savage
'OOOOOH YEAAAAAAAHHH!'
Randy Savage is one of the most beloved wrestlers of his generation and is often, quite rightly, brought up when the best-of-all-time discussion begins. With his buckets of charisma, garish ring wear and exciting ring style, the 'Macho Man' is a deserving inductee of the WWE Hall of Fame and a great loss to the wrestling community.
Savage is synonymous with the WWE Intercontinental Champion, often regarded as one of the best champions in the belts over forty year lineage. After defeating Tito Santana in February 1986 through nefarious means and claiming the belt, the 'Macho Man' would reign for nearly fourteen months, turning face during his feud with George 'The Animal' Steele.
Eventually, Savage would drop the belt at WrestleMania III to Ricky Steamboat in a classic match that won both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer Match of the Year in 1987. Surprisingly, it was the one and only time that Randy Savage held the title belt, but his reign is so iconic that it proves that the belt doesn't make the man, but the man can make the belt.
One of the best to hold the belt, and one that has been paid tribute to by many superstars.