10 Times WWE Stars Were Struck By The Intercontinental Title Curse

By Jamie Kennedy /

3. Ricky Steamboat (1987)

Ricky Steamboat's battle with 'Macho Man' Randy Savage at WrestleMania III in 1987 remains one of the most beloved matches in the event's history. The likes of Chris Jericho and Mick Foley have rated it as amongst their favourite bouts ever, and it should have been a launch pad for Steamboat's in-ring career with the then-WWF. Sadly, things didn't turn out that way. Savage had held the Intercontinental Title for a whopping 414 days before he was booked to lose the belt to Steamboat at WrestleMania. The title had become his, so it made 'The Dragon' look like a world beater upon rolling his opponent up for the 3 count in a Small Package pinning combination. Less than 3 months later, Steamboat was staring at the lights for The Honky Tonk Man. From there, Ricky Steamboat and the WWF were never the same together. Even though he competed in the WWF Title tournament at WrestleMania IV, Steamboat was gone shortly afterwards and returned to the NWA. It was there that he experienced a lot more success. The Intercontinental Title was an odd prize for Steamboat, it promised so much, yet delivered so little.