14 Best WWE Title Changes At SummerSlam

8. WWF Intercontinental Championship (1998): HHH Vs. The Rock (c)

This was another classic Intercontinental Championship match between two up-and-coming stars who would help define the Attitude Era.

In this case, Rocky and HHH had a lengthy ladder match for the IC title at the peak of the D-Generation X/Nation of Domination feud that lasted throughout the second half of 1998. The feud helped boost both factions, but the Intercontinental Championship match would show that Rock and HHH could steal the show.

Both beat the hell out of each other for upwards of 25 minutes, with Rock damaging HHH’s knee and Hunter using a chair to subdue Rocky. In the end, HHH would overcome Rock and capture his second IC title, but it wouldn’t be long before both men would be fighting for the WWF Championship, showing how two mid-carders can elevate each other to the next level.

What makes this tough to swallow today is seeing how often this happened in the 90s and how that is the opposite of what’s happening with the Intercontinental Championship now. Miz clearly isn’t a star on the rise anymore (although he’s doing just fine as a midcard champ), and while Apollo Crews is supposedly on the upswing, his character development has been practically nonexistent at times.

A title victory alone isn’t going to vault him to greatness.