10 Greatest WWE Intercontinental Champions Of All Time
8. The Rock
It's easy to forget about Rocky's IC clout, given how much of his career he spent in the main event, but The Great One epitomised the worth of the championship in the late '90s. In an era of light-speed games of hot potato when it came to titles, Rock's 264-day second reign was a welcome change to the status quo.
The People's Champ benefited from the higher-profile singles exposure in his second term as IC champ, ultimately leading to his face turn and departure from The Nation Of Domination. The fact that Rock was even given another Intercontinental opportunity showed how much had changed since the feral, X-Pac heat he garnered as the smiley yet bland Rocky Maivia when he debuted and won his first title a year earlier.
The Intercontinental strap is known for two things: being a stepping stone for those on their way to the main event, and a place to show off the most athletic, technical geniuses in the business. Rock fell firmly into the former category, and it's impossible to see him as anything other than one of the greatest to lace up the boots.