10 Things You Didn’t Know About WWE’s Intercontinental Title

5. The Title Was Redesigned In 1998 Due To Legal Issues

The Rock Ic Title Promo
WWE.com

24 hours after his win over Ken Shamrock at WrestleMania XIV, The Rock strolled onto the set of Raw with a brand new Intercontinental Title. The fresh design was rounder than its predecessor, did away with the old gold tip on the leather and was originally presented on a classy purple strap.

The re-design was necessary for one reason and one reason only: legalities.

Reggie Parks owned the design rights for the classic version of the title, so Vince McMahon commissioned J-Mar Championship Belts to make him a new one. The motif had to be vastly different to the older design so Parks couldn't cry foul and claim that the WWF were ripping off his work. That was why it was such a departure.

Most probably won't remember the dark purple leather look at all either. It was only that colour for a short spell before the strap darkened with age, turned black and had more of a menacing, professional look. Who knows, maybe the purple was supposed to match one of Rocky's vibrant shirts.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.