10 WWE Stars Who Saved The Intercontinental Title
8. Shawn Michaels
Bret Hart would lose the Intercontinental Title to Davey Boy Smith in what would be the belt's highest-profile slot ever - the main event of SummerSlam 1992, in front of a crowd at London's Wembley Stadium that was, until last month, WWE's largest legitimate house ever.
Smith won the classic match cleanly, and the two brothers-in-law embraced in front of 80,000 screaming Brits.
Smith's title reign was short-lived, though - according to reports, the company only put the title on him because the show was held in England. "The British Bulldog" was actually on his way out of WWE, and he lost the belt to Shawn Michaels less than two months after winning it.
Michaels was a rising talent and a new heel when he won the title, and his run made him a star in the mould of Randy Savage. Michaels did lose the championship to his former partner Marty Jannetty, but the match was considered a classic and he soon won the belt back.
Michaels, like Savage and Hart before him, used the IC Title as a stepping stone to world championships and superstardom, making it seem more important in the long run.