20 Longest WWE Intercontinental Title Reigns

5. Greg Valentine - 285 Days

The Rock Ic Champ
wwe.com
Greg Valentine's initial run with the then-WWWF saw him challenge for both the World Championship and the Intercontinental Championship, coming up short when it came to winning either of those titles.

"The Hammer" would return to the renamed WWF in 1984 and would finally win singles gold, taking the Intercontinental Title from Tito Santana. Story-wise, Valentine injured the knee of Santana and snuck a roll-up pin before continuing to attack Tito after the match.

For his 285 days with the belt, Greg Valentine would largely feud with the Junkyard Dog until Santana returned from injury in early 1985. The two rivals would continue to do battle until Valentine lost the belt back to Tito in a July 1985 steel cage match.

Valentine is a pivotal part of IC folklore as, after losing the gold to Santana, he would go on to smash up the Intercontinental Championship, causing it to be replaced by a new belt that many deem the most iconic and "classic" version of the title.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.