Traditionally, the Intercontinental Title has long been considered the 'workhorse' belt in the company. This stems from smaller, more wrestling-centric workers such as Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels holding it. That trend would continue at the turn of the new millennium, with performers like Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. The Honky Tonk Man doesn't fit that bracket. Never the best technician inside the ring, Honky was still a superlative performer. Fans loved to hate the guy, which is likely why his Intercontinental Title reign is still the longest in history. Holding the belt for 454 days, the guy's reign with the title was only ended by The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam 1988. Reportedly, it was due to end long before that, and Honky's refusal would change the course of WrestleMania. At 'Mania IV, Randy Savage conquered Ted DiBiase in a tournament final to win the vacant WWF Heavyweight Title. According to Honky in a shoot, that wasn't the original plan. Initially, Savage was supposed to dethrone Honky for the Intercontinental belt and Dibiase was meant to win the big one. Due to Honky's hesitancy, Savage ended up winning the WWF Title, a strap DiBiase never again came so close to. For Honky, he attributes this time as a troublesome one. Vince McMahon wasn't a fan of his refusal, and The Honky Tonk Man started to move down the card until leaving in 1991. He did have a short run in WCW during 1994, and returned to the WWF - largely as a non-wrestler - in 1997, but his career never really recovered. What other examples can you think of when wrestlers ruined their careers by refusing to job? What do you make of the entries listed here? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below!
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.
