Ranking The Last 10 WWE Intercontinental Champions From Worst To Best
The workhorse belt that sometimes isn't.
Only time will tell if Sami Zayn's first Intercontinental Title run is more Honky Tonk Man heel than it is Dean Douglas. Nothing is certain there - trying to figure out where the once-prestigious IC strap sits in WWE's pecking order is enough to leave one crying in the corner about "the good old days".
Sometimes they're into it, and sometimes they're not.
If played correctly, Sami's reign could be epic. He has the promo skills to make it work, doesn't mind looking like a coward for anyone and has heel backup in the form of Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro to help save his skin. Remember all this hopeful pondering when Braun Strowman squashes him in six seconds at WrestleMania 36 and takes the thing back.
Looking back on the previous 10 Intercontinental Champions pre-Zayn is enlightening. All three members of The Shield are in there, and the earliest allowed (despite multiple reigns for some, there's a strict 'one entry per wrestler' rule in effect) happened way back in the 2016.
So, who does Sami have to beat and who should he avoid replicating?