The Day The WWE Intercontinental Title Died
7. A Bona Fide Main Event Attraction
As the 1970s rolled into the '80s, the World Wrestling Federation rightly did everything it could to position the Intercontinental Champion as a genuine big deal. And to the company's credit, they 100% succeeded in doing just that.
With the company usually running live events in two different venues on the same night, the Intercontinental Champion was often handed the task of headlining one of these shows - with this title alone being enough to draw in the paying public.
Given how he was a former World Champion in the company, Pedro Morales was a particular draw for crowds during his time as the Intercontinental Champion. Likewise, Tito Santana was another who crowds went wild for as the headlining IC Champ. Moreover, not only was the Intercontinental Champion put in main events, but the championship also featured main event-worthy rivalries.
The Tito Santana and Greg Valentine rivalry was big money. The Tito Santana and Randy Savage rivalry was big money. The Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat rivalry was big money. And even the Honky Tonk Man's time with the belt brought asses to seats, with people eager to see the cocksure prick get his comeuppance.
In terms of main event spotlights, it doesn't get any bigger than a Wembley Stadium crowd of 80,000 people watching Bret Hart defending his Intercontinental Championship against Davey Boy Smith in the final match on the card at SummerSlam '92.
Not only did the title get positioned in a huge spot at the 1992 edition of SummerSlam, Bret and the British Bulldog put on an absolute clinic.
Which nicely brings us to...