The Day The WWE Intercontinental Title Died

5. An Earnt Stepping Stone

Triple H Kane
WWE.com

The Intercontinental Championship has often been labelled a stepping stone that's part of the path to eventually becoming World Champion - although, in more recent times, a World Title run almost seems like a formality for a talent even before they get this secondary belt.

By that, WWE seems to know already who they want to position in the future as the WWE Champion or Universal Champion, and they just first get handed the IC Title as a gesture or formality, with holding the Intercontinental Championship done so that it's something that can be ticked off the list of accomplishments.

For the longest period though, those given the chance to become Intercontinental Champion had to truly prove that they were worthy of a) being the Intercontinental Champ, and b) being afforded an opportunity to be a genuine World Championship contender.

The ranks of the Intercontinental Championship really were a proving ground for wrestlers. Before any of these got the chance to run with the biggest prize in the game, names like Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Triple H, the Rock and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin all had to prove themselves as money-drawing, attention-grabbing Intercontinental Champions who you either wanted to cheer for or see them get their ass kicked.

Having been successful in doing just that, only then, after earning the opportunity, those names were extended the chance to mix it up higher up the card.

Just being the Intercontinental Champion in itself was a major, major deal for so long, and it wasn't necessarily a definitive pathway to the inevitable World Championship. If you never got that World Title run but had an IC Title reign, that in itself was a huge achievement - whereas now some may deem that as a disappointing career.

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