The 10 Best Face Intercontinental Champions Ever, Ranked

Babyface Intercontinental Champions have dominated many different eras in the industry. The Intercontinental Title is traditionally known as the workhorse championship. The title was first established in 1979 with the late great Pat Patterson as the very first holder of the championship. Many iconic babyfaces, laid down a stronger marker when they held the Intercontinental Championship.

The majority of the Intercontinental Champions who excelled as a babyface, went on to capture the WWE Championship. It shows how significant a great Intercontinental Championship reign can lead to bigger prizes. Furthermore, many babyface Intercontinental Champions held the title with pride and were universally loved by fans.

10 Kofi Kingston

Kofi Kingston is a four-time Intercontinental Champion, and whilst his longest reign with the gold was 76 days long, Kingston had incredible battles as champion. Kingston's athleticism captivated audiences who were always heavily invested in Kingston's matches.

Kingston had exciting matches with Dolph Ziggler in 2010 and 2011 which elevated both men as sublime mid-card workers into future world champions. At Night of Champions 2008, Kingston beat none other than arguably the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time, Chris Jericho, for his first run with the gold. It seemed that Kingston was destined to remain as a mid-card champion, but he finally won the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 in 2019.

9 Shelton Benjamin

Shelton Benjamin's lack of mic skills always deprived his chances of holding a World Championship in WWE. Benjamin settled for three Intercontinental Championship reigns but his memorable run was his maiden reign that lasted 244 days.

Benjamin ended Chris Jericho's then-record of seven Intercontinental Title reigns at Taboo Tuesday 2004. It was a landslide vote, and Benjamin was over with the fans. Shelton thrived as the Intercontinental Champion, having a solid match with Christian at Survivor Series. He also had one more memorable encounter with Jericho at Backlash 2005. Benjamin suited this role as an Intercontinental Champion during the 2000s on Monday Night Raw.

8 Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam's six Intercontinental Championship reigns were brief and he never had a memorable run with the title. However, RVD's highlight as the Intercontinental Champion was a feud with a returning and reinvigorated Eddie Guerrero in 2002.

RVD and Guerrero complemented each other with both using aerial and high-risk moves, which always guaranteed great matches. They had a magnificent ladder match on Raw which RVD won. Another underrated gem was a ladder match between RVD and Christian in 2003, that main evented Raw. Van Dam's sixth and final reign came during his time as Mr. Money in the Bank, becoming the first man to hold the title whilst in possession of the MITB briefcase. RVD was the perfect Intercontinental Champion as he always put on a great show and fans were excited to see him perform.

7 Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy is undoubtedly one of the best babyface Intercontinental Champions in WWE history. Hardy's popularity is sky-high and fans adored the Charismatic Enigma's energy and style of wrestling.

Hardy is a five-time Intercontinental Champion but his feud with John Morrison over the title in 2006 and 2007 was outstanding. Hardy epitomized being a workhorse champion which is why he was the right fit for holding the Intercontinental Championship. Hardy outgrew the title. After his fourth reign was ended by Chris Jericho in 2008, he became WWE Champion by the end of the year. Sadly, his three world championship runs were underwhelming but Hardy certainly restored the Intercontinental Title to its former glory.

6 Chris Jericho

The man with the most Intercontinental Championship reigns is Chris Jericho. Y2J is a record-setting nine-time Intercontinental Champion, setting the record for the most reigns since 2004 which is an incredible achievement. Jericho has held the title as both a face and a heel but has done a remarkable job by elevating the championship.

The great thing about Jericho is that he could transition from being a world championship contender and dip back into the Intercontinental Title scene. Jericho had scintillating clashes with Chris Benoit over the title, and their ladder match at the 2001 Royal Rumble was one of the best.

5 The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior Intercontinental Champion Cropped

Whilst he certainly captivated audiences with his huge burst of energy, The Ultimate Warrior was not a great in-ring wrestler. One of the best moments in Warrior's career came at SummerSlam 1988 when he ended The Honky Tonk Man's 13-month reign as Intercontinental Champion.

Warrior hardly defended the title, but he is a two-time Intercontinental Champion and had lengthy reigns with the gold. Both of Warrior's reigns lasted 216 days with Rick Rude dethroning him at WrestleMania V. He'd regain it from Rude at SummerSlam but vacated the title when he defeated Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI to become the new WWF Champion. Although Warrior didn't thrive as WWF Champion, he was built as Hogan's replacement as the top babyface.

4 Bret Hart

It became abundantly clear that Bret Hart was destined for bigger things in WWE than just being a tag team wrestler. The Excellence of Execution solidified his spot as a singles star by defeating Mr. Perfect in a marvelous encounter at SummerSlam 1991 for his maiden Intercontinental Championship reign.

Hart would go on to become the face of the New Generation era and crowds would go berserk for the Hitman. Hart's second Intercontinental Championship reign lasted four months in 1992 and his match with his brother-in-law The British Bulldog in the main event of SummerSlam showcased Bret's greatness. The Hitman did an exceptional job as a babyface Intercontinental Champion. Months later, he was finally the WWF Champion.

3 Tito Santana

The '80s was a golden period in the WWE, and it was a great time to be Intercontinental Champion. Tito Santana defined the role of a workhorse Intercontinental Champion and he defended the title with dignity.

Santana was one of the most over babyfaces during this time frame and he did not disappoint as champion. His first reign in 1984 lasted 226 days, and he feuded with Greg Valentine over the title. The two bitter enemies traded the championship, and their animosity for each other made for compelling storytelling. Ultimately, Santana's time as Intercontinental Champion was the best moment of his career before the failed "El Matador" character saw a decline.

2 Pedro Morales

Usually, the Intercontinental Championship is seen as the stepping stone to the WWE Championship but not in Pedro Morales' case. Morales was already a bonafide main eventer having previously won the WWF Championship and Tag Team Championship.

However, Morales' first Intercontinental Championship in December 1980 had historical significance as he became the first Triple Crown winner in WWE history. Morales' drawing power was huge, drawing out big crowds in his feud with Don Muraco, which set the bar for future rivalries over the Intercontinental Title. Morales is a two-time Intercontinental Champion with the longest cumulative reigns at 617 days.

1 Razor Ramon

Razor Ramon molded the Intercontinental Championship into his own once he had a stranglehold on the title in the early part of the '90s. The Bad Guy was introduced to fans in WWE as a heel but once he turned face, Razor was off to the races.

Ramon became the first four-time Intercontinental Champion in history which does not get spoken about these days, as many have surpassed his reigns. However, Razor was bigger than a couple of WWF Champions in the '90s due to his notoriety. Moreover, Ramon's finest hour was his two ladder matches with Shawn Michaels over the title at WrestleMania X and SummerSlam 1995. Every time Razor lost the championship, it was a big deal, and Jeff Jarrett and Goldust both benefitted from beating him for the title.

NEXT: 5 IC Champions Who Helped Elevate The Gold (& 5 Who Did Nothing With It)