The History of the Intercontinental Championship Review

Like the last title collection released by WWE, ‘The History of the WWE Championship’, this set chronicles the lineage of the titular championship from its inception to the current era. This set ends with Jericho winning his eight IC Title from Jeff Hardy, but, due to deadlines, misses the subsequent reigns of Kofi Kingston, Santino Marella (unfortunately, along with it, the glory of the Honk-a-Meter) and current champion, William Regal.

Certificate: 18

Running Time: 540mins

Discs: 3

Chapters – Disc 1: The 1980s

The Inaugural Champion
Pat Patterson vs. Ted DiBiase – Madison Square Garden (October 22, 1979)
Olympic Strongman vs. The Fiery Latino (Todd Grisham)
Ken Patera vs. Pedro Morales – Madison Square Garden (October 20, 1980)
Knockdown Drag out Fight
Pedro Morales vs. The Magnificent Muraco – Madison Square Garden (December 28, 1982)
The Super Splash
Steel Cage Match: The Magnificent Muraco vs. Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka – Madison Square Garden (October 17, 1983)
Arriba! & The Hammer
Lumberjack Match: Greg Valentine vs. Tito Santana – Madison Square Garden (March 17, 1985)
Enter the Macho Man
Tito Santana vs. Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage – Boston Garden (February 8, 1986)
The Greatest Ever
Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage vs. Ricky ‘the Dragon’ Steamboat – WrestleMania III (March 29, 1987)
The Guitar Playing Antagonist
Ricky ‘the Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Honky Tonk Man – SuperStars (June 2, 1987)
The End of an Era
Honky Tonk Man vs. Ultimate Warrior – SummerSlam (August 29, 1988)
The Ladies Man
Ravishing Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior – SummerSlam (August 28, 1989)

Chapters – Disc 2: The 1990s

The Perfect Champion
Mr. Perfect vs. Bret ‘Hit Man’ Hart – SummerSlam (August 26, 1991)
Divided Loyalties
Bret ‘Hit Man’ Hart vs. British Bulldog – SummerSlam (August 29, 1992)
Stealing the Show
Ladder Match: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels WrestleMania X (March 20, 1994)
Believing in Yourself
Razor Ramon vs. Jeff Jarrett – Royal Rumble (January 22, 1995)
One of the Greatest Rivalries in History
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Rocky Maivia – In Your House: D-Generation X (December 7, 1997)
A New Level of Popularity
2 out of 3 Falls: Triple H vs. The Rock – In Your House: Fully Loaded (July 26, 1998)
The Ninth Wonder of the World
Good Housekeeping Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Chyna – No Mercy (October 17, 1999)

Chapters – Disc 3: The 2000s

The New Millennium
Chris Jericho vs. Kurt Angle – No Way Out (February 27, 2000)
3 Is Better Than 2
Triple Threat Match: Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Jericho vs. X-Pac – SmackDown! (October 12, 2000)
David vs. Goliath
Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy – SmackDown! (April 12, 2001)
The Unification
WWE Intercontinental vs. European Championship Ladder Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy – RAW (July 22, 2002)
Battle of the Young Guns
Randy Orton vs. Edge – Vengeance (July 11, 2004)
Former World Champions Collide
Steel Cage Match: Ric Flair vs. Triple H – Taboo Tuesday (November 1, 2005)
Winner Takes All
Money in the Bank & WWE Intercontinental Championship – Winner Takes All: Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin – (Backlash April 30, 2006)
Fresh Faces
Triple Threat Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito vs. Johnny Nitro – Vengeance (June 25, 2006)
One Man Wrecking Crew
Umaga vs. Jeff Hardy – Great American Bash (July 22, 2007)
# 8
Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho – RAW (March 10, 2008)
The Matches Speak for Themselves

Extras

None

Unusually, for a WWE release, the company decided to leave the selected match listings up to the WWE fans, who logged on to WWE.COM and selected their favourite matches from the three decades featured on the three discs. This voting wasn’t open to all IC matches from the respective periods, however, as can be seen by the lack of Chris Benoit (and the frankly superb Triple Threat from Wrestlemania XVI).

The bouts that were chosen, though, are mostly good to fantastic, with some of the older matches holding up well to this day.

Todd Grisham is your host (good or bad?) and it is he who links the matches together with a brief history of why they are happening and the champions who held the belt between them. Even Ken Shamrock gets a quick flash on the screen holding the belt.

Another surprise is the lack of burial on both Jeff Jarrett (who features in two good matches) and Chyna. With neither of them leaving on good terms (there’s an understatement), it would have been easy to have a few digs at either of them.

There is no talking-heads segments or any actual documentary-style content on the history of the Intercontinental Title or what it meant to the guys who held it (many of whom still either work for WWE or are on good enough terms to provide a comment for the DVD). All you get is Todd and a match, followed by Todd and match, which is disappointing, especially when you think that there could at least have been some extras to add in even a few comments from the wrestlers who used the IC title to launch them to bigger things (HBK, Triple H, Austin, Rock at a push).

Some of my favourite IC matches are also missing (Bret v Piper at WMVIII, HBK v JJ at IYH2 and Foley v Orton at Backlash to name a few). I can understand why there are only a select few on the discs, but it’s still annoying when your favourites are omitted (I’m sure every reader of this review has at least one match they would like to have on the set been overlooked).

On the plus side, I did get to view a lot of matches I hadn’t seen before (around half of the first disc) or had forgotten how good they were (Austin/Rock, X-Pac/Eddie/Y2J, Triple H/Rock), not to mention some classics that I would never tire of watching again and again (Bret/Bulldog, Rude/Warrior, Flair/HHH). So, with that in mind, it’s easy to forgive the omitted bouts.

The video quality on the older bouts is of a great standard and all the original commentary is included, which adds a hell of a lot to the experience. Jesse Ventura, Bobby Heenan, Roddy Piper, Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon are as important to the feel of the match as the wrestlers themselves.

Extras
None

Overview

Twenty-seven matches spanning almost thirty years is a lot of ground to cover. All the matches, as I said above, are at least good (most are great), but it does show the decline in importance of the Intercontinental Championship over the last five-to-seven years.

My favourite matches on the three discs are:

Pat Patterson v Ted DiBiase: The first champion shows a master-class in stalling before facing (a pre-Million Dollar Man) Ted DiBiase in a sweet title defence.

“The Magnificent” Muraco v “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka: I’d wager that every WWE fan knows that this is the match where Snuka splashes Don Muraco from the top of the cage (an amazing site, even in 2008). What most fans won’t know is that the splash is only part of the story. These two men engage in a stunning, and bloody, brawl that deserves to be known for more than the one big spot.

Rick Rude v The Ultimate Warrior: Rude was one of only a handful of men who managed to get a decent match out of Warrior outside of a squash-match situation. He was also the first man to pin The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania V. This led to a rematch at Summerslam where the fans didn’t know if Warrior would lose again. The bout is a brilliant carry-job from Rick Rude and is a testament to the man’s talent and willingness to bump like there’s no tomorrow.

Mr. Perfect v Bret Hart: The feud between Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect was the first real rivalry over the title I can remember watching at the time it was happening. It was also, in my opinion, the high-point for the title itself. The match, a wrestling classic if ever there was one, is a brilliantly paced bout between two guys who just clicked in the ring. The fact Curt Hennig worked with a severe back injury makes it all the more impressive.

Razor Ramon v Jeff Jarrett: Probably not the most obvious choice, but this really is an underrated gem of a contest. Razor was established and Double J was on his way to doing the same. With The Roadie by his side, it seemed that destiny was also. The match manages to keep both men super-strong going out and the finish is a work of heel-genius.

Steve Austin v The Rock: My favourite match between these two is their Wrestlemania XIX encounter, but this match is pretty much forgotten about (which Grisham actually alludes to in his link), which is a shame. This is the match where Austin brings a pick-up truck to the ring and proceeds to backdrop D-Lo Brown over the top rope into the windscreen before landing a Stunner to the first Euro-Continental Champion (yes, Kurt Angle, he does count) on the roof of the vehicle.

Rob Van Dam v Jeff Hardy: These two had such great chemistry together, I can’t actually think of a bad match between the two of them (their first ever meeting at Invasion is still one of the best matches RVD has had in WWE). This was to unify the European and Intercontinental titles (which would also be unified with the Hardcore Championship) and as it was contested under Ladder Match rules, you can guess the rest.

Ric Flair v Triple H: A good, old-fashioned, steel-cage match contested by two guys who know each other very well and carried that into a very emotional and very bloody contest. This is, without a doubt, the highlight of the Taboo Tuesday/Cyber Sunday events.

Umaga v Jeff Hardy: Like Jeff and RVD, Umaga and Hardy just have a chemistry between them that heralds great matches. This is no different and has one of the best finishing sequences you’ll see. Umaga, feeling that Jeff may actually beat him, simply goes on a rampage. A superkick, a bum-bash avalanche and a Samoan Spike are delivered with nary a breath between them.

The other matches on the discs are also good value, but the lack of any real substance or input from any wrestler past or present is a real dampener. Buy it for the matches, but don’t expect anything else. At around 9hrs worth of content, though, you do get a lot for your money.

Points: 8/10

Buy It:

UK: DVD

USA: DVD

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

The History of the Intercontinental Championship Review

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you