Over the last few years, the Intercontinental Championship has been low on the priority list for WWE, with it once again going through stages where it feels neglected and not cared for. Since 2020, there have been several different champions, all with varying levels of success when it comes to their reigns.
Some reigns have been long yet uneventful, while others have been short but entertaining, with a range of different qualities in between. There have been eleven different reigns between nine champions since 2020, with former world champions even having stints with the title, though their reigns haven’t necessarily been great.
11 Braun Strowman
Strowman’s Intercontinental Championship win over Shinsuke Nakamura marked his first ever singles title in the company. However, for what is often referred to as the “workhorse” title, Strowman didn’t really fit the bill when it comes to the title.
Strowman was champion for just a month, and didn’t successfully defend it at all, dropping the belt in a 3-on-1 handicap match, which felt like a cheap way to end a title reign.
10 Sami Zayn (Third)
In early 2022, Zayn surprisingly picked up the Intercontinental Championship by defeating Shinsuke Nakamura, though this was merely a transitional reign, as he dropped the belt to Ricochet after being distracted by his rival, Johnny Knoxville.
Although Zayn did his best at making the title feel important in just a couple of short weeks, he didn’t get a chance to defend it, and it felt like just a prop to further his feud with Knoxville.
9 Shinsuke Nakamura (First)
Shinsuke Nakamura entered 2020 as the Intercontinental Champion, but for fairness, his reign will be ranked from when it first began – in July 2019. This was the longest IC Title reign since all the way back in 2011, but it was also one of the least eventful.
Nakamura only defended the title three times, despite spending over six months as champion, with him often going missing from TV for several weeks and months at a time. WWE seemingly forgot about Nakamura and his title reign on numerous occasions, with it being a slap in the face to both performer and championship.
8 Shinsuke Nakamura (Second)
Nakamura’s second reign since 2020 was nearly as bad as his first, with the only positives being that he was slightly more featured on TV this time around, although he still barely defended the championship.
His hype man and tag team partner, Rick Boogs, got more of the focus during this time, making both Nakamura and the IC Title come across as unimportant.
7 Ricochet
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Ricochet has defended his title more than some of the previous reigns since 2020, defeating the likes of Sami Zayn, Humberto, Angel, Jinder Mahal, and Shanky, but few of these have been standout matches.
Ricochet has lost several times on TV, with his reign feeling like an afterthought for the most part, with the most notable example being that he was left off WrestleMania 38, despite being champion.
6 Sami Zayn (First)
It could be bold to claim this reign was better than the likes of Nakamura and Strowman, but at the very least, the title felt more important around the waist of Zayn. He picked up the belt in a 3-on-1 handicap match, which wasn’t the best way to kick off the reign, and he would defend it just once against Daniel Bryan, at WrestleMania 36.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Zayn was forced to relinquish the title due to not being present. He would still claim to be champion online, which helped to form his conspiracy theorist gimmick.
5 Jeff Hardy
This reign didn’t last for too long, with it just being a month, but there were some good moments within it. His initial win against AJ Styles came as a surprise, and the match was entertaining, with him also defending it in a match against Shinsuke Nakamura.
Hardy’s loss of the title came in a brilliant ladder match with AJ Styles and Sami Zayn, ending his reign on a fantastic, show-stealing note.
4 Apollo Crews
When Apollo Crews turned heel in 2022, it seemed as though he was set for a big push, with this being apparently confirmed with an Intercontinental Championship victory at WrestleMania 37.
He defended the title a few times early on, defeating Kevin Owens, Big E, and Sami Zayn, all in decent matches, but then WWE seemed to just stop caring. He began losing non-title matches, barely defended the belt, and then lost it in unceremonious fashion. It started off well but ended with a dud.
3 Sami Zayn (Second)
After several months away, Sami Zayn returned to WWE to stake his claim for being the rightful Intercontinental Champion. His desire to be champion helped raise the importance of the title, as it felt truly sought after.
Zayn would win the title in a phenomenal ladder match against AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy, in which Zayn was made to look a genius with the tactics he used to win. He would defend the title a couple times, though his reign wasn’t full of much substance, even though he was champion for three months.
2 Big E
The biggest positive about Big E’s Intercontinental Championship reign was that he was booked strongly as champion, winning most of his matches. The content within the reign wasn’t overly enthralling, with it being bogged down by constant rematches with Apollo Crews.
The reign lasted for a good chunk of time, and whilst it was nice to see E finding success as a singles star, it wasn’t a memorable run with the belt.
1 AJ Styles
AJ Styles’ reign kicked off after winning a tournament for the vacant title, defeating Daniel Bryan in a fantastic finals match. The tournament itself, and the caliber of performers competing, helped to raise the prestige of the title.
Styles successfully defended the belt three times against Drew Gulak, Matt Riddle, and Gran Metalik, all of which were unique and entertaining matches, before dropping the belt in a good match with Jeff Hardy. It wasn’t the longest reign, but Styles defended it often, and always put on a good showing.