While it may be recognized by many as one of the most historic championships in all of professional wrestling, it's safe to say that there have been times when the Intercontinental Championship hasn't been treated as such over the course of the last decade or so.
However, instead of being too negative, we've decided to try and pick out the biggest and best holders of the title from the last ten years. Some have better credentials than others, but in the end, they all did something that so many others have failed to do: They made us care about the belt.
10 Zack Ryder
It’s going to seem utterly bizarre to use someone that held the Intercontinental Championship for just one day, but when your title win has such an impact that it is considered to be one of the show-stealing moments of the biggest WrestleMania ever, it’s worth talking about.
Ryder’s ladder win at WM32 single-handedly made him a big name once again, after weeks and weeks of being cast aside as someone who isn’t considered to be a top guy. Sure, WWE still couldn’t take advantage of that, but at least he’ll always have that night in Dallas.
9 Daniel Bryan
Again, this reign wasn’t really about the length but more about what it represented. While it may have been a brief moment in the sunshine for Daniel Bryan back at WrestleMania 31, he was the kind of workhorse champion that just looked right with the IC Title over his shoulder.
If he had been given the chance to run with the belt for at least six months, and potentially even longer, we honestly believe he could’ve done what John Cena did for the United States Championship in terms of raising its prestige.
8 Big E
Big E, known as Big E Langston back then, certainly wasn’t one of the all-time great Intercontinental Champions. However, the pool has been a little bit thin over the course of the last decade, which is one of the primary reasons as to why he’s been able to earn a spot on this list.
His title reign allowed people to recognize him as a top singles star, potentially for the first time since he held the NXT Championship. It also helped that he had the look of a champion that could beat quite literally anyone.
7 John Morrison
During his time with WWE, you could certainly argue that John Morrison should’ve been given the chance to shine with a world title. However, while that didn’t happen, he was still able to prove to the masses that he was a pretty damn good IC Champion.
Morrison still could’ve been better, which we’ll happily admit, but we still looked forward to seeing what he was going to do with the belt on a week to week basis. Plus, in the same vein as Big E, he certainly had the look of a champion.
6 Kofi Kingston
The current WWE Champion (that sounds weird yet great to say) Kofi Kingston has a distinguished legacy in WWE, and the Intercontinental Championship is a big part of that. None of his reigns were particularly memorable, but when you add them all up, he soon enters the annals of the title’s illustrious history as one of the most consistent champs when it comes to the quality of his matches.
When he belonged in the main event scene, there was quite literally nobody better at churning out great matches with this belt.
5 Drew McIntyre
People rarely remember just how good Drew McIntyre was during his time with WWE the first time around, and a big reason for that is how he was booked. He just wasn’t given much of an opportunity to shine, and we always thought that was a shame.
However, even when Drew wasn’t doing 'much,' he still came across as a really believable and really enjoyable Intercontinental Champion. He suited the belt perfectly, and to this day, we wish that WWE had seen his potential back then and capitalized on it just a little bit more.
4 Seth Rollins
Nobody is going to remember Seth Rollins’ Universal Champion reign all too fondly, but the exact opposite can be said for his time as Intercontinental Champion. We would argue this is one of the biggest factors behind his subsequent call-up to the world title scene, and even that may be an understatement.
Rollins looked like he was proud to defend the title whenever he was given the opportunity to do so, and you could argue that was a rare thing in the last decade of WWE programming.
In short, he’s great.
3 Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler was one of the finest Intercontinental Champions of his era and you’ll never convince us otherwise. From winning the belt back from Luke Harper to dethroning The Miz at No Mercy, he’s had some wonderful moments with the secondary title.
Sure, Ziggler's promotions up to the main event scene haven’t always gone swimmingly, but he defines what it means to be a workhorse.
Honestly, if given the opportunity, we would jump at the opportunity to see Ziggler vs. Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 36.
2 Cody Rhodes
This is the man that brought the prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship after years of it being a second thought type of title, with one of his finest acts as champion being to change the design to the current ‘old school’ belt we all know and love.
From that point on he also managed to hold the belt with class and dignity, defending it with pride along the way. We all know Cody is one of the most underrated performers of his generation, and his championship run proves that even further.
1 The Miz
Everyone said he should break Honky Tonk Man’s record for the longest-reigning IC Title run ever, and everyone also said he should break the record for the number of reigns with the championship. That is the kind of commitment, dedication, and heart that The Miz put into this belt whenever he held onto it.
The Miz's first few runs with the title may not have been all too spectacular, but when he got into his rhythm from 2016 onwards, he was phenomenal.
From his in-ring matches to the storytelling of his feuds, The Miz just seemed to ‘get it’.