SummerSlam was the home of many memorable Intercontinental Championship matches, especially in the '90s. In many instances, the Intercontinental Championship match at the Biggest Party of the Summer outshone the WWE Championship match. That shows how much of a big deal the prestigious Intercontinental Championship was. Moreover, there were several technical masterclasses, and ladder matches involving the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam which included some of the all-time greats who went on to become WWE Hall of Famers.
During the first 10 Intercontinental Championship matches to occur at SummerSlam, it was better to enter as the challenger than as the champion. The championship changed hands a whopping eight times during this period, including the first five editions of SummerSlam. Nevertheless, the Intercontinental Championship was a big deal in the '90s, and easily it could have headlined multiple events in the '90s.
10 The Honky Tonk Man Vs. The Ultimate Warrior - 1988
The Intercontinental Championship was the first title to be defended at the inaugural SummerSlam in 1988. The Honky Tonk Man is the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history, and he held the title for a remarkable 454 days. He issued an open challenge, and it was The Ultimate Warrior who ran down the aisle and challenged The Honky Tonk Man for the gold.
The crowd went berserk, and Warrior was too hot for The Honky Tonk Man to deal with it. He blasted his way past The Honky Tonk Man with ease, and he kickstarted his first Intercontinental Championship reign in just 31 seconds.
9 Mr. Perfect Vs. The Texas Tornado - 1990
Mr. Perfect is widely regarded as one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time. He put his Intercontinental Championship on the line against the popular Texas Tornado at SummerSlam 1990. Their match went back and forth, and Tornado got the upper hand until Perfect battled back.
Fans cheered the Texas Tornado heavily, and he slingshotted Perfect into the turnbuckle. He applied the claw hold and hit him with the spin punch to win the Intercontinental Championship in a relatively short match.
8 Shawn Michaels Vs. Mr. Perfect - 1993
For the third time in four years, Mr. Perfect was involved in an Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam. The 1993 iteration of the event saw him challenge Shawn Michaels for the coveted IC title, and if he prevailed, he'd make history as the first three-time Intercontinental Champion. Unfortunately, this match didn't live up to the hype and it should have been miles better.
Perfect was returning to action after a back injury, which would soon rule him out from in-ring competition indefinitely in WWE. Nonetheless, Michaels' bodyguard Diesel got involved in proceedings, and HBK narrowly escaped with his title intact with a count-out victory.
7 Owen Hart Vs. Steve Austin - 1997
The stakes were high in Owen Hart and Steve Austin's Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam 1997. If Austin failed to beat the King of the Harts for the Intercontinental Championship, he'd have to kiss Hart's backside. Austin had no intentions of partaking in the ultimate humiliation, and the bitter enemies were having an excellent match until an unfortunate injury happened.
Owen botched a Piledriver, and Austin suffered partial paralysis. Fans were robbed of an instant classic, but it was a scary moment for Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake captured the Intercontinental Championship with one of the worst rollups you'd ever see in WWE.
6 Diesel Vs. Razor Ramon - 1994
Diesel entered his Intercontinental Championship title match with Razor Ramon as a double champion as he was also one half of the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions with Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam 1994. HBK was in Diesel's corner, and Walter Payton accompanied the Bad Guy to the ring.
This was a superb championship match, and both men threw the kitchen sink at each other. HBK was a constant presence in the match as he attempted to help Diesel. That proved to be the difference-maker as he nailed Diesel with Sweet Chin Music. The Bad Guy was triumphant, and he recaptured the Intercontinental Championship.
5 The Ultimate Warrior Vs. Rick Rude - 1989
There's something about Rick Rude that managed to bring out the best in The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior was out for revenge at SummerSlam 1989 as he dropped the Intercontinental Championship to the Ravishing One at WrestleMania 5.
This was one of the best matches on the card, and this was an intriguing championship match. Both had chances to put the other away, and the Rude Awakening wasn't enough for Rude to retain the title. With an assist from "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Warrior clinched the Intercontinental Championship for the second year in succession at the Biggest Party of the Summer.
4 The Rock Vs. Triple H - 1998
Madison Square Garden played host to SummerSlam 1998, and arguably, the best match of the night was The Rock and Triple H's Intercontinental Championship ladder match. Rock was the leader of the Nation, and Triple H was in charge of DX as their leader. Nevertheless, neither man was a ladder match specialist, but they had excellent chemistry together.
This was a violent ladder match as blood was shed, and steel chairs were in operation. Ultimately, Triple H climbed the ladder, and he retrieved the Intercontinental Championship for the second time in his career.
3 Mr. Perfect Vs. Bret Hart - 1991
Bret Hart was seeking his first Intercontinental Championship reign when he challenged Mr. Perfect for the coveted title at SummerSlam 1991. There is no surprise that this was a technical masterclass with Hart and Perfect showcasing their skills as two remarkable workers.
Perfect had a nagging back injury to contend with, and he was unable to put Hart away with his trademark Perfect Plex. Nonetheless, Hart showed that he was ready for the big time, and he forced Perfect to give up when the Sharpshooter was cinched to become the new Intercontinental Champion.
2 Shawn Michaels Vs. Razor Ramon - 1995
SummerSlam 1995 was dreadful but thankfully Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon saved the show from being a total disaster. A rematch of their WrestleMania 10 epic, they were once again involved in a ladder match with HBK's Intercontinental Championship hanging in the balance.
Michaels and Ramon knew each other's skillsets very well, and it made their bouts captivating to watch. The Bad Guy pushed Michaels to his limit, but HBK flipped the script and retained the Intercontinental Championship in a match that was more than capable of closing out the show.
1 Bret Hart Vs. The British Bulldog - 1992
One of the most talked-about matches in the history of SummerSlam was the battle between brothers-in-law, Bret Hart, and The British Bulldog at SummerSlam 1992. Unquestionably, this was one of the biggest matches in Bulldog's career as he got to perform in front of 80,000 fans in his home country of England in a jam-packed Wembley Stadium.
The wrestling was brilliant, and the Hitman deserves a lot of credit for carrying a match of this magnitude. The Intercontinental Championship match headlining SummerSlam is a big deal and it's a testament to Hart and Bulldog's star power. Despite the Hitman's efforts, he came up short and dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Bulldog in a career-defining night for Bulldog's career.