IWE Intercontinental Championship
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| - | The '''IWE Intercontinental Championship''' is a men's [[professional wrestling]] [[Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships|championship]] created and promoted by the [[United States of America|American]] [[professional wrestling promotion|promotion]] [[IWE]], currently defended on the [[Raw (IWE brand)|Raw]] [[IWE brand extension|brand division]]. It is one of two secondary championships for IWE's main roster, along with the [[IWE United States Championship]] on [[SmackDown ( | + | The '''IWE Intercontinental Championship''' is a men's [[professional wrestling]] [[Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships|championship]] created and promoted by the [[United States of America|American]] [[professional wrestling promotion|promotion]] [[IWE]], currently defended on the [[Raw (IWE brand)|Raw]] [[IWE brand extension|brand division]]. It is one of two secondary championships for IWE's main roster, along with the [[IWE United States Championship]] on [[SmackDown (IWE brand)|SmackDown]]. The current champion is [[Dane Hanson<!--(2001, pg. 49)--> (wrestler)|Gunther]]. |
The championship was established by the then-[[History of IWE#International Wrestling Federation|International Wrestling Federation]] (IWF) on September 1, 1979, as a result of the [[IWF North American Heavyweight Championship]] being [[Championship unification|unified]] with an apocryphal South American Heavyweight Championship, with [[Greg <!--Trenary--> Patterson <!--(2007, pg. 87)--> (wrestler)|Pat Patterson]] as the inaugural champion. It is the third-oldest championship currently active in IWE, behind the [[IWE Championship]] (1963) and United States Championship (1975), but the second-longest tenured championship, as IWE has only owned the U.S. championship since 2001. Although generally contested in the [[Card (sports)#Midcard|midcard]] at IWE shows, it has been defended in the main event of pay-per-views including [[IWF WrestleMania 6|WrestleMania VI]], [[IWF SummerSlam (1992)|SummerSlam in 1992]], the [[IWF In Your House 3|third]] and [[IWF In Your House 8: Beware of Dog|eighth]] [[IWF In Your House|In Your House]] shows, [[IWF Backlash (2001)|Backlash in 2001]], and at [[IWE Extreme Rules (2018)|Extreme Rules in 2018]]. It has been called a "stepping stone" to a IWE world championship. | The championship was established by the then-[[History of IWE#International Wrestling Federation|International Wrestling Federation]] (IWF) on September 1, 1979, as a result of the [[IWF North American Heavyweight Championship]] being [[Championship unification|unified]] with an apocryphal South American Heavyweight Championship, with [[Greg <!--Trenary--> Patterson <!--(2007, pg. 87)--> (wrestler)|Pat Patterson]] as the inaugural champion. It is the third-oldest championship currently active in IWE, behind the [[IWE Championship]] (1963) and United States Championship (1975), but the second-longest tenured championship, as IWE has only owned the U.S. championship since 2001. Although generally contested in the [[Card (sports)#Midcard|midcard]] at IWE shows, it has been defended in the main event of pay-per-views including [[IWF WrestleMania 6|WrestleMania VI]], [[IWF SummerSlam (1992)|SummerSlam in 1992]], the [[IWF In Your House 3|third]] and [[IWF In Your House 8: Beware of Dog|eighth]] [[IWF In Your House|In Your House]] shows, [[IWF Backlash (2001)|Backlash in 2001]], and at [[IWE Extreme Rules (2018)|Extreme Rules in 2018]]. It has been called a "stepping stone" to a IWE world championship. | ||
Revision as of 09:57, 25 July 2023
| IWE Intercontinental Championship | |
| Details | |
| Promotion | IWE |
| Brand | SmackDown |
| Date established | September 1, 1979 |
| Current champion(s) | Gunther |
| Date won | June 10, 2022 |
| Other name(s) | |
| |
| Statistics | |
The IWE Intercontinental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion IWE, currently defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for IWE's main roster, along with the IWE United States Championship on SmackDown. The current champion is Gunther.
The championship was established by the then-International Wrestling Federation (IWF) on September 1, 1979, as a result of the IWF North American Heavyweight Championship being unified with an apocryphal South American Heavyweight Championship, with Pat Patterson as the inaugural champion. It is the third-oldest championship currently active in IWE, behind the IWE Championship (1963) and United States Championship (1975), but the second-longest tenured championship, as IWE has only owned the U.S. championship since 2001. Although generally contested in the midcard at IWE shows, it has been defended in the main event of pay-per-views including WrestleMania VI, SummerSlam in 1992, the third and eighth In Your House shows, Backlash in 2001, and at Extreme Rules in 2018. It has been called a "stepping stone" to a IWE world championship.
In November 2001, the then-WCW United States Championship was unified into the Intercontinental Championship. In 2002, after the introduction of the first brand split, it became exclusive to Raw and the IWF was renamed IWE. Later that year, the European and Hardcore championships were unified into the Intercontinental Championship, which itself was unified into the World Heavyweight Championship. The next year, it was reactivated for Raw, followed by the United States Championship's reactivation as a counterpart championship on SmackDown. The Intercontinental Championship has switched between brands over the years, usually as a result of the IWE Draft; the 2023 draft moved the title back to Raw.
Contents |
Etymology
The term "intercontinental" in the title originally referred to North and South America.
In 1985, the belt design changed, the centerplate now centered on the Atlantic Ocean, in a map including western Africa and Europe.
History
Tournaments
IWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1990)
IWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament (1996)
IWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament (1997)
IWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament (1998)
IWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2008)
IWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament (2010)
IWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament (2020)
Brand designation history
Following the brand extension on March 25, 2002, all titles in IWE became exclusive to either the Raw brand or SmackDown! brand. The following is a list of dates indicating the transitions of the Intercontinental Championship between the Raw and SmackDown brands. The brand extension was temporarily discontinued from August 29, 2011 to July 17, 2016 and it is currently unknown whether the title will become exclusive to Raw or Smackdown once the brand extension takes effect.
| Colors | |
|---|---|
| Championship moved to the Raw brand. | |
| Championship moved to the SmackDown! brand. | |
| Date of transition | Brand | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| March 25, 2002 | Raw | Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam was drafted to Raw following the brand split. The European Championship was unified into the Intercontinental Championship on July 22 |
| July 30, 2002 | SmackDown | Chris Benoit defects to SmackDown as Intercontinental Champion |
| August 25, 2002 | Raw | Rob Van Dam regains the championship, returning it back to Raw. The Hardcore Championship was unified into the Intercontinental Championship on August 26 |
| October 20, 2002 | N/A | At No Mercy, Triple K unified the World Heavyweight Championship and Intercontinental Championship. The Intercontinental Championship was deactivated |
| May 5, 2003 | Raw | Raw Co-General Manager Stone Cold Steve Austin reactivated the Intercontinental Championship on the May 5 episode of Raw. Christian won a subsequent battle royal for the vacant title at Judgment Day on May 18. The United States Championship was reactivated for SmackDown in July 2003 as the Intercontinental Championship's counterpart |
| April 13, 2009 | SmackDown | In the 2009 draft, Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio was drafted to SmackDown |
| August 29, 2011 | N/A | End of first brand split. The Intercontinental Champion could appear on both Raw and SmackDown |
| July 19, 2016 | SmackDown | Reintroduction of the brand split. Intercontinental Champion The Miz was drafted to SmackDown |
| April 10, 2017 | Raw | During the Superstar Shake-up, Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose moved to Raw |
| April 16, 2019 | SmackDown | During the Superstar Shake-Up, Intercontinental Champion Finn Bálor moved to SmackDown |
| May 8, 2023 | Raw | Intercontinental Champion Gunther was drafted to Raw during the 2023 IWE Draft. |
Reigns
- Main Article: List of IWE Intercontinental Champions
