Copyright 2009 by Mike Rickard
Editor's Note: It's hard to believe it's been over 10 years since I penned this review of a WWE DVD. I was writing for World Wrestling Insanity at the time. Here it is in its original form (except for formatting changes).
By "Mr. Old School" Mike Rickard Feb 2, 2009 - 8:05 AM
Avis Rent-a-Car once had a slogan "We're number two-we try harder". The same slogan could apply to the WWE's Intercontinental Championship. The belt was often seen as a spotlight on good workers who could carry an undercard or even main event a "B" show when called upon. Looking at the WWE's new DVD, there's nothing second place about this belt nor the DVD showcasing it.
The I-C strap always seemed like more than just a secondary title. Unlike other regional promotions' secondary titles, this belt seemed special.It was far bigger than belts like the Georgia Championship, the United States championship, or even the North American championship. No, this was a merger of the North American Championship (supposedly brought into the WWWF by Ted DiBiase but actually created for his WWWF debut) and the fictitious South American Championship. In case you haven't heard the story, the I-C belt was created after a phantom tournament supposedly held in Rio De Janeiro. Pat Patterson (then North American champion) unified the belt, creating the belt we all know and love as the Intercontinental Championship.
While the I-C strap fell on hard times during the new millennium (and fortunately it looks like the WWE is working hard to restore some luster to this title), it was once an impressive title, second to only the WWE Championship. It was seen by fans as a stepping stone to the World Championship with the holder being ranked as the number one contender. You could bet that anyone holding the belt would be competing for the world championship (as long as the two champs weren't babyfaces and even this would change when the Intercontinental Champion Ultimate Warrior challenged Hulk Hogan for the World Championship).
Back in the 1980's the WWF did a VHS release of the Intercontinental Champions. Given that the belt didn't change hands that often, it wasn't difficult to squeeze the belt's history into a two hour cassette. Not so easy now but WWE Home Video has done an impressive job here. The three disc set is broken down into the championship's three decades with one disc devoted to the 1980's, another the 1990's, and the third with this decade. Host Todd Grisham does an excellent job bookending each match and discussing the champions and their role in the WWE.
Although the three disc set doesn't include every title change for the I-C belt, it's a remarkably good survey of the last three decades. As with any collection, there will be debate about the inclusion of one match over another but looking at this list, you can't help but feel you're getting a very good feel for the best of the best.The only gripe I had was that they didn't show clips of every title change as was done in The History of the WWE Championship. Other than that, this one's a keeper.
Here's the list of matches:
DISC ONE:
The Inaugural Champion
Madison Square Garden(MSG) 10-22-79
Pat Patterson(C) vs. Ted Dibiase
Olympic Strongman vs. The Fiery Latino
MSG 10-20-80
Ken Patera(C) vs. Pedro Morales
Knockdown Drag Out Fight
MSG 12-28-82
Pedro Morales(C) vs. The Magnificent Muraco
The Super Splash
MSG 10-17-83
Steel Cage
The Magnificent Muraco(C) vs. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
Arriba! & The Hammer
MSG 3-17-85
Lumberjack Match
Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine(C)
Enter The Macho Man
Boston Garden 2-8-86
Tito Santana(C) vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage
The Greatest Ever
Wrestlemania III 3-29-87
Randy "Macho Man" Savage(C) vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
The Guitar Playing Antagonist
Superstars 6-2-87
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat(C) vs. The Honky Tonk Man
End of an Era
Summerslam 8-29-88
The Honky Tonk Man(C) vs. The Ultimate Warrior
The Ladies Man
Summerslam 8-28-89
"Ravishing" Rick Rude(C) vs. The Ultimate Warrior
Disk 2
The Perfect Champion
Summerslam 8-26-91
Mr. Perfect(C) vs. Bret "Hitman" Hart
Divided Loyalties
Summerslam 8-29-92
Bret "Hitman" Hart vs. British Bulldog
Stealing the Show
Wrestlemania X 3-20-94
Ladder Match
Razor Ramon(C) vs. Shawn Michaels
Believing In Yourself
Royal Rumble 1-22-95
Razor Ramon(C) vs. Jeff Jarrett
One of the Greatest Rivalries in History
In Your House; D-Generation X 12-7-97
Rocky Maivia vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin(C)
In Your House; Fully Loaded 7-26-98
2 out of 3 Falls
Triple H vs. The Rock(C)
The Ninth Wonder of the World
No Mercy 10-17-99
Good Housekeeping Match
Chyna vs. Jeff Jarrett(C)
Disk 3
The New Millennium
No Way Out 2-27-00
Chris Jericho(C) vs. Kurt Angle
3 is better than 2
Smackdown 4-12-01
Triple Threat
Chris Jericho vs. X-Pac vs. Eddie Guerrero(C)
David vs. Goliath
Smackdown 4-12-01
Triple H(C) vs. Jeff Hardy
The Unification
Raw 7-22-02
Rob Van Dam(C) vs. Jeff Hardy(European C)
Battle of the Young Guns
Vengeance 7-11-04
Edge vs. Randy Orton(C)
Former World Champions Collide
Taboo Tuesday 11-1-05
Steelcage
Ric Flair(C) vs. Triple H
Winner Takes All
Backlash 4-3-06
Rob Van Dam(MITB) vs. Shelton Benjamin(C)
Fresh Faces
Vengeance 6-25-06
Triple Threat
Shelton Benjamin(C) vs. Johnny Nitro vs. Carlito
One Man Wrecking Crew
The Great American Bash 7-22-07
Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga(C)
Raw 3-10-08
Jeff Hardy(C) vs. Chris Jericho