page_title: List of WWE Intercontinental Champions
hierarchical_section_title: List of WWE Intercontinental Champions
caption_attribution_description: English: Jeff Hardy as Intercontinental Champion during his ring entrance. Taken during the WWE Raw - Survivor Series Tour, at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia. Hardy wrestled in the main event of the night, a tag-team bout involving Umaga &amp; Randy Orton (reigning WWE Champion) vs Jeff Hardy &amp; Triple H; the match was won by Triple H pinning Orton following a pedigree. Português: Jeff Hardy como Campeão Intercontinental durante sua entrada no ringue. Tirada durante a WWE Raw - Survivor Series Tour, na Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Austrália. Hardy lutou no evento principal da noite, numa luta tag-team envolvendo Umaga &amp; Randy Orton (reinando como Campeão da WWE) vs Jeff Hardy &amp; Triple H; a partida foi ganha por Triple H imobilizando Orton após o Pedigree.
context_page_description: The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested in and owned by the American promotion WWE on the SmackDown brand. The title was introduced into the World Wrestling Federation in 1979. Pat Patterson, holder of the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship, was awarded the title.
  The Intercontinental Championship has been called the second most important championship in the company, after the WWE Championship. It has been active in WWE for the second longest period, but is the third oldest active title, behind the WWE Championship and the United States Championship, the latter of which was acquired from World Championship Wrestling in 2001. In 2002, the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment, and the championship was renamed accordingly. As a result of the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, it is exclusively contested on the SmackDown brand.
  Overall, there have been 86 different Intercontinental Champions. Chris Jericho holds the record for the most reigns with nine. The Honky Tonk Man holds the longest reign at 454 days.
context_section_description: The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested in and owned by the American promotion WWE on the SmackDown brand. The title was introduced into the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1979. Pat Patterson, holder of the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship, was awarded the title (with the kayfabe explanation that he won a tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and unified the North American and South American titles).
  The Intercontinental Championship has been called the second most important championship in the company, after the WWE Championship. It has been active in WWE for the second longest period, but is the third oldest active title, behind the WWE Championship (1963) and the United States Championship (1975), the latter of which was acquired from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001. In 2002, the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and the championship was renamed accordingly. As a result of the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, it is exclusively contested on the SmackDown brand.
  Overall, there have been 86 different Intercontinental Champions. Chris Jericho holds the record for the most reigns with nine. The Honky Tonk Man holds the longest reign at 454 days. Only three other wrestlers Pedro Morales, Don Muraco, and Randy Savage have held the championship for a continuous reign of more than a year. Jeff Hardy is the current champion in his fifth reign, holding the record of longest time between championship reigns. He defeated AJ Styles on the August 21 episode of SmackDown.
caption: Five-time and current champion Jeff Hardy, shown here with the belt design used from 2002–2011
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