The WWE Intercontinental Championship has been contested at 30 WrestleMania events since the title was introduced in 1979.
The title has been held by so many different legends and icons, as only so many wrestlers have been lucky enough to leave WrestleMania as Intercontinental Champion.
Penta is the current champion and will be aiming to keep the title on his road to WrestleMania after his successful defences in the last two episodes of Monday Night RAW, hoping to deliver a spectacular match.
Here are five of the greatest Intercontinental matches that have taken place at the grandest stage of them all in WWE.
WrestleMania 3
Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat
Starting off with a match that has been heavily regarded as one of the greatest in wrestling history, as long-time fans still talk about it like it was yesterday.
‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage had a bitter six-month feud with Ricky Steamboat, which began when the champion attacked ‘The Dragon’ while he was greeted by fans at ringside before their title match.
The rivalry led to WrestleMania III, where both men went back-and-forth for almost 15 minutes, which included a memorable moment of George Steel knocking Savage off the top rope after the champion tried to use a ring bell as a weapon.
Steamboat reversed a scoop slam into a small package to win by pinfall and become the new WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, the first time the title changed hands at WrestleMania.
Dave Meltzer Match Rating: 4.5 stars
WrestleMania X
Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels
Ladder matches are some of the most entertaining to watch in wrestling, and many superstars must get their inspiration from the first ladder match in a WWE pay-per-view.
In the lead-up, Razor Ramon had won the vacant title in a Battle Royal after Shawn Michaels was suspended due to not defending his championship enough, so ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ returned with his belt to claim that he was the rightful champion.
Two titles hung above the ring to decide the undisputed champion as both men went toe-to-toe, with some great spots that kept fans from blinking in case they missed anything wild.
‘The Bad Guy’ eventually got the better of his opponent, pushing Michaels off the ladder and making him fall into the ropes before retrieving the belts to become the Undisputed Intercontinental Champion.
Dave Meltzer Match Rating: 5 stars
WrestleMania 32
Kevin Owens vs Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz vs Sami Zayn vs Sin Cara vs Stardust vs Zack Ryder
Moving on to another ladder match, this time involving far more than two competitors, which made up a great opening for WrestleMania 32.
The build-up was nothing but chaotic, as originally on an episode of Monday Night RAW, a Triple Threat match would decide who would face the Intercontinental Champion, Kevin Owens, for the title on the biggest stage, but after multiple stars interfered with the match, Stephanie McMahon made the decision to set up a ladder match for the title, which featured seven superstars.
The match included so many incredible moves and spots that had fans in constant disbelief, especially towards the end, when Sin Cara fell off a ladder onto Stardust, which bridged another ladder between the ring apron and the barricade.
The ending provided one of the biggest shocks as The Miz looked to have won after his premature celebrations, but Zack Ryder unexpectedly came from behind to push ‘The A-Lister’ off the ladder and retrieve the belt, which had fans in shocked joy.
Dave Meltzer Match Rating: 4.25
WrestleMania 39
Gunther vs Sheamus vs Drew McIntyre
Only five WrestleMania matches have been given a five-star rating, and one of them was this crazy Triple Threat Match at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The hype for this matchup was certainly something as a fatal five-way was meant to decide who would face Gunther for the title, but the match ended in a double pinfall with Drew McIntyre and Sheamus as co-winner, before facing each other in a #1 contender match which ended in a no contest after Imperium interfered, so a triple threat match was decided for WrestleMania 39.
It certainly lived up to the hype, as the match was straightforward, entertaining, and believable, with three guys involved in a banger full of ridiculously good moves, spots, and brutality, making it arguably the best watch of the WrestleMania weekend.
As Sheamus went for a pin on McIntyre after landing a Brogue Kick, Gunther dived with a splash from the top rope, performed a powerbomb to the Irishman onto the Scotsman, before another powerbomb to McIntyre to seal the win by pinfall and retain the Intercontinental title.
Dave Meltzer Match Rating: 5 stars
WrestleMania XL
Gunther vs Sami Zayn
Underdog wins provide some of the best matches in WWE, especially when it comes to championship matches, as fans can’t help but feel emotional from what they have witnessed.
In this case, Sami Zayn was the underdog in the story, as during an episode of RAW, a Gauntlet match would decide who would face Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XL, with the Canadian winning the match to earn his opportunity after pinning Bronson Reed, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Chad Gable.
As no surprise, the crowd were all on Zayn’s side, rooting for the challenger whilst showing their dislike for the champion, as both superstars had so many near falls and produced extraordinary kickouts, keeping the tension of the match so high.
After a 15-minute war between the 41-year-old and ‘The Ring General’, Zayn delivered a Helluva Kick and a Brainbuster from the top turnbuckle, which left the champion out on his feet, before landing two consecutive Helluva Kicks to pin Gunther and end his reign of 666 days as Intercontinental Champion.
Dave Meltzer Match Rating: 4.5 stars