All 17 WWE Intercontinental Champions of the 2010’s So Far, Ranked

Credit: WWE.com

2. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler was always someone who had incredible amounts of potential and opportunity to succeed at the very top of WWE. While he has not claimed his spot atop the main event scene, there are few better when it comes to the midcard.

Ziggler has won many titles, which includes his 5 reigns as Intercontinental Champion that totals 307 days. His first reign of 154 days is more that the combined number of days of his other four reigns.

Ziggler first won the Intercontinental Championship in 2010 when he defeated Kofi Kingston for the title. Ziggler went on to defend the belt against Kofi, Swagger, and others until Kofi finally regained the belt from Ziggler.

After this first reign, Ziggler was elevated to the main event scene where he would challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship. It wasn’t until 2014 when Ziggler reclaimed the Intercontinental Championship.

He ended up defeating The Miz in the beginning of one of the most heated and entertaining rivalries that extended through 2016 to obtain the Intercontinental Championship. He then lost the title back to The Miz only to defeat The Miz once again for the Intercontinental Championship.

Ziggler then defended his title against the likes of The Miz and Cesaro, but he lost the title to Harper after he beat down Ziggler.

Then, after Ziggler’s brilliant performance at Survivor Series, Ziggler once again recaptured the gold by defeating Harper at TLC in an incredible match. That capped off a great year for Ziggler where he was named 2014 Superstar of the Year.

However, his run as champ was cut short due to the authority beating down Ziggler and handing the match and belt to Wade Barrett during their Championship match. It wouldn’t be until 2016 when the Showoff would once again reclaim the championship.

Ziggler and The Miz were in the middle of a heated rivalry that centered around respect for the A-lister from his general manager and respect for himself from the former Spirit Squad member. The Miz and Ziggler put on a showcase of classics that involved a career vs. belt match and a ladder match. During this time Ziggler would both win and lose the title to Miz.

While Ziggler never reached the heights we once thought he would reach, the longevity of his career as an incredible wrestler has allowed him to have a great history with the Intercontinental Championship.