All 17 WWE Intercontinental Champions of the 2010’s So Far, Ranked
By Dalton Quix
Credit: WWE.com
14. Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan is undoubtedly one of the most beloved Superstars in WWE history. His incredible in-ring ability, innate charisma, everyman stature, and love for the business drew any and all wrestling fans to Bryan’s side as a part of the Yes Movement.
His WrestleMania 30 performances, both in the opening match against Triple H and in the main event against Randy Orton and Batista for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, provided for one of the most amazing WrestleMania moments in WrestleMania history.
He added another WrestleMania moment to his list of accolades when he won the Intercontinental Championship match in a ladder match at WrestleMania 31.
So, why is such an accomplished Superstar and impressive champion so low on the list of Intercontinental Champions? Well, it is because Bryan was physically unable to do anything with the belt.
Bryan had one successful title defense the night after winning his championship, but he lost via count out on the following SmackDown where he split his forehead open and looked to be seriously injured.
Bryan would not be able to defend the Intercontinental Championship after that as his match at Extreme Rules had to get canceled. Then, he eventually relinquished the title a little over a month after capturing it.
Bryan’s, along with the Intercontinental Championship’s, absence from WWE television made the secondary title get forgotten about, and once it was finally won by Ryback, nobody seemed to care that the title was back.
Bryan is a great Superstar and could have been a great Intercontinental Champion. However, injuries led to a poor run as champion that ended up hurting the status of the belt.