[SOUND] The following contest is scheduled for windfall.
And it is for the Intercontinental Championship.
[MUSIC]
>> The Intercontinental Championship.
For four decades, it's been one of WWE's most coveted prizes and
a title that has often celebrated the workhorses of the squared circle.
In celebration of the Championship's 40th anniversary,
let's take a look at the numbers and records that have made
the Intercontinental Title a sports entertainment icon.
The title was created 40 years ago in 1979 when
Pat Patterson won a tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Then the WWE North American Champion, Patterson unified his title with
the South American Championship to become the first ever Intercontinental Champion.
Unfortunately, no record or video footage of this night exists.
>> The current Intercontinental heavyweight champion, Pat Patterson.
>> Including Patterson,
82 different superstars have held the title over the past 40 years.
And it's a veritable who's who of superstars,
including future WWE champions and hall of famers.
After becoming the first champion, Patterson went on to hold the title for
232 days, setting the standard for title holders to come.
Patterson’s record for longevity would soon be surpassed by Pedro Morales,
who held the title for an incredible 424 days during his second reign as champion.
However, it was an unlikely superstar who set a record
that still stands to this day.
With an assist from the mouth of the South Jimmy Hart,
The Honky Tonk Man dethroned Ricky Steamboat in June of 1987 and
held on to the Intercontinental Title for an astounding 454 days.
That unbelievable run lead Honky Tonk to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019.
>> See the Honky Tonk Man, the greatest Intercontinental heavyweight
champion of all time, can shake rattle and roll anybody the WWF throws at me.
>> When it comes to making sports entertainment history,
becoming the Intercontinental Champion may be one of the biggest boosters a superstar
can have when making their case to enter the hallowed hall.
30 superstars who held the title have gone on to become WWE hall of famers.
Including Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart,
Stone Cold Steve Austin and Eddie Guerrero.
Could a modern-day champion like Kevin Owens or
Finn Balor be next to be immortalized in sports entertainment history?
While the thought of the Intercontinental Title may conjure up images of
jet setting around the world,
the majority of the champions have been crowned in North America.
And though Canada has hosted 11 title changes,
most of them happen in the United States.
Can you guess which state has most often played host to the crowning of
a new Intercontinental champ?
Go ahead and think about it, we'll give you a few seconds.
If you guessed Florida, you are wrong.
The Sunshine State has played host to ten title changes, but that's not the most.
It's not California with 15 or the Lone Star State of Texas with 16 either.
The state that has seen the most Intercontinental Championship
changes is New York with 23.
12 of those took place in the Big Apple, New York City.
The most recent of which occurred at SummerSlam 2018,
when Seth Rollins dethroned Dolph Ziggler.
>> One, two, three!
>> [APPLAUSE] [SOUND] >> The first overseas title change
didn't take place until the early 90s, 13 years into the title's history.
That was at SummerSlam 1992, when the British Bulldog dethroned Bret
the Hitman Hart at Wembley Stadium in Davey Boy Smith's home country of England.
Since then it's changed hands three times overseas.
Twice in 06 with Jeff Hardy's win in England, and
Santino Marella's WWE debut victory over Umaga in Italy.
And then again in 2008 when William Regal also claimed the title in England.
A select few superstars have captured the coveted title on more than one occasion.
Rob Van Dam, Jeff Jarrett, and
Dolph Ziggler can call themselves six time champion.
The Miz has held the title an awesome eight times.
But Chris Jericho is at the top of the record books,
with nine title reigns as Intercontinental Champion.
The a-lister isn't that far behind Jericho though.
Could Miz surpass Jericho in the not so distant future?
Well, it may be more likely than you think.
The Miz has made the most of his eight turns with the title.
Across those eight reigns, The Awesome One has held
the Intercontinental Championship for a combined 599 days.
That's second all time.
And just 20 days shy of Pedro Morales,
who held the title for 619 days across two title reigns.
Could The Miz stake his claim to being the greatest Intercontinental Champion
of all time?
Or will another superstar come out of nowhere and
take one giant step toward immortality?
With 40 years on the books, what does the future hold for this prestigious title?
There's only one way to find out, WWE Universe.
Keep your eyes on the Intercontinental Championship,
because you are watching history unfold.