On This Date in WWE History (Apr. 5): The Intercontinental Championship

Who else gets a kick out of the way "Mean" Gene Okerlund says "Intercontinental Champion?"

Anyway, this date in pro wrestling history (April 5) is a big one for World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) Intercontinental title, widely recognized as the number two belt behind the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships.

In addition to its makeover on April 5, 1992, when it went from WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship to just plain old WWF Intercontinental Championship, the belt changed hands three times on the fifth of April.

The first took place at WrestleMania VIII, when Bret Hart defeated Roddy Piper to claim the strap in an otherwise ho-hum event. "The Hitman" would hold the belt for 146 days during his second reign before losing it to The British Bulldog in their epic match at SummerSlam 1992.

On April 5, 2001, Triple H defeated Chris Jericho on SmackDown! to win the Intercontinental title (for the second time) but only had it for a week before coughing it up to Jeff Hardy. He later won it back again but Kane eventually got his hands on it for a spell.

Lastly, Rey Mysterio beat John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) in just 21 seconds on April 5, 2009, becoming a Triple Crown Champion and taking the title with him to SmackDown as part of the draft.

Videos of those bouts, right here...

SmackDown.05.04.2001 - Chris Jericho Vs Triple... by dido67

April 5 FTW.

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5 - APRIL

CSS ARCHIVES

5 April 2012

WWE Hall of Famer 'Chief' Jay Strongbow passes away at 83 years old by Sergio Hernandez Apr 5, 2012 8:42 PM CDT - 1 comment

Video: WWE Superstars for April 5, 2012, featuring The Usos vs Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks by Sergio Hernandez Apr 5, 2012 4:46 PM CDT - 3 comments

Ring of Honor (ROH) newswire for April 5, 2012: What's on tap for the promotion in the coming weeks? by Sergio Hernandez Apr 5, 2012 3:30 PM CDT - 6 comments

TNA and Spike TV announce new multi-year agreement by The General Apr 5, 2012 2:30 PM CDT - 10 comments

Former WWE star Maven Huffman arrested for doctor shopping by Keith Harris Apr 5, 2012 1:35 PM CDT - 2 comments

Brock Lesnar advertised for WWE Extreme Rules 2012 pay-per-view event by The General Apr 5, 2012 10:01 AM CDT - 10 comments

Brock Lesnar: There May Be Trouble Ahead for WWE; Is He Ready To Face The Music? by Keith Harris Apr 5, 2012 7:00 AM CDT - 103 comments

5 April 2011

Steve Austin WWE Tough Enough rating beats Brock Lesnar on UFC TUF 13 by bix Apr 5, 2011 8:16 PM CDT - 3 comments

How You Can be a Part of Getting the Documentary "Jens Pulver | Driven" to the Masses by Kaleb Kelchner Apr 5, 2011 4:27 PM CDT

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5 April 2010

WWE Raw Results April 5th, 2010 by Cox813 Apr 5, 2010 11:10 PM CDT - 2 comments

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