WWE Intercontinental Championship

WWE Intercontinental Championship
The current Intercontinental Championship belt (2014–present)
Details
Promotion	WWE
Brand	SmackDown
Date established	September 1, 1979
Current champion(s)	Dean Ambrose
Date won	January 3, 2017
Other name(s)
WWF Intercontinental (Heavyweight) Championship (1979–2002) WWE Intercontinental Championship (2002, 2003–present)
Statistics First champion(s) Pat Patterson Most reigns Chris Jericho (9 times) Longest reign The Honky Tonk Man (454 days) Shortest reign Dean Douglas (11 minutes) Oldest winner Ric Flair (7009178493760000000♠56 years, 205 days) Youngest winner Jeff Hardy (7008745178400000000♠23 years, 224 days) Heaviest champion Big Show (441 lb (200 kg)) Lightest champion Rey Mysterio (175 lb (79 kg))

The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE on the SmackDown brand. Along with the United States Championship on the Raw brand, it is one of the two secondary titles of the promotion. The current champion is Dean Ambrose, who is in his second reign.

The championship was established by the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on September 1, 1979, after inaugural champion Pat Patterson unified (kayfabe) the WWF North American Heavyweight and South American Heavyweight championships. It is the third oldest championship currently active in WWE, behind the WWE Championship (1963) and United States Championship (1975). Although generally contested in the midcard at WWE shows, it was defended in the main events of presentations such as WrestleMania VI, SummerSlam in 1992, the third and eighth In Your House shows, and Backlash in 2001. It has been called a "stepping stone" to the WWE Championship.