The WWE Intercontinental Championship is one of the most prestigious championships in history. The late WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson was the inaugural titleholder. He infamously won the championship in a fictional tournament in Rio de Janeiro in 1979. Furthermore, the Intercontinental Championship is traditionally seen as a stepping stone to becoming a world champion.
Winning the Intercontinental Championship is an integral part of becoming a Triple Crown Winner or Grand Slam Champion in WWE. In some instances, it’s become the final piece of the jigsaw to complete WWE’s Triple Crown or Grand Slam.
Ask four-time WWE world champion Sheamus who’s failed so far in his quest to become a Grand Slam Champion. However, despite the Intercontinental Championship being a workhorse title, there have been some wrestlers who have won the Intercontinental Championship at a later stage of their careers.
RELATED: Every Becky Lynch WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Title Defense, Ranked
The oldest wrestlers to win the Intercontinental Championship in history had contrasting reigns with the title. Some had some memorable runs with the gold, and others had abrupt reigns as the Intercontinental Champion.
5. Bobby Lashley – 42 Years, 7 Months, And 26 Days
“The Almighty” Bobby Lashley won the WWE Intercontinental Championship for the first time when he defeated Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins for the title in a triple threat match on an episode of Raw in January 2019. However, Lashley dropped the gold to Finn Balor in a handicap match at Elimination Chamber 2019, with Lio Rush taking the fall.
Lashley regained the Intercontinental Championship from Balor on Raw’s March 11, 2019 edition. Lashley was four months shy of his 43rd birthday when he became a two-time Intercontinental Champion. Furthermore, Lashley’s stints as Intercontinental Champion are often forgotten since he went on to win the WWE Championship twice.
His second reign lasted just 27 days, and he only defended the championship once against Balor in a title rematch at WrestleMania 35. The Almighty dropped the strap back to Balor, who was in Demon form at the Showcase of the Immortals.
