Some of the most talented in-ring competitors in the hitsory of the WWF/E have competed for the Intercontinental Championship. Highly regarded wrestlers like Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Greg Valentine, Tito Santana, Bret hart, Rick Rude, Curt Hennig, The Rock, Triple H, Chris Jericho and many, many more have all held the title in their careers. But there is one man who is rarely thought of as one of the best in-ring competitors who held the coveted title for longer than anyone: The Honkey Tonk Man.
At Wrestlemania III, Randy Savage lost the Intercontinental Title to Ricky Steamboat in what many hail as the single greatest wrestling match of all time. The popular Steamboat was meant to be a long-term IC champion. However, because of behind the scenes drama, the decision was made to take the belt off of Steamboat. Several stories have been told to explain why one of the most talented wrestlers on the roster was subsequently buried after having an instant classic of a match. Some people feel it was because Steamboat and Savage “one-upped” the Wrestlemania III main event of Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant. Others feel Steamboat was being punished for asking for time off to be with his wife for the birth of his son. Steamboat had just won a prestigious belt and management didn’t want to give him the time. Whataver the reason, Steamboat only held the belt for a short time before being pinned by The Honkey Tonk Man for the title.
Honky Tonk Man was seen at first as a transitional champion. The original plan was to take the belt off of Steamboat and give it to Honky Tonk, who would soon after lose the belt to Jake Roberts. Roberts had recently turned face and was becoming wildly popular. However, in his last feud (which was ironically enough against Honkey Tonk Man), Jake’s neck was injured by a guitar shot to the head and he was not physically able to compete at a level that would allow him to hold the title.
With nobody else ready to hold the IC belt, the decision was made to keep the belt on HTM until a suitable champion could be found.
During Honky Tonk’s run with the title, something unexpected happened. Never the most gifted wrestler in the ring, Honky was seen as a “fluke” champion. Everybody expected him to lose the belt very soon into his run. However, through a combination of cheating to win, getting intentionally disqualified, and outside interference by other wrestlers (usually the hart Foundation), Honky Tonk held on to the belt week after week. Fans kept expecting him to lose the belt and he kept on retaining it. Not only did he hold onto the title by any means necessary, he began to get huge reactions from the crowd. Before long, Honky Tonk man was one of the most hated heels in the company, getting massive heat wherever he went.
With HTM wildly over with the crowd as a heel, his “fluke” reign, which was supposed to be short lived, just kept on going. He survived challenges from Ricky Steamboat, Billy Jack haynes, Bruno Sammartino, George Steele, Randy Savage and Brutus Beefcake. Honky started bad mouthing former IC champions, claiming he was “the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time” as his historic run just kept on getting longer and longer.
With a reign this long, the person who finally dethroned Honky Tonk was going to be seen as a hero and shoot up the card right away.
His history making run finally came to an end at the 1988 edition of SummerSlam. Honky Tonk was billed to face a “mystery opponent” at the card. He claimed it didn’t matter who it was, he had beaten all challengers in the past and would do so on this day as well. Alas, it was not to be, as The Ultimate Warrior came out and destroyed Honky Tonk Man in 31 seconds.
When it finally ended, Honky Tonk Man had held the IC title for one year, two months and twenty seven days, a record that still stands to this day. In that time, he was a wildly successful champion, attracting major interest to a secondary title and drawing huge crowds who hoped to see him lose the belt at last.
Honky Tonk Man is a great example of how a wrestler with limited in-ring ability, but tons of charisma and the right angles, can get himself over and be a major addition to the roster of a wrestling promotion. There may have been better wrestlers who held the Intercontinental Championship, but there has never been one who was as successful with that belt as The Honky Tonk Man, “The Greatest intercontinental Champion of All Time.”
Nice work!