Shawn Michaels Reflects On Importance Of IC Title Ahead Of WWE SmackDown

Ahead of tonight's Intercontinental Championship match on the season premiere of "WWE Smackdown," two-time WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels took to Twitter to reflect on the importance of the title.

"The Intercontinental Championship has meant so much to me professionally and personally," he tweeted. :I couldn't be more excited to see Sheamus and GUNTHER lay it all on the line tonight at Smackdown."

A three-time Intercontinental Champion, Michaels won the title for the first time when he defeated The British Bulldog on the October 27, 1992 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event on Fox. The championship was the first taste of singles gold for Michaels, who had turned on longtime Rockers teammate Marty Jannetty at the start of the year. Four weeks after his victory over The Bulldog, Michaels faced Bret Hart for the WWE Championship in the main event of Survivor Series. 

Michaels' Intercontinental reign would last 202 days until being shockingly defeated for the championship by a returning Jannetty on the May 17, 1993 episode of "Monday Night Raw." Michaels wasn't without championship gold for long as he won the title back from Jannetty 20 days later at a house show in Albany, New York. The second championship reign for Michaels only lasted 113 days, as he was stripped of the title in September 1993 for failing to defend the championship within 30 days (in reality, Michaels had failed a drug test for steroids). 

On the October 11, 1993 episode of "Raw," Razor Ramon defeated Rick Martel for the vacant Intercontinental Championship. Michaels, however, returned in November claiming to be the legitimate champion, since nobody had defeated him for the title. Four months later at WrestleMania X, Ramon and Michaels settled their score of who was the true Intercontinental Champion in their legendary Ladder Match that saw Ramon emerge victorious.