This day in wrestling history was a large stepping stone in Shawn Michael’s WWF/WWE career when he became the Intercontinental Championship.
The IC title, like most mid card championships, is often a barometer of for the company to measure the wrestler’s ability to be world champion and be the face of the promotion.
This Day in Wrestling History (10/27) – Shawn Michael won the Intercontinental Championship from the British Bulldog
In recent years, the Intercontinental Championship has been overlooked as it’s taken a lesser role in many cases, and it’s often forgotten by some when we look back.
Shawn Michaels’ career had so many moments it’s hard to keep track of them. For instance, his tenure as the WWF World Heavyweight Champion started when he defeated Bret Hart with the Montreal Screwjob.
But he was a household name before that as the Heartbreak Kid during his Intercontinental Championship days.
Taking the next step
On October 27, 1992 Michaels got his shot at making history, though he didn’t know it. At the time, the WWE was transitioning from the Land of the Giants to typical athletic sized performers.
To do that he’d face the British Bulldog for the Intercontinental Championship on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
“I had now been here long enough to realize that the really good workers, guys like Santana, Savage, Hennig, and Ricky Steamboat, got to be Intercontinental Champions, and I set a goal of winning the IC title. Sure, I dreamed of becoming the World Wrestling Federation Champion, but 6′1″, 215-pound guys like me with very little marketing savvy didn’t win that title. This was a big man business, and I definitely wasn’t a big man. I was a bumping heel that could make a babyface look great.
“I wasn’t the marketing guy who was going to sell out arenas. So the IC title was the spot I was looking for, figuring that would define me as a great worker and a success.
“I reached that goal…when I beat Davey Boy Smith.
“I didn’t know I was going to win ahead of time. I just walked in the building and Davey Boy came up to me and told me I was going over. I was very excited to hear the news, but I didn’t want to show how I really felt because I didn’t want to look like a mark. Pat Patterson had a little talk with me after I spoke with Davey Boy. He was always supportive and told me how I was different, that I was a heel who liked to bump for people and that
“I would do well with the belt. Davey and I ended up having a decent match. For the finish we had him fail on a superplex attempt and I landed on top of him and got the 1-2-3. I had only been wrestling singles for about nine months and I had a real sense of accomplishment.” – Shawn Michaels Heartbreak & Triumph.
As we all know, Michaels would eventually achieve his lifelong goal of winning the world title, and in doing so he shattered all sorts of glass ceilings in the WWE.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
