WWE Night of Champions: Ranking Every I.C. Title Match in PPV's History

In 2007, Vengeance: Night of Champions began the tradition of an annual pay-per-view in which every championship in the WWE is defended. This year will feature the sixth installment of the PPV event.

Night of Champions, in its brief history, has yielded some phenomenal matches. Allowing undercard champions to shine has highlighted some of the best superstars the WWE has to offer.

The Intercontinental Championship has a rich history at Night of Champions. Let's look back and rank the best Intercontinental Championship matches in PPV's history.

5. 2007: Santino Marella vs. Umaga

This match was nothing special.

Umaga beat Marella to a pulp—so much so that he got disqualified. Most of the three-minute match consisted of Umaga trapping Marella in a nerve hold.

Umaga does get bonus points for chasing the referee off during his post-match attack on Marella. Hilarious.

4. 2011: Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase

Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase know each other well. Very well. The two were partners in Legacy and proved that they could work against each other just as well as they could work as a team.

It was obvious that Rhodes and DiBiase have wrestling in their blood. They had a sound wrestling match.

While they had a good match and told a decent story, they have some stiff competition. It's not that Rhodes vs. DiBiase was bad, it just wasn't as good as the other Intercontinental Championship matches Night of Champions has produced.

3. 2008: Chris Jericho vs. Kofi Kingston

Chris Jericho came out at Night of Champions 2008 to discuss his attacks on Shawn Michaels. Jericho was cut off by his surprise challenger for the night—Kofi Kingston.

Jericho dominated most of the match. He focused his attacks on Kingston's midsection in an effort to set him up for the Walls of Jericho. Kingston would gain bits of momentum throughout the match, but Jericho would always manage to ground the rookie high-flyer.

Kingston would find himself trapped in the Walls of Jericho in the middle of the ring. Before he could tap out, Shawn Michaels entered through the crowd and hit Sweet Chin Music on Lance Cade at ringside. The distraction caused Jericho to lose the Intercontinental Championship.

This match did all the right things. Jericho's in-ring style as a heel was solidified, the Jericho vs. Michaels feud was advanced and Kingston had a memorable first PPV outing. The crowd may not have been very into it, but this match will go down as one of the better matches in Night of Champions history.

2. 2010: Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston

The Night of Champions 2010 opener featured another matchup between Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston. The stipulation of this match stated that if Ziggler were to get disqualified or counted out, he would lose the Intercontinental Championship.

It took a little while for the crowd to really get into the match. By the end of the match, though, the crowd was hot. Ziggler and Kingston set the tone for the night. This match was a success in that respect.

Kingston and Ziggler know each other very well. They had been feuding for a while and had plenty of time to develop chemistry.

Kingston would make use of his high-flying, unorthodox offense. Ziggler, on the other hand, would tap into more traditional wrestling tactics to try and keep Kingston grounded. Both competitors are extremely athletic, making for an excellent match.

In the end, Kingston attempted to hit Ziggler with the Trouble in Paradise while Ziggler was talking to Vickie Guerrero. Ziggler managed to dodge the kick and countered with a Zig Zag for the clean, decisive pin.

1. 2009: Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler and Rey Mysterio worked together well. Very well. Mysterio is one of those guys you can put with any up-and-coming mid-card heel and he'll make him look like gold.

Ziggler dominated a good portion of the match. His offense was hard-hitting and very aggressive. One move that especially stands out to me is Ziggler powerbombing Mysterio into the turnbuckle early on in the match.

Mysterio would mount a comeback in the closing minutes of the match. He managed to get the best of Ziggler and hit the 619 followed by a splash for the decisive pin. Mysterio would go on to defeat Ziggler again a month later at SummerSlam.

The match itself was, in my opinion, the best Intercontinental Championship bout in Night of Champions history. The only thing that detracted from the match was that Ziggler didn't have much heat because he was still relatively new. However, he was able to elicit a reaction from the crowd because the fans were very pro-Mysterio.

Michael Prunka is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist. To stay up to date with his WWE and NHL commentary, you can like his Facebook page, follow him on Twitter and follow him on Tout.

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