Among the storied legacy of the Intercontinental Championship is another, quirkier side-plot of tradition: Unusual vacancies of the title forced by bizarre circumstances. Daniel Bryan’s relinquishing of the championship due to injury on Raw was just the latest installment (and, coincidentally, the second injury-related surrendering of the title in the last two years, after Bad News Barrett in 2014), but it certainly wasn’t the most unusual, controversial or impactful. As the Intercontinental Championship awaits its latest bearer in the Elimination Chamber, WWE.com looks back on five left-field resignations of the title.

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

Even a hellacious piledriver from Owen Hart can't keep the toughest S.O.B. in WWE, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, from capturing his first Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam on August 3, 1997.

Fateful for more reasons than just a forfeited title, the injury that cut short “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s run as Intercontinental Champion was also the one that changed the WWE Hall of Famer’s career. Suffering a broken neck against Owen Hart – coincidentally, during the match that made him Intercontinental Champion in the first place – The Texas Rattlesnake was only able to hold his title for little more than a month before he was forced to relinquish it and take time to heal. The lingering damage forced Austin to remodel himself into a brawler; the new fighting style would eventually win him the title back, but, upon being forced to surrender it a second time to The Rock, “Stone Cold” instead tossed the championship into a river in one of his many, many acts of defiance.

WWE Network: Austin grills Mr. McMahon on live podcast |  "Stone Cold" interviews Triple H

The Ultimate Warrior

Hulk Hogan collides with Ultimate Warrior at SkyDome on April 1, 1990 in the first-ever match on The Grandest Stage of Them All between the reigning WWE and Intercontinental title holders.

Truth be told, this particular vacancy wasn’t a vacancy at all, but a unification. The Ultimate Warrior held the Intercontinental Title going into his Champion vs. Champion showdown with WWE Champion Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI. In one of history’s great “WrestleMania Moments,” Warrior dethroned The Immortal One to unify the two championships. As a result, Warrior assumed control of the WWE Championship, while the Intercontinental Title was put up for grabs in a tournament that was eventually won by AxelMania progenitor and WWE Hall of Famer Mr. Perfect.

Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels rises above Razor Ramon at Madison Square Garden on March 20, 1994 in the first-ever Ladder Match held on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

It’s not often that a title is vacated because of the 30-day competition clause, and it’s even less often that Shawn Michaels loses a title in general. But the stars aligned in 1993 when The Showstopper was forced to part with the Intercontinental Championship during his second reign. The reason? HBK hadn’t defended the title in 30 days, a controversial decision that nonetheless helped facilitate the rise of Razor Ramon, who claimed the surrendered championship. Michaels balked at the claim and continued to carry his own, vacated title in protest … and in the process, kick-started a rivalry that culminated with the pair’s classic Ladder Match confrontation at WrestleMania X.

Goldust

Where Goldust goes, bizarreness follows. This is known, and it is an anomaly that extended to the strange blip in The Bizarre One’s reign as Intercontinental Champion in 1996. Facing Savio Vega for the title on Raw, Goldust’s attempt to retain his golden prize ended in a mind-boggling (and rare) “No contest” verdict. WWE officials held up the title, and a rematch was set for the suspended championship … which Goldust eventually won, continuing his reign for another two months as though nothing had happened. Talk about smoke and mirrors.

Triple H

Kane faces Triple H in a World Heavyweight Championship & Intercontinental Championship Unification Match at No Mercy 2002.

Remarkable for several reasons, this was the unification that didn’t just vacate the Intercontinental Championship, but effectively erased it from existence for the better part of a year. The Superstar who pulled it off was Triple H, who assimilated Kane’s Intercontinental Championship into The Game’s own World Heavyweight Title in 2002 with some sizable help from Evolution. Of course, this was also the rivalry that eventually forced Kane to surrender his mask as a result of another Championship Match loss to The Game. Happily, neither of these effects turned out to be permanent: Christian won a Battle Royal at Judgment Day 2003 to resurrect the vacant Intercontinental Title, and Kane eventually fashioned himself a new mask in 2011. Some things are just too precious to stay gone. Hopefully, Daniel Bryan will be among them.