5 WWE backstage stories we learned this week: Brock Lesnar, Vince McMahon, Kane, and more

#2 Santino Marella reveals why his IC title gimmick ended

In August 2008, Santino Marella became a two-time Intercontinental Champion when he teamed with Beth Phoenix to defeat Kofi Kingston and Mickie James in an intergender tag team match at SummerSlam.

Known for his work as one of WWE’s best comedy characters, Marella began counting down the weeks until he would break Honky Tonk Man’s 454-day reign as Intercontinental Champion.

Every week, the ‘Honk-A-Meter’ would appear on the big screen, with Marella proudly boasting about how he is a certain number of weeks away from catching the WWE Hall of Famer’s tally of 64 weeks with the title.

Sadly for Marella, his reign only lasted 12 weeks before he was defeated by William Regal, meaning he fell an entire year short of breaking Honky Tonk Man’s record.

Speaking to WrestleZone this week, the 45-year-old explained that the ‘Honk-A-Meter’ gimmick ended when somebody in the creative team pointed out to Vince McMahon that the Intercontinental Championship should not be held by a comedic character. Shortly after, he lost his title and the ‘Honk-A-Meter’ story was over.

"People were so behind it. But they [WWE] changed their minds pretty abruptly. Because every time I go to a signing, when I meet fans, one of the things everyone always says is, 'I wish the Honk-A-Meter could’ve went longer, we loved it.'"