Fridge / Punch-Out!!

Fridge pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.

Fridge Brilliance

• Glass Joe's record when you first fight him is 99 loses. Once you come back to him in TD, he has headgear, that protects his head. Get beaten 100 times in total, thereby matching Glass Joe's TD record, and you get the same headgear he has as a gift from the WVBA. So was that doctor Glass Joe seeing in the intro to his TD fight part of the WVBA? Are they actually trying to make it harder for you to win?
  • Considering the fact that those very same doctors appear in Soda Popinski's TD intro, this might be the case.
• In Punch-Out Wii, Von Kaiser is one big German engineering joke. He might even be some kind of cyborg or android. Reasoning:
  • When knocked down, there's a loud "sproing", like a coil getting knocked loose inside him.
  • Before falling, he always goes stock still, like a wind up soldier that's out of juice.
  • When he pulls a punch, there's a loud clicking or winding sound, and some of them even make a shotgun blast when they connect!
  • He even goes so far as to call himself a Kampfsmaschine (a fighting machine).
• With the supposed Downer Ending in Punch-Out!! Wii's "Mac's Last Stand", it might seem like it comes out of nowhere; three defeats, and Mac simply retires. However, with the cutscene leading up to it, and then the ending scene, it's apparent it was Mac's conscious decision. He's already become the world champion, and defended his title. He's already made his dream a reality. But he can't hold on to that title forever. Further along the line, there may be scandals, and perhaps a losing streak that will force him to retire anyway, going out with a whimper. So, he takes a third option - go out with a bang. And he makes his decision damn clear to Doc, who reluctantly goes along with it.
  Doc Louis: Alright, kid. Let's go out on top. It's time to take your place in history.
  • It's also a Homage to Little Mac's inspiration, the titular character of Tomorrow's Joe, who goes out in a similar way.
• The Wii version's Aran Ryan is a unique opponent; hitting him immediately before he hits you stuns him instead of giving stars, and "dirty" only begins to describe his fighting style. Both of these (counter-punching and cheating opponents) happen to be cornerstones of the SNES' Super Punch-Out, from which he originated.
• Mr. Dream may seem like an odd name at first, but remember how the final boss for the original Punch-Out and the Wii Punch-Out was named Mr. Sandman? What does the mythical Sandman do again? Well, Mr. Dream is Mr. Sandman but better.
  • This also perfectly explains why Mr. Sandman's Title Defense variation (which is essentially an improved version of himself like Mr. Dream is) takes away from the final boss of the NES Punch-Out; while he's a Scary Black Man like Mike, he shares Mr. Dream's theming around dreams and sleep (with this being extra emphasized as he taunts that it's past Mac's bedtime).
• In the Exhibition mode of Punch-Out!! Wii, there's one challenge in which you must beat Great Tiger, an Indian, using only right jabs. At first, it sounds like it's going to be a weird fight, but presenting the left hand in Indian culture, friendly or otherwise, is considered offensive because the left hand is considered "unclean" as it is thought to be used for cleaning. Similarly, Japanese taboos come into play when one challenge against Piston Hondo requires you to win after blocking 44 punches.
• Why is Don Flamenco a notch above Bald Bull in the World Circuit of NES Punch-Out!! when Bald Bull was the Major Circuit champion, and Don was only #3? Did Don get his act together and apply some bullfighting techniques to his boxing repertoire?
  • Speaking of bullfighting, notice how Flamenco in the Wii version will taunt Mac into hitting him ("Venga, venga!!") before starting the fight proper. That's an actual rule of bullfighting: you don't start the event until the bull makes the first move.
  • The rose Don Flamenco carries in the Wii version has changed color from red to black upon his rematch in Title Defense (as does the rest of his outfit, including his hair, to match). Black roses actually have a symbolic meaning in the Language of Flowers: it typically represents things such as hatred, despair, and vengeance; all of which describe Title Defense Flamenco's demeanor perfectly after his defeat against Little Mac, being a lot more pissed off at the Bronx boy now (and having possibly lost his girlfriend too). The rose also changes back to red once Don Flamenco defeats Mac in Title Defense, signifying his vengeance to be completed.
• Doc occasionally asks Mac if it's past his bedtime. This is not only a case of Anti Poopsocking, but it's lampshading the fact Mac is a Kid Hero, something that people often forget. Take note that Doc's voice actor also does the voice of Mr. Sandman.
• Super Macho Man apparently lost his title to Mr. Sandman but still was adored by women and the paparazzi despite his defeat. After Super Macho Man's loss to Little Mac, the Title Defense mode shows that same fanbase shunning him. Why? Mr. Sandman knocking out Super Macho Man may not been much of a shock, whereas Little Mac was probably expected to be an easy win for Super Macho Man.
  • Alternatively, Mr. Sandman was considered too intimidating for the press and fans (Doc described Sandman's dominance as a reign of terror and claimed that the fans wanted a new champion). Thus, Macho Man's fanbase stood with him regardless of the defeat. Little Mac, being far more charismatic and approachable than Mr. Sandman, ended up being the one to steal Macho Man's fanbase and sponsors instead.
• Why does bread fly when Glass Joe gets Knocked Out/Technical Knocked Out by a Star Punch? Bread in French is spelled pain.
  • Said bread is also croissants, a French delicacy.
• As the TheStrawhatNO! mentioned in their playthrough, King Hippo's massive physique that he gained purely from eating a lot would realistically result in him having very poor stamina. One of King Hippo's gimmicks is that he never gets up after going down, unlike all the other competitors that can get up multiple times. A similar thing occurs to the similarly rotund Doc Louis, given that he probably hasn't been training much after he retired. Bear Hugger is exempt from this as, shown by both his intros, he still has a rather active lifestyle.
• Soda Popinski's soda "addiction" may be a funny euphemism for a hard-drinking Russian — but soda was as much a Soviet classic as vodka! There used to be soda fountain machines in Soviet streets, where for a few kopecks you could get a glass of fresh soda, plain or with any one of (mostly fruity) flavours, as well as bottled water with those same flavours in stores. One can picture Soda getting nostalgic for good ol' Soviet soda while unable to find anything but over-sweetened Coke in American stores. (Or alternatively, he could prefer the artificial American stuff to the relatively humble fruity flavours he remembers from Moscow).
  • Or, since Coke didn't make its way to the Soviet Union until 1979, it might just be a novelty item for him. Combine the lure of a shiny new product with the sheer addictiveness of caffeinated cola and the "I'll get it if I want it" factor of being an international boxing star, and you've got a recipe for a serious addiction.
    • Maybe he picked it up from Georgy Zhukov, who secretly imported Coca-Cola without its coloring so it could be disguised as vodka?
• Donkey Kong taking Little Mac away after the latter loses might seem odd until you realize Mac just got selected for a new arena to fight in.
• Super Macho Man's most iconic moves (aside from his Spin Attack) are primarily uppercuts (namely the "Release The Beast" / "Wipe Out" uppercut). Why is that? Because those punches involve flexing the biceps for that curve, biceps being Super Macho Man's most prominent muscles.
• Why is Mr. Sandman the only one who beat Super Macho Man in the Wii version, aside from Mac? Because Macho Man does not have glaring weaknesses to exploit, and unique dirty tricks, as well as counterpunches, won't work on him. Mac and Sandman are the only two boxers consistently strong and nimble enough to deal with Super Macho Man's brute force.

Fridge Horror

• Aran Ryan is seen putting horseshoes in his gloves. Then between rounds, he punches himself in the face to psyche himself up.
  • It's okay. He likes that sort of thing. It might also explain why his nose looks slightly broken.
• One of the challenges for Contender is to let Glass Joe win. In other words, you throw the match, something that in many rules are illegal. Needless to say, Little Mac's rep would probably take a big hit afterwards.
• Glass Joe is stated to be 5'10" and 110 lbs. One might not bat an eye at that, since he's the first boss and they would need him to have stats very similar to Mac's, but at his height, 110 lbs is concerningly underweight. Could that be why he's so weak?

Fridge Sadness

• Since one of the challenges is throwing the match with Glass Joe, he's probably isn't going to take the realisation that his big victory wasn't of his own effort well.

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