Back in 1999, around the time the original was released Super Smash Bros. With the N64, Nintendo had a big idea. To promote the game, they went to Vegas, started a wrestling ring, got a bunch of actors to wear Nintendo character costumes and have them go on it.
So they did just that. Known as Slamfest ’99, the event was not only performed in front of a live audience, it was also streamed online—in 1999! – and then be seen a few months later. You would think that would mean that some Footage of the stunt survives, but sort of no, it hasn’t, and so there’s been a group of “fans and archivists” for a number of years. the Lost Media Wiki I’ve scoured the internet looking for a few.
Here’s how one of that team, bozo_ssb, describes his efforts:
Despite being broadcast live, and despite being available for rewatch in RealPlayer several months later, no video footage from Slamfest ’99 is known to have survived anywhere on the modern Internet – it is completely lost. With little evidence that the event even took place, it has lurked in extreme obscurity even among hardcore Nintendo fans for over two decades. As of May 2020, a group of Lost Media Wiki fans and archivists have been actively searching for the lost broadcast material (of which I am a member).
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The bad news is that they still haven’t found any. The good news is that now they have found it something. The LMW team managed to track down Ed Espinoza, the producer of Slamfest ’99, and Ed was kind enough to share a few photos he took that day so the world could get a fresh look at how Mario Donkey Kong got into the chest beat.
While no footage survives, there are some eyewitness accounts have, which LMW have cataloged here:
Mario and Donkey would start the game. Donkey Kong, who is a lot bigger than our favorite plumber, quickly got Mario out. Yoshi came in and took revenge on the gorilla. Pikachu would go get the monkey only to be knocked out by Yoshi’s deadly tail. Then, before anyone knew it, Mario went insane. He obliterated Donkey Kong, Pikachu, and his own teammate, Yoshi. Ultimately, the match would end in a crash that knocked everyone out, resulting in a tie. “Everyone’s a winner!” yelled the announcer – Zelda64
Mario and Yoshi were on one team, Donkey Kong and Pikachu on the other. It was quite funny to see the life size mascots hopping around a wrestling ring. Mario went on a rampage, hitting everyone in sight, and instead of Yoshi, Donkey Kong accidentally hit himself with his Hammer of Doom. And at the hottest moment, all four mascots collided in the center of the ring and all fell to the mat. That’s right, in true Nintendo fashion it was a draw…and everyone is a winner! – Nintendorks
Even the referee chimed in, biting Pikachu’s ear and declaring that it tasted “like chicken.” Mario shocked us with his low-blow antics and Kong KO’d himself with his own magic hammer, but in the end they all became best friends and the match was declared an honorable draw – N64 Magazine
We shared a few of the images here, however here is a link to the full gallery, which is intriguing not only for the images of the fight itself, but also for the footage of the wrestlers warming up without costume. And fun fact: there’s a good chance this whole stunt was just a chance for Nintendo to get their money’s worth with these costumes, since they’re the same ones seen in the classic Happy Together. smashed Advertising:
