MasterWarlord
Smash Champion
KING HIPPO'S HIPPO CLUB
King Hippo is Little Mac's most iconic foe from Punch Out. He is the only character unique enough to not have a palette swap in the NES version of the game, where his boss battle is the most unique as Little Mac must punch him whenever he opens his big fat mouth.
Now, while Little Mac will much more probably get in, there are a multitude of reasons King Hippo could potentially get in instead of him.
While far from an important aspect of his character, he also appeared on Captain N as a thug to Mother Brain whereas Little Mac did not and was heavily used in promotions for Punch Out Wii, clearly establishing him as Mac's number one foe.
It could potentially be argued that he's more well known than Mac himself, as Mac is intentionally made to be generic. Most of the good qualities of his games come from his enemies, as the game is essentially a long series of boss fights.
Little Mac, on the other hand, was booted for some un-named blonde boxer in Super Punch Out. While King Hippo was not in that game, he was not so shamelessly replaced. While Nintendo has claimed that this boxer is Little Mac, the fanbase heavily disagrees.
Perhaps the most important reason I specifically want King Hippo is because he would be a much more entertaining character to play than Little Mac. Little Mac just seems like he would be a very bland fighter due to lack of any special abilities or much personality, while King Hippo by comparison has a lot more charisma. To demonstrate his moveset potential, I link you this. . .
King Hippo moveset by KingK.Rool
The only barrier King Hippo truly has to overcome is the fact that Little Mac is significantly more popular than he is. If King Hippo gets something in the way of actual support, I think he could squeeze his way in.
Let's make it happen people.