This arcade game used to sit solo in a local sub sandwich shop, and me an my cousin couldn't wait to play this when we were allowed. We would come in with a pocket full of quarters an wouldn't leave until we spent it all. To the good ol days.
I was born in 1973 in Seattle! I bet you and your cousin got pretty good quickly, and could play a long time on one quarter! (except when Coco Savage would be, as we called him, "Weiner Savage" or "A-hole Savage", and you know what I'm referring to!)
This game marks a time in my life when all we did was seek out spots that had arcade games. Gas Stations, liquor stores, 7-11, and even some supermarkets. My brother was a whiz at this. We played at Castle Park in the IE, California. I had funw ith it but was fairly lousy at this. lol
I can relate to that. I had my trusted local arcade, but every now and then, I'd wander around town looking for other arcades or venues that might have games I hadn't played before, lol. I really miss those times.
@@RetroGamingLoft Same in Italy, Milan. I remember wandering in my zone cheching every bar, finding a new gem and then focusing for a month to finish it.
Once I figured out why Coco Savage was the hardest to beat--it was his rushing attack timed just as you get up from the floor--I was unbeatable. I could play for 45 minutes on one quarter on this game.
Nastalgic video. Brought me back to the 80's. My friends and i played this game all through the holidays. However, i don't remember it being this easy to beat the opponents, especially Coco
Maybe you just didn't know how to beat him... In the comments section of this video and others about Mat Mania, I've read things like, "Once I figured out how to beat him, I could play for hours/reach the 100,000th stage," etc. So, assuming I'm actually bad at this game, given that I only reached stage 13...
21:10 I was born in Seattle in 1973, where I grew up. Male. Japanese-American. I was in 7th grade when this came out in the arcade, so this makes me feel like a junior high kid again! (In every good way). This Game Over Music kind of chokes me up! It feels like the music after one plays a long and good game of 20 rounds or so. The way Cory roots for you, and the way he hangs his head here, kind of makes me feel like I let Cory down!
@@RetroGamingLoft Mr.Retro, does it seem strange at all to you, that at 50 in 2023, I actually get choked up when watching videos of these throwback video games? I cry, because I long for those "innocent, happy, care free days," when my grandparents were alive and healthy, my Dad was alive, and life was good.
@@unappealingundesirable2826 Of course not mate, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this. I can perfectly relate and I've shed my fair share of tears myself, along the way.
Oh man. I forgot this game existed, and I only know that I played it because of the refs pin count: Onnnnne, twoooo, THREEEEEEE! Damn, you're good at this game. Love your "punch em in the face to wear them down" strategy.
Same here. In the beginning, no one could beat Coco Savage at my local arcade, so we thought he was the last opponent... I think it took us like a month to finally pin him.
And very annoying too. I remember many kids losing it and hitting the cabinet out of frustration, only to be kicked out of the arcade. All because of Coco, lol...
@@RetroGamingLoft it does have a guy in a yellow mask but the graphics seem more digitized....if the tiger headed guy was in mat mania it would look right...I am 45 though and played the game in 91-94 while skipping school but I know the characters all looked kinda skinny, the guy definitely had a tiger mask and was white and the graphics were on par with mat mania...this wasn't in an arcade it was a tiny grocery store that only had the wrestling game and sf 2 for years
@@RetroGamingLoft i would have to find the rom the play this again jeez it's been since i was only kid when i played this I'm 43 now ha i will for fill my child dreams of beating this game thanks for the memories
This arcade game used to sit solo in a local sub sandwich shop, and me an my cousin couldn't wait to play this when we were allowed. We would come in with a pocket full of quarters an wouldn't leave until we spent it all. To the good ol days.
A big, big toast to the good ol' days!
Same by me, i still know how to beat Koko savage
I was born in 1973 in Seattle! I bet you and your cousin got pretty good quickly, and could play a long time on one quarter! (except when Coco Savage would be, as we called him, "Weiner Savage" or "A-hole Savage", and you know what I'm referring to!)
I used to love playing this game back in my hometown of Newark, NJ.
This game marks a time in my life when all we did was seek out spots that had arcade games. Gas Stations, liquor stores, 7-11, and even some supermarkets. My brother was a whiz at this. We played at Castle Park in the IE, California. I had funw ith it but was fairly lousy at this. lol
I can relate to that. I had my trusted local arcade, but every now and then, I'd wander around town looking for other arcades or venues that might have games I hadn't played before, lol. I really miss those times.
@@RetroGamingLoft Same in Italy, Milan. I remember wandering in my zone cheching every bar, finding a new gem and then focusing for a month to finish it.
That's a beautifully nostalgic comment, thank you!
Man so many memories. Back when being a kid was fun, safe and normal
Couldn't have said it better!
There was nothing fun safe or normal about the '80s. You must not live in America 🤔
@Willie Green Not everybody lives the same life, not everybody lives the same way.
Once I figured out why Coco Savage was the hardest to beat--it was his rushing attack timed just as you get up from the floor--I was unbeatable. I could play for 45 minutes on one quarter on this game.
Nice coco used to send me home questioning my skills everytime!
It happened to many. I guess Mat Mania was one of the most abused cabinets at my local arcade, lol.
Yeah you had to use his own technique against him. But it worked on the others too.
I would always get pissed at Coco. I would throw him out of the damn ring, and pounce on him to get my revenge…😅
My brother and I played for 2 hours with only 1 credit
Props to you for "droping the belt" to Savage and putting him over, LOL!
Backstage politics, they wanted him to be the face of the company, lol.
Man I spent a lot of money on this game when I was a kid. My go to game at the arcade. This brings back some memories.
The comments that make my day!
I always thought the referee’s passion of counting to three was hilarious!
Yeah, definitely howling with passion, lol.
Arguably the greatest wrestling video game ever!
One of my favorite arcade wrestling games for sure, second only to WWF Superstars and Wrestlefest.
This looks better than Superstars @@RetroGamingLoft
@@PontFlair Tastes are subjective... :-) Two iconic 80s wrestling games for sure!
Nastalgic video. Brought me back to the 80's. My friends and i played this game all through the holidays. However, i don't remember it being this easy to beat the opponents, especially Coco
Maybe you just didn't know how to beat him... In the comments section of this video and others about Mat Mania, I've read things like, "Once I figured out how to beat him, I could play for hours/reach the 100,000th stage," etc. So, assuming I'm actually bad at this game, given that I only reached stage 13...
i remember this being side by side with Rush n Attack at my arcade. and all i could hear is ONE, 2, TREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Lol, epic referee count!
Thank you for uploading this. I been looking for this game for a good while.
My whole pleasure, I'm glad I could help!
One of my favorites of all time.
It's a great classic, still a lot of fun, today!
Wow this takes me back. The best strategy against Coco was to use his own move against him, that charging headbutt thing.
It's always a joy to stir up memories.
21:10 I was born in Seattle in 1973, where I grew up. Male. Japanese-American. I was in 7th grade when this came out in the arcade, so this makes me feel like a junior high kid again! (In every good way). This Game Over Music kind of chokes me up! It feels like the music after one plays a long and good game of 20 rounds or so. The way Cory roots for you, and the way he hangs his head here, kind of makes me feel like I let Cory down!
Hehehe, I had a similar feeling, back in the day. Didn't want to lose in order not to see Cory's reaction. Mat Mania, is a nostalgia magnet...
@@RetroGamingLoft Mr.Retro, does it seem strange at all to you, that at 50 in 2023, I actually get choked up when watching videos of these throwback video games? I cry, because I long for those "innocent, happy, care free days," when my grandparents were alive and healthy, my Dad was alive, and life was good.
@@unappealingundesirable2826 Of course not mate, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this. I can perfectly relate and I've shed my fair share of tears myself, along the way.
@@unappealingundesirable2826 I miss those days so much.
When they show The Iron Claw they should bring back this game to the theater lobbies.
Not a bad idea!
I used to ride my bike almost 7 miles to the mall as a kid with $2 in quarters to play this damn game for about 10 minutes 😂 “ONE, TWO, THREEEEEEE!”
What our favorite video games made us do... We could write a book about it, lol.
Coco Savage was nails, always got nervous fighting him 😆😆😆
An absolute monster heel, should have been the champion, not the Golden Hulk.
Love how feirce and angry they all are, especially the player. Someone really wronged him, and now he's the embodiment of rage.
Golden Hulk's got something they all want...
Our version didn't have audio,except for referee counting
It's a shame, I'm glad you can enjoy the full version, here.
Brings back some EARLY memories.
Cheers mate!
Oh man. I forgot this game existed, and I only know that I played it because of the refs pin count: Onnnnne, twoooo, THREEEEEEE! Damn, you're good at this game. Love your "punch em in the face to wear them down" strategy.
Lol, that count was truly annoying when you were desperately trying to kick out...
I remember playing this game at a arcade and when I finally won my first match I was stoked
I can relate, it's a super classic.
Piranha's signature move. The face squeegee! 5:31
I would have liked to play as Piranha at least once... Probably the dirtiest fictional wrestler ever, lol.
Spent hours playing this in the arcade
Same here. In the beginning, no one could beat Coco Savage at my local arcade, so we thought he was the last opponent... I think it took us like a month to finally pin him.
Shoulder butt was unstoppable, all day long
And very annoying too. I remember many kids losing it and hitting the cabinet out of frustration, only to be kicked out of the arcade. All because of Coco, lol...
Coco savage always gave me a hard time
Truly embodies a monster heel...
That earslap was vicious. I also remember he'd toss my guy around by the ankles
That was the beginning of the end, usually.
I see ZZTop, superman, darth vader in the crowd.
That's absolutely correct.
coco savage got you second time around those days the arcades were rigged against you
Actually I beat him 3 times before succumbing, but I agree, looks like sometimes you just couldn't win...
I never heard about this game, but it definitely feels like the precursor to WWF Superstars
Yeah we could say so, especially in terms of popularity. It was all the rage in the arcade in the mid 80s...
5:02
The Kawada move!!
My favorite arcade game of all-time... 13th game vs. Coco Savage was damn near impossible
Coco was the real monster heel in this game!
What a good song.
Yeah, it's always been a very catchy tune...
@@RetroGamingLoft i want this song in Electric guitar xD
Thank you. I'm the composer. I made this music when I was 21 years old.
@@macau_live 😮 nice. The people of this generation was so creative in the games.
Kudos to you, sir-this is one of the most recognizable arcade game tunes ever. It perfectly captures the atmosphere. Chapeau!
Is that Darth Vader in the Audience so Niceeeee😂❤
Yep, nice "cameo"!
PURA NOSTALGIA QUE FANTASTICO E CADE OS BRAZUCAS QUE JOGARAM MUITO E PERDERAM MUITAS FICHAS COM COCO SAVAGE
I'm glad when I can bring back good memories. 😃
Poor pizza place owner that had to hear ONE....TWO....THREEEEEEEEEEE!!! all day while i played on like 2 quarters
Haha, I guess it happened to many venue owners. It's one of those machines that were always taken.
6:04 Golden Hulk we had it renamed as Bruiser or Braiser Brody.
The character was probably based on him. Bruiser Brody was a real-life wrestler.
@@RetroGamingLoft sure was!
This game was. So. Hard
Coco is a wild beast, that's for sure... The real Monster Heel.
6:44
WOW!!
Que buen juego era ese.
Absolutely, an iconic arcade game.
Wow my child hood 👶
Love bringing back childhood memories...
I played this and Mania Challenge. Thing is, I don't remember Golden Hulk or ESPECIALLY Covo Savage being so easy to beat so quickly
With the right strategy, you can put them away pretty quickly, especially the first time you face them.
It was called Exciting Network🇮🇹
Thanks for sharing this interesting tidbit.
@@RetroGamingLoft Insane Worrier(yes,wrongly written!) was the first contestant name
@@MicheleLaraia-j4m This is what he's called in Exciting hour.
1:31 All day!!!
I wish, lol...
We used have this in my parents.fish and chips shop
I'm sure it brings back good memories. 😃
No finishing moves in this game?
Not specifically, but there are moves that your wrestler or the other characters can only execute when their opponent is tired.
"Pro Wrestling" and "Tecmo World Wrestling" are the 2 greatest 8 bit Pro-Wrestling video games of All-Time in the States. My opinion.
Mat Mania looks like it's definitely inspired by NES' "Pro Wrestling". I loved "Pro Wrestling". Its the Fire-Pro Series' Grandfather.
Agreed, there's definitely more than just something in common.
wish you could play this game online
You can, the game is for sale on the PS Store and you can play it online.
First time I played this was at the boys and girls club in like 1990....couldn't beat the black dude tho 😂😂😂 he was tuff
Honestly, I can’t think of a better monster heel in any wrestling game than Coco Savege...
This looks close to the game in looking for but no tiger headed guy
Maybe you are looking for Champion Wrestler. If that's the case, you can find it in my "Arcade Longplays" playlist.
@@RetroGamingLoft the tiger guy is black in that one, can't be the right one he was certainly white and the graphics on that one are too good
Then The Main Event, maybe? The graphics are certainly not its strong suit.
@@RetroGamingLoft it does have a guy in a yellow mask but the graphics seem more digitized....if the tiger headed guy was in mat mania it would look right...I am 45 though and played the game in 91-94 while skipping school but I know the characters all looked kinda skinny, the guy definitely had a tiger mask and was white and the graphics were on par with mat mania...this wasn't in an arcade it was a tiny grocery store that only had the wrestling game and sf 2 for years
Ah, okay then, that helped. You are talking about Appoooh!
Como joguei esse jogo nos meus tempos de criança aqui no Rio de janeiro
It's always a great feeling to stir up memories!
I want to see Coco Savage fight big boss man. My money is on Big Boss Man.
Honestly mate, I see Coco as the ultimate monster heel in the world of wrestling games. My money is on him!
I could never get past piranha
Keep on punching him like I did. He will eventually grow tired and you will tear him apart.
@@RetroGamingLoft i would have to find the rom the play this again jeez it's been since i was only kid when i played this I'm 43 now ha i will for fill my child dreams of beating this game thanks for the memories
I can't get pass the coco guy
Punch him then quickly move laterally until he gets tired. If you stand in front of him, he will knock you down and quickly defeat you.
@@RetroGamingLoft Thanks for the tip
Coco Salvage threw that match.
Who's Coco Salvage, a hidden character?
this game came out 1985 i was 7 years old :)🥲