Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma is known for two things: Jigglypuff and popoffs. The hype Melee God has made a name for himself in the professional Smash scene for his talent and over-the-top persona. This past weekend was a showcase of everything Hungrybox is known for.
Despite using a brand new controller, Hungrybox took 17th in Ultimate and then first place at Wavedash 2022, a major in San Diego. The grand finals match against Jake “Jmook” DiRado was exciting on its own, but Hungrybox stole the show even more when he took his popoffs to a whole new level.
sorry I look EXHAUSTED
but I won WAVEDASH 2022!!
SECOND MAJOR WIN OF THE YEAR!! I can still do this 🏆 🏆
GGs everyone, Melee is sick pic.twitter.com/3CUTkxkuGa
— hungrybox (@LiquidHbox) August 8, 2022
After winning Wavedash 2022, Hungrybox jumped up, let out a howl, and then picked up his chair. He then proceeded to chuck it to the side. This was followed by a polite handshake with Jmook. But by then, the crowd was stunned by the display.
“That’s a new one,” commentators said.
Seeing a controller get thrown is typical. But a chair? The Smash community applauded Hungrybox on his innovation, calling it a “great way to end a tourney” and saying it’s his new down smash. Others, however, felt it was uncalled for, noting that Jmook seemed annoyed at the display.
Hungrybox is known for his controversial popoffs, even passing out from his powerful pop offs after winning tournaments. Recently, Codey “iBDW” Schwab performed an anti-pop off after losing to Hungrybox in a major tournament. The attempt at a hype pop off left iBDW unstable and he ultimately had to hold onto Hungrybox to avoid falling over.
iBDW decided to comment on Hungrybox’s recent chair fiasco. On Twitter he stated: “Low key just put weights on the chairs before someone actually gets hurt from a popoff and not just hit by a chair. Tying them down isn’t as easy in case you wanna slightly adjust angles or how close you are.”
After some backlash from the Smash community, iBDW noted that he was talking about popoffs “in general,” although the recent Hungrybox pop off brought it to his attention. Some fans responded that Hungrybox’s antics were funny and shouldn’t be interfered with. Others jokingly suggested that they should use beanbag chairs instead to avoid injuries.
