The one defense Mario needs, much like how The Undertaker won't sell moves if he doesn't want to make it look like he's being hurt. You don't question The Undertaker.
The ultimate IT'S FREAKING MARIO defense is Mario > Samus 2005, but he also has The Clutch he pulled off against Cloud in 2002, Crono in 2002 and 2003, Zelda 1 in 2009, Mega Man in 2010 and probably a few other times.
The argument eventually failed in 2013 due to LFF and rallies. Mario has not been able to prove himself since, be it the character or the mainline games, with losses in winnable matches against Mass Effect 2, Pokémon R/B/Y, Super Metroid, Undertale, Zelda and Cloud Strife, as well as not showing up in matches against Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and The Witcher 3.