User blog:Toon Ganondorf/Top 10 Robots Saved from Obscurity by Robot Wars Wiki and the Rest of the Internet

Welcome to Top 10!

I know I haven't gotten around to my Pleasantly Surprising Battles list, but until I get my computer and bone up on a few international battles and suggestions, I don't want to rush it.

Instead, I'm taking inspiration for a list from the current list floating around on underrated robots. I briefly commented (Toast later agreed) that most robots that were considered underrated in 2009 when the Wiki was born are now pretty much considered "good" robots who drew unlucky draws, etc. Let's call it the "Killerhurtz" factor.

As a result, I was going to do a list of robots considered underrated until the Wiki brought them back to prominence, but I quickly found myself picking up a whole bunch of international robots. So I've broadened my focus to list robots that the Internet (including Robot Wars Wiki prominently) saved from obscurity.

Before Robot Wars Wiki, all that was on the Internet about Robot Wars was the Run Amok tournament trees, the information on Tectonic Robot Wars, and big incomplete chunks of Robot Wars on Youtube. When we began compiling this database, certain robots were given credit and prominence that they could never have had. Even the people involved in Robot Wars at the time, like Mat Irvine, can only remember the big famous robots like Hypno-Disc and Razer.

Honourable Mentions

 * Son of Armageddon - Whilst Black Hole made a small but memorable impression in the battle with Zeus, and Tsunami made a bigger impression in Series 7 by setting a record for consecutive out of the arena flips, no one knew of the German bronze medalist until the results and battles became available. In the UK, the bronze medalist tends to be just as famous as some of the champions (especially when it is Firestorm), so I'm glad that Son of Armageddon now gets the prominence that such a position deserves.
 * Hellbent - Hellbent is pretty much beloved by the Wiki community. I tried to find examples of it dominating Arena Forums, but couldn't. However, without a doubt many would agree it could have been a heat finalist contender in a heat that didn't contain the OotA heavyweight champion of Series 7, Atomic, who seemed pretty much set of throwing everything metal out of the arena. The reason it is lower is because Series 7 was one of the Series our users were most familar with (because of its presence on Youtube) and therefore Hellbent had more time to establish itself as underrated than others higher on this list. Note also how much praise JP gave it on the televised broadcast.
 * Pika 2 - A heat finalist only, one might not think much remarkable about Pika 2, except when you realise that the rules of Robot Wars made it the Belgian champion. Thanks to the information imparted by Extreme 2's European Championship, we knew Philipper 2 was the second Belgian champion, but it was only when the Pika page was created (sorry I cannot find the discussion and therefore cannot credit the insightful user) that Pika 2's status as Belgian champion was discovered. Save for Apollo, this makes Pika 2 the last champion to be revealed. Not a big fanfare considering its performance, but I'd just like to point to the 2016 film Eddie the Eagle for an example of how much national pride can mean in the grand scheme of things.
 * Bamm Bamm - If you only had Bamm Bamm's Series 7 battle with Firestorm 5 to go on, you'd be forgiven for thinking of it in the same sentence as Metalis, Black and Blue, T-Wrecks and a number of other highly unimpressive Series 7 robots. The publication of Dutch Robot Wars revealed Bamm Bamm to be not only a Dutch runner-up, but a two time semi-finalist (one of only two).
 * Little Fly - This is a small point, and hence why it is only an honourable mention. Because of Tectonic Robot Wars and a certain much replayed clip, it was widely accepted that Sump Thing had been the robot to KO 28th seed Weld-Dor 2 in Series 4. However, much to the sadness of Sump Thing fans everywhere, the uploading of Series 4 to Youtube revealed a long forgotten post-match interview that credited Little Fly's spinning blade as dealing the terminal damage to Weld-Dor 2. Whilst this was sad for Sump Thing fans everywhere, the comparatively fewer Little Fly fans could feel vindicated in that their robot was finally credited with probably its biggest claim to fame.

10. Cerberus
I have unashamedly loved Cerberus since I was a nine year old kid watching Robot Wars at 6 in the morning. I shared Philippa Forrester's love of its beautiful design and shiny coat, and I just relished every second it was on screen. However, fans of Robot Wars who tuned in from Series 4 would have only registered it as the headless robot dispatched by V-Max in about twenty seconds, or the ineffective robot completely outclassed in Extreme 1 and 2. Even fans of Series 3 would be forgiven for not holding Cerberus in high esteem. Killerhurtz defeated itself, and despite a few good moves, it lost pretty decisively to Thing 2 in the final.

The reason I have included Cerberus is because in 2010, ManUCrazy identified Cerberus as the holder of the Shortest Battle Record from Series 3-7. The cynics would have a lot of criticism to make, like about Griffon's seemingly impaired mobility, but the fact remains that my beloved Cerberus now has an honour to its name, and that's cool. All because of Robot Wars Wiki.

9. √3
This one goes without saying, and RA2 said it better on his original list here. But I'll say it again. Were it not for Dutch Robot Wars being uploaded and compiled on the database, we would never have known of the delightful team-up of Impact, Gravity and ODT-Zero. From the anonymous Stig helmets to the aptly named trio of robots that fits perfectly with its original drivers, everything about √3 is a delight, and we are lucky to know about it.

8. G.B.H. 2
I could have given this position to either Facet (the team's other robot that never performed as well) or The Alien, another robot from G.B.H. 2's only battle that is well respected in the internet community. However, I opted for G.B.H. 2 because of its astounding success in our original Arena Forums tournament, Wikia Series 8. Bolstered by love from our early users, G.B.H. 2 defeated Robochicken, Thermidor 2, Barbaric Response, Behemoth and Gravity and ultimately placed fourth after a grudge match with Firestorm 5. This is astounding success for a robot whose only appearance saw it lose in round 1. Now, G.B.H. managed to reach the semi-finals in Series 2, but Robot Wars' popularity realy took off in Series 3-5, after G.B.H. had faded from our memories. The only clip I ever saw of it was in Splinter's "previously on Robot Wars" clip in Series 4. By the time Series 6 rolled around, there were very few who would remember G.B.H. (especially without the internet to help jog their memories). I suppose that means that G.B.H. is worthy of being rescued from obscurity too. Perhaps.

The point I'm trying to make about G.B.H. 2 is that fans really responded to its only battle. It was by far the best first round melee I've ever seen on Robot Wars, and it was unlucky to lose the judges' decision. Look at Black and Blue, a robot that also lost in Round 1 and was a distant successor to a former semi-finalist. Not a hint of the popularity enjoyed by G.B.H. 2. - gathering less votes than Infinity to lose in Round 1.

7. Crusader 2
Kinda like √3, this one has been done to death, but I'll mention it anyway. Crusader 2 was certainly impressive in Series 4, but in a time where Robot Wars feats of impressiveness could only exist in popular memory and tournament trees, there wasn't room next to Hypno-Disc v Splinter, Razer v Milly-Ann Bug and Chaos 2 v Firestorm for Crusader 2's impressive first round bout against Steg 2.

With the rediscovery of Robot Wars on Youtube, Crusader 2 fans like me could rejoice again at its underrated nature being on full display. Crusader 2 now enjoys widespread support amongst Robot Wars fans, as evidenced by its reaching the semi-finals of Proper Series 4 forum, and actually putting up a fight against the similar but higher achieving Spawn of Scutter in Audited Series 4. Because of the Internet and the appreciation of Crusader 2's big fight in Series 4 Round 1, Crusader 2 is now considered a lock in most first round eliminators in fantasy tournaments. Look at Audited Series 4 Heat G, up against an actual Series 4 semi-finalist and a future heat finalist in Prizephita Mk 2, Crusader 2 doesn't even get a single vote for elimination. That's fan support.

6. Killertron
This one may strike many of you as odd, because Killertron placed fourth and Jonathan Pearce often extolled (incorrectly) its feats in previous wars. Why would Killertron need to be rescued from obscurity? Because of a recurring theme in this list - Robot Wars' peak popularity being Series 3-5. That means that the only things the majority of Robot Wars fans - myself included - saw of Killertron was a pitifully underpowered axe, a pink garbage bin lid, a one-sided battle with Wheely Big Cheese, a painfully ill-advised boxing glove weapon in the Celebrity Special, and a highly controversial elimination in Extreme 1's Mayhem. That'd be like showing a fan Robot Wars, but the only clips of Hypno-Disc you show them are their battles from Series 6 Semi-Finals until retirement. The uploading of Robot Wars onto Youtube allowed fans like me to witness Killertron's success in Series 1-2 firsthand and appreciate what I'd only been hearing from Jonathan Pearce. The battle with Behemoth, in which Killertron's axe is so powerful that it drags Behemoth onto its side, says literally everything you need to know about Killertron.

Without the internet, Killertron might have been subjected to being "just another rubbish Series 4 robot", like Wheelosaurus from the same heat. But now we can appreciate Killertron the same way we appreciate Recyclopse, Roadblock, T.R.A.C.I.E. and Robot the Bruce - robots who didn't suffer the crummy reputation because they themselves were not entered into Series 4. Killertron - a pioneer of its time.

5. General Carnage 2
For a very long time, Heat C of Series 5 was missing from Youtube and I didn't get to see General Carnage 2's biggest claim to fame - being one of the first robots to throw another robot out of the arena. When we first made the forum, I was surprised to even see its name next to Chaos 2, Thermidor 2, Behemoth and Gemini. For years on the Wiki, General Carnage 2 existed as only a statistic - the only robot to achieve an OotA but not reach a heat final. Then when BBCRobotWarsUK uploaded the battle, we could all see its feat for itself. Now General Carnage 2 gets its biggest claim to fame listed on an honourboard with other famous robots. Meanwhile, I was just happy that I saw what General Carnage 2 looked like - its predecessor certainly hadn't made an impression.

4. Slicer
The only champion of Robot Wars not to defend its title or even make a subsequent appearance (through no fault of its own, Series 7 saw fit to reject it but let in Thunderpants and Scarey-Go-Round. The uploading of Series 1 of Dutch Wars finally allowed it to be hailed as a champion and for fans to see the robot in action, rather than having to take the picture and imagine.

3. Lizzard
Now this next three is going to be highly selective, and some may complain that the Dutch Champion who we never got to see until Dutch Series 1 was uploaded should be higher than the robot it beat. That's fair. But for me personally, Lizzard is the robot more rescued from obscurity than Slicer, because at least I had heard of Slicer. Lizzard was a robot not even on my radar - not even its name was known to me, and it was one of only two robots to reach both Dutch Wars Semi-Finals, placing second on the first occasion. It had a rivalry with Bamm Bamm that would give nearly every rivalry in UK Robot Wars a run for its money, and it looked great to boot. Now imagine a world where no one knows who Pussycat is - a two-time UK Semi-Finalist, championship runner-up - and be thankful for Lizzard being rescued from the depths of Dutch Roboteer memories. Were it not for WJ Dijkstra and the others who finally sent us the results, it is hard to imagine if Lizzard would ever have come to prominence. Another few years and maybe those last few records would have been destroyed, and therefore no one would have even gone looking for Dutch Robot Wars videos. Because Lizzard didn't attempt to qualify like Slicer did, it may have been unknown forever.

2. Cyclone
The first and only robot from the US to make the list, but it is certainly a big one. Cyclone was a robot I'd never heard of until we were compiling the Out of the Arena list, and someone added Cyclone and its consecutive OotAs against Hyperactive and Thor's Hammer. Fans of 259 like me could now readily find videos of Cyclone doing what we always hoped for Adam Clark's robot. The OotAs against both Hyperactive and Thor's Hammer are very impressive, as is the sheer damage dealt out by that massive flywheel. Cyclone went on to win the tournament too, making it even worthier of prominence, but it was the ability to throw another robot out of the arena, twice, with a flywheel that really made Cyclone famous in my eyes, and it was that feat that, when discovered, put it in my personal hall of fame.

1. Scraptosaur (also known as Scrap-2-Saur)
Here we are at number one. Without a doubt the biggest beneficiary of the Internet and Robot Wars Wiki; Scraptosaur had absolutely nothing to write home about in Series 7, paling in comparison to Ceros and St. Agro, and pitted pitifully by Tough As Nails in the Third World Championship. Then the results of Dutch Series 2 were made available, and Scrap-2-Saur's results became known. I remember a few weeks ago I deleted a very old piece of trivia which clearly expressed our reaction at the time - "Did You Know that Scraptosaur actually beat Tough As Nails and Gravity in Dutch Series 2?"

That's right. The two most famous Dutch Robots in Series 7 (and also the most successful) had been beaten in their domestic competition by Scraptosaur. How? The videos followed later and the clips explained it. Scraptosaur in Series 7 wasn't the norm, it was an outlier, much like Bamm Bamm and PulverizeR's pitiful UK appearances. It KO'd Tough as Nails in one powerful flip. It managed to place a round invertible robot on its side to immobilise it - skill we would expect from Firestorm or Chaos 2! It KO'd Gravity in a single flip. It got lucky against Meshuggah and lost to the eventual champion, having reached the second round of the semi-finals.

Like before, let's look at another robot with that sort of record - S3. Two semi-finals appearances, losing to a UK Champion (PulverizeR and Razer) after defeating robots that would make semi-finals in other series (Tough as Nails and Gravity and Meshuggah, Mousetrap 2, Stinger and Dantomkia). Imagine if S3's only record was its brief run as Sting, or its pitiful battle in Extreme 2.

It was a truly impressive Dutch beast, and thanks to Robot Wars Wiki, gets to be judged rightly on its Dutch performance with its Series 7 appearance as a sidenote, instead of the other way around.