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Undertaker was a competitor in Series 3 of Robot Wars, which fell in the first round to Panzer. It was the team's second robot after previously competing with Havoc.

Design[]

Undertaker

Undertaker decorated and armed with a different axe

Undertaker was wedge-shaped in design, resembling a coffin, hence its grim name. The team claimed that Undertaker could pull a Land Rover, and it was painted so that the armour looked like wood, but it was in fact made of 2mm thick T6 aircraft-grade aluminium and travelled on go-kart wheels at 15mph. Undertaker coincidentally looked a lot like Gravedigger, but with a scythe that functioned as an axe as its weapon, rather than a flipping arm.

Etymology[]

The robot's name is derived from an undertaker, the occupation that handles corpses, also known as a funeral director or mortician.

Undertaker was originally given the name Reaper according to the team's website[1].

The Team[]

UndertakerTeam

The team in the pits with Undertaker

Undertaker was entered by a three-man team from Lancashire, consisting of captain Kevin Shirtcliffe, alongside John and Philip Robinson. The team had previously reached a Heat Final in the previous series with Havoc, also later attempting to compete in Series 4 with Cannibal.

Qualification[]

Undertaker took part in the Series 3 auditions with a red axe blade and decoration around the axe.[2] It was selected for the Third Wars and fought in the televised competition.

Robot History[]

Series 3[]

"As long as we don't do anything stupid in the early rounds we have a good a chance as anyone. Our robot is fast, manoeuvrable, and not overly complicated. I believe that these are a winning combination. But to answer your question I will be happy with a place in the semi final."
— The Team's high hopes for the robot, ultimately unrealised[3]

In its only battle, Undertaker was drawn up against newcomer Panzer.

Undertaker toppled

Undertaker is thrown by the arena spike

Panzer pushes Undertaker

Undertaker is pushed by Panzer

Immediately, Undertaker suffered from mobility issues, as it arced inside of its own circumference, only able to turn on its left side. Undertaker then edged underneath Panzer, but was suddenly shot onto its side by the Arena Spike, with only a nudge from Panzer righting it. Undertaker continued to face a barrage of hits from the arena hazard, before it was pushed across the arena floor by Panzer.

"Undertaker flicked up by the Arena Spike and bounced around like some grisly toy out there!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Undertaker Panzer 1

Panzer climbs up Undertaker

Undertaker Panzer 2

Undertaker, unable to pursue Panzer in the remaining seconds

Still unable to move freely, Undertaker couldn't move away from the arena wall, which allowed Panzer to drive up the front of Undertaker. Panzer then resumed to pushing Undertaker - with Undertaker's armour penetrated by Panzer's front spikes in the process. Undertaker attempted to push back at Panzer when its tracked opponent drove up its wedge again, but the machine's mobility problems meant that it was unable to make an attempt at a fightback. With time ticking down, team members Kevin and John raised their controllers in a desperate attempt to help their robot's movement. Despite Panzer evidently slowing in the closing stages, Undertaker was only able to drive around in circles. The battle went to the judges, who ruled in favour of Panzer, leaving Undertaker eliminated from the competition at the first hurdle.

Philippa Forrester: "You'll have to think of this as your practice run for a glittering Robot Wars career."
Philip Robinson: "We did better last year, actually!"
— A disappointing result for Team Undertaker

The team would later put their defeat down to Undertaker not being switched on properly before battle, something the team attributed to a known incident happening over the filming period[4].

"Don't think about entering, unless you don't mind being ... treated as a prop, and kept in the dark. Fairness does not come into it, RW is a profit making TV show. We had a really miserable time in series 3, and be aware that our robot was never properly turned on due to problems relating to safety negligence earlier on. Of course none of this is delibarate, but nobody involved seems to have any organisation."
— The team on their website for Undertaker's successor Cannibal, discussing their negative experiences

Results[]

UNDERTAKER - RESULTS
Series 3
The Third Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 1
Heat L, Round 1 vs. Panzer Lost

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 0
  • Losses: 1

Series Record[]

Series Undertaker Series Record
The First Wars Did not enter
The Second Wars Entered with Havoc
The Third Wars Heat, Round 1
The Fourth Wars Failed to qualify with Cannibal
The Fifth Wars Did not enter
The Sixth Wars Did not enter
The Seventh Wars Did not enter
Series 8 Did not enter
Series 9 Did not enter
Series 10 Did not enter

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Undertaker was due to team up with Sonic for the Third Wars' Tag Team Terror competition, before the event was cancelled due to a delay in filming caused by a behind-the-scenes accident[5].
  • Evil Weevil won Undertaker's heat and was then defeated in the semi finals, before then losing in the first round of the next series. Coincidentally, the same thing happened to Haardvark, which won the heat the featured Undertaker's predecessor Havoc in the previous series and then lost in the first round of the Third Wars.

References[]

External Links[]

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