After many a qualifying Heat battle to get to this stage, the Semi-Finals of Robot Wars is where the standard ups a level, and where we bear witness to some of the best fights the show has ever seen. As Jonathan Pearce fittingly said during the Semi-Final Round 1 bout between X-Terminator and St. Agro in Series 7: "We are now down to the stage where the fittest and meanest survives, and the weakest are marmalised". And here we will maramlise some Semi-Final related content too - in the form of battles!
That's right, here we will whittle down all 64 of the UK Championship Semi-Final battles in Robot Wars from worst to best. Which means in contention are every series from Series 2 through to 7.
64. Hypno-Disc vs. Firestorm 3 - Series 5, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
"and are Firestorm trying to lure Hypno-Disc into a false sense of security here? The old rope-a-dope Muhammad Ali trick perhaps!!??"
It's not a hard one to predict for bottom place. Hypno-Disc's one-and-done job on Firestorm 3 was such a shame. And it wasn't even a 'good' or even 'okay' one-and-done fight! This was as bad as it gets for what is an already-disappointing type of fight. Even in a fight as poor as Vader vs. Aggrobot 3 we saw damage! But here, all that was needed was a side-panel nudge to immobilise Team Firestorm's bot.
We even saw the type of display these two could put on later in the series too! But sadly, we didn't even get anywhere near that level of pace or aggressiveness in this battle, with the second meeting between the two almost being a demand from the Robot Wars gods after the sham this first encounter proved to be. "totally toilet", as Craig Charles would say.
63. Firestorm 4 vs. 13Black - Series 6, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
https://robotwars.fandom.com/wiki/Self-inflicted_immobilisation
From one Firestorm machine to another, and although this time the entry is a win for Graham Bone's machine, the battle quality itself is hardly any better.
Simply put: this battle was a disaster from the moment it was drawn. A precision-milled, no-nonsense flipper against a fun and aggressive, but easily-flippable machine. Now, getting the inevitable one-and-done flip was bad enough. But what followed made this fight even worse.
To start with, Firestorm 4 tries to strand 13Black against the arena wall. In attempting this, it gets itself and its opponent stuck, which leads to Refbot unpinning the two - which is fair enough. But once Refbot completes his job, Firestorm 4 then accelerates and wheelies back up onto the arena wall again! Here, Refbot decides to prise Firestorm 4 free once again. The first instance I understand, but the second time was completely self-inflicted, and notably, only Firestorm 4 was in trouble this time, with 13Black crawling away on its overturned flywheels! Once Refbot completes the unpin for a second time, Firestorm 4 finally completes the necessary move needed for a KO.
This fight was basically Push to Exit vs. Expulsion levels of bad without any of the charm of an equally-laughable conclusion to the fight. And considering it is between two of the Top 12 machines in the country by this point, that only makes it worse. Truly wretched.
62. 101 vs. Scutter's Revenge - Series 3, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
This could've been an interesting battle, instead we got little else
No flippers in our next battle, as instead its a match between two of Series 3's stronger pushes.
Unfortunately, it was no Storm 2 vs. Tornado. Heck, it wasn't even near something like King Buxton vs. All Torque.
101 vs. Scutter's Revenge starts with the latter in control. Its steep front dictating 101 movements rather comfortably. However, what could've proved to be a good, solid driving match suddenly-yet-also-slowly comes to a halt, with Scutter's Revenge immediately slowing down, but taking an absolute age to be fully immobile. There's little else to the bout apart from that. A thoroughly poor battle.
At least a Shunt axe attack chipping off part of the top of Scutter's Revenge looked kinda cool... I guess?
61. Razer vs. Spawn Again - Series 5, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
this was about the furthest away from Razer's wedge Spawn Again was during the entire fight
During Robot Wars' lifetime we saw this battle take place twice, but most would say that we'd seen enough of this matchup before the first matchup even started.
It just isn't an interesting matchup even on paper. Spawn Again with a big, eatable body, inconsistent moments and a lack of precision, against... Razer.
Now I'm an advocate of Razer battles. I think a large portion of them are thoroughly entertaining. However, when it comes to UK Championship Semi-Final battles Razer rarely gave us anything beyond pure ruthlessness, and when there was often fantastic battles happening around these poor Razer ones, then this may be where the '90% of Razer's battles are boring' notion comes from.
And this particular battle is very, very slow paced, one dimensional, and even ends with a rather pathetic Spawn Again breakdown next to the Pit. You could very much tell that the Razer boys were desperate to progress towards the UK title for the first time, and really did not give Spawn Again any breathing space at all. And with how poor this fight was, and when the battles either side of this one were Chaos 2 vs. Wild Thing, and S3 vs. Wild Thing vs. Spawn Again, that only highlights this sore thumb even more.
60. Beast of Bodmin vs. Blade - Series 3, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
black and yellow, black and yellow
Up next is, naturally, one of the weakest Semi-Finals while we're still at this stage of the list. However, I do want to give some credit to Beast of Bodmin. The KO flick itself was still quite nifty and visually nice, and stops this fight finishing even lower. With Blade's weapon not working, and two comparatively poorer machines on display, this bout was never going to be anything special, but it still could've been even worse than it was, which was still admittedly bare bones, mundane stuff.
59. Hypno-Disc vs. Dominator 2 - Series 5, Semi-Final B, Round 2[]
"let's take a look at the highlights at the end of that epic battle"
Our first Round 2 battle now, and it's one of the most infamous in the show's history. We know the story by now: Hypno-Disc comes in with early slams that were enough to lock Dominator 2's drive in on one side, and what followed was nothing in the way of attacks from either.
Is this fight a farce? Absolutely. It's bizarre that Refbot didn't come in to close out this fight. Maybe the producers were determined to see a couple more big hits from Hypno-Disc, so they were trying to force the Roses' machine into action by holding off the countout for so long? Who knows.
Nevertheless, I personally do not find this fight as offensive as a lot of people do. At this point in time, I personally acknowledge its problems and accept the narrative and controversy that this fight brings whenever I rewatch this episode. I wouldn't say I enjoy it by any means, but it is a noteworthy moment in Series 5.
Do I disagree with people who hate on this fight? No. It is a bad fight, and even if Refbot had done his job properly, a fight between Hypno-Disc and Dominator 2 ending after a few hits would've still been a massive waste of potential. I simply think the fight still does enough visually, and has enough controversy about it in a rather amusing way to push it away from being truly as bad as the absolute worst battles in Robot Wars history, which pushes it into the Top 60 of this list. A truly massive achievement, indeed.
58. Typhoon 2 vs. Thermidor 2 - Series 7, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
Thermidor 2 carefully places its flipper underneath Typhoon 2 in preparation for the KO flip
Another early spinner KO here. Thermidor 2 made fundamental improvements for Series 7 with the little rear tail, but the realty is that it was still an outdated machine for this level of Robot Wars, especially against a robot that needs a specific type of counter to it as Typhoon 2.
The way this fight went was thoroughly unsurprising. There's some good House Robot damage and terrific Jonathan Pearce commentary. That, Refbot doing his job, and the fight not really having potential in the first place is what edges this above Hypno-Disc vs. Dominator 2, but a bad battle it still is.
As a side note, honestly, it's a shame that Typhoon 2 essentially slipped through the Semis straight through to the Grand Final. Typhoon 2's Series 7 campaign is still iconic and enjoyable. The Atomic battle and Jonathan Pearce's commentary during that still helps add to how intimidating Typhoon 2 truly was, but I do wish we had another Iron-Awe 2.1 or X-Terminator type performance in the Semi-Finals itself, instead of an immediate KO and a self KO. Not that Typhoon 2 didn't make up for that after the Semis, mind. This particular battle though? Yeah, moving on...
57. Cassius vs. Haardvark - Series 2, Semi-Final B[]
for goodness sake, dead metal
For how wretched most of Series 2's battles are, it might be ever-so-slightly surprising that it took even this long for our first entry from that series to appear (yes, the standards are still low).
And for Series 2, the battle isn't awful. Cassius completes some nice early flips for fun after all. However, it then loses a drive chain, and just as Haardvark gets that bit of luck, Sir Killalot just picks it up and turns it over.
Still, there's other little bits of fun here. Cassius has some of its normal fun with the House Robots, and, err, Dead Metal gets himself beached over the Pit in the background too. Nothing too great, and a typical Series 2 PPZ kill, but especially for the time, it isn't disgustingly bad.
56. S3 vs. Dantomkia - Series 6, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
angle delight for S3
Here, we have a fight that starts interestingly enough, with some Dantomkia shovelling, and a really solid S3 hit. Sadly, a second solid S3 hit was all that was needed to immobilise Dantomkia for good after it got wedged underneath the angle grinder.
It's a shame. This fight is a really interesting one on paper, and would've been a fun watch, and we only got a minor shred of what could've been. At least S3 went away and attacked the arena wall in a funny way after Dantomkia was immobilised, I guess.
55. Stinger vs. MouseTrap - Series 4, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
"the wedge-shape CHEESE robot"
The Series 4 Semi-Final battles are of some incredibly high quality, and this one while not offensive, is still comfortably the weakest of the bunch. Both machines try to assert themselves. MouseTrap tries to bring its wedge and weapon into play, while Stinger delivers some decent hits during the fight. However, once Stinger stops going for overhead hits and instead spins sideways, it immediately overpowers MouseTrap, and it doesn't take too much to render it immobile. Not bad, but with little in the way of highlight moments either.
Still, I think a rematch involving the consistently mobile MouseTrap in Series 5 would've proved to be an interesting matchup. Not that we missed out with what MouseTrap did end up providing us with in Series 5, mind.
54. Firestorm 3 vs. Panic Attack vs. Wheely Big Cheese - Series 5, Semi-Final B, Losers' Melee[]
at least this was a cool flip
And next up we have the first of four Losers' Melees. And on paper, this featured the most mainstream big-name bots a Losers' Melee has done! Panic Attack, Firestorm, Wheely Big Cheese - these are names most casual fans immediately list off!
Unfortunately the battle we got was very much the opposite of high standards. Panic Attack barely moved, Wheely Big Cheese essentially burnt itself out underneath an angle grinder, and even Firestorm moved sluggishly at points - struggling with multiple flip attempts on Panic Attack.
It was flat, limp, and yet still predictable. At least Panic Attack actually completed a decent lift on Firestorm at the end. This fight should probably be a Top 10 finisher by that alone.
53. Hypno-Disc vs. Evil Weevil - Seres 3, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
*insert official photo klaxon*
A slight change of mind here, with the Series 6 Semi-Final B Losers' Melee going one step higher than this one.
This particular fight saw a predictable result, with Hypno-Disc progressing past the victor of Heat L in a KO battle. Though I do find some personally satisfaction in how well Evil Weevil stands up to Hypno-Disc in terms of bodywork. In gets hit multiple times and only minor scabs are taken off. A Hypno-Disc hit that knocks Evil Weevil upwards also proved enough to lead to its eventual immobilisation. And even then, Evil Weevil stands up to Shunt's axe too! Maybe we should hold the armour of Kevin Pritchard's machine up to the same standard of Berserk 2 in Series 3, hey? 👀
52. Bigger Brother vs. Spawn Again vs. Hypno-Disc - Series 6, Semi-Final B, Losers' Melee[]
Rick on Bigger Brother, Spawn Again on Bigger Brother... The Iron-Awe 2.1 OotA could've simply been one of three times Bigger Brother was opportunistically and surprisingly OotAd!
Two Semi-Final B Losers' Melees in the last three! This one was another big-name melee on paper, but an early Hypno-Disc internal shakeup prevented the famous flywheel getting too involved in the action, which was a shame.
What separates this fight from the other Losers' Melee (they're both very similarly disappointing, mind) and the Hypno-Disc vs. Evil Weevil fight is the fact that it doesn't drag for as long. That, and despite this fight being massively underwhelming for the potential it had, the fact that we nearly saw Spawn Again OotA Bigger Brother with a great flip next to the Pit Release Bumper was still a notable moment. The sheer audacity of Series 6 Spawn Again to nearly get to the Top 8 of the competition - I find the fact it nearly achieved exactly that to be hilarious.
Neither of the two Losers' Melees mentioned so far are anywhere near the other two versions of this format that we saw in the UK Championship, so fear not - the quality of these particular fights does improve! But the two mentioned certainly weren't all-time classics despite the machines on show.
51. Steg-O-Saw-Us vs. Beast of Bodmin - Series 3, Semi-Final B, Round 2[]
and another official photo. spoilt for quality today, lads
Here we have an important part in the history of two machines. Steg-O-Saw-Us completes its incredible reserve-to-riches journey, with a victory here that clinched a place in the Grand Final episode. While on the losing side, we saw the very last involvement in the show from the Bodmin Community College team.
Sadly, for a fight with some notability, the action in the arena was largely flat, as an in-second-gear Steg-O-Saw-Us carried out a mixture of good shunts and casual shunts to force a Beast of Bodmin breakdown. Some classic House-Robot Shunt axe damage, and a good Floor Flipper toss are nice individual moments, but the fight itself was not exactly one fitting of these two machines/teams.
Nevertheless, this was Steg-O-Saw-Us' moment, and it still put on a decent display. So credit to it.
(we also got a "wry smile on the face of" klaxon from Jonathan Pearce. Whether that hurts or helps the fight is another question...)
50. Razer vs. Dantomkia - Series 6, Semi-Final A, Round 2[]
a proper pullback-on-pullback attack, this
Into the Top 50 we go, and a Razer Semi-Final Round 2 fight is now here. Razer largely controlled proceedings comfortably. Dantomkia did prove that its front-pronged setup was able to breach the shallower, wider parts of Razer's front wedge, which allowed it to carry out two decent drives to push Razer backwards, but overall the result was still a formality. This fight was nothing short of a professional job from Razer, with mostly functional-more-than-flashy attacks, and a rather drab fight as a result
49. Razer vs. S3 - Series 5, Semi-Final A, Round 2[]
searching the word 's3' into the image search leading to 300 images from series 3 👎
And now we'll go a year back, with another Round 2 Semi-Final fight from Razer that resulted in a disappointing battle for the stage of the competition we were at. This battle was better than the Dantomkia one, with Razer showing some more flamboyance in its attacks. The Flame Pit hoist and roast, and crushing in and around S3's spinner area were nice to look at. Shunt slamming S3 back down to the arena floor from Razer's grasp, and a close-in camera shot of Razer crumpling down on S3 in the closing stages were also decent visually. Nevertheless, for S3 to close out its incredible debut campaign with a bout of such little hope on its part was a shame, and hurts the battle a lot.
48. Pitbull vs. Fire Storm - Series 3, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
*sigh*
Pitbull's only ever Semi-Final battle next. And for the limited screentime it had at this stage of the competition, the doggie did good! Prising underneath Fire Storm with its sharp, grounded front teeth, Pitbull kept Fire Storm under wraps in the early stages without really threatening to do anything too threatening with it.
Nevertheless, Pitbull was in control and set up the rest of the fight to be an interesting affair. But alas, that wasn't meant to be, with Pitbull reversing over the arena Floor Spike and being flicked up and over. There's some decent fun afterwards with the first 'cease' call from Stuart McDonald being ignored leading to some action between Pitbull and Sir Killalot. Nevertheless, such a silly self-immobilisation is bad in most fights, and hurts even more here when such a unique bot like Pitbull was in control against a future Robot Wars great in Fire Storm. Sad that this was the last time we'd see it in action.
47. Tornado vs. Raging Knightmare - Series 7, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
Jonathan Pearce already struggles to work out what's happening from normal camera angles, just give him this one instead of an awkward House-Robot-cam tumble over
Back over to the Series 7 Semi-Finals now. And with our only entry so far being the eventual champion's Round 1 bout, we now have the defending champion's one.
In a swift bout, Tornado charges Raging Knightmare back towards one CPZ and over, where a House Robot flip occurs, before Raging Knightmare flips itself over in a Poundland Atomic move, with one more drive enough to immobilise Raging Knightmare.
Nothing much else to speak of here. A good drive to knock Raging Knightmare over, and a House Robot flip are the main attractions here. Though dishonourable mention of Series 7 using the House Robot cam for an attack on a House Robot here.
46. Wheely Big Cheese vs. Dominator 2 - Series 5, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
say hello to Dominator 2, which is already falling back down by the time the cameraman has zoomed out enough
Up next is another Series 5 Semi-Final B battle. While a lot of battles from this episode underwhelm, this one is more painful with just how good the opening exchanges were.
Wheely Big Cheese's first attack is a gigantic flip on Dominator 2. A flip which comfortably exceeding the Axe-Awe one for height, and one which Dominator 2 lands from working just as well as did beforehand! This flip wasn't the only good moment in the fight either, as a swift Wheely Big Cheese thrust over gives us an instance of Dominator 2 having to right itself while planted face on towards the arena floor - leading to a nails-scratching-chalkboard feeling.
Unfortunately, even though Dominator 2 has taken the only punishment so far, it's Wheely Big Cheese who shows the only visual wear, as it begins to slow down before breaking down for good. And just like that a fight that had started so vibrantly between two interesting designs is cut off. Such a shame, and a battle that had potential to be one of the stronger Semi-Final battles in Robot Wars if it had gone the distance.
45. Razer vs. Wild Thing 2 - Series 6, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
A classic, precise Razer attack
And just like that, Razer's Semi-Final battles are done for in this list, with 45th being the highest finisher of its four battles.
This battle is as one-sided as you would expect, though like the S3 battle it has visually-nice attacks. Razer prises apart one of Wild Thing 2's polycarbonate sheets from its main body, punctures a Wild Thing 2 tyre, and crumples into the body of its opponent nicely too. A lot of dead air in the middle of the fight hurts it a lot, as well as the aforementioned one-sided nature of the battle, but it's always nice to finish a fight with a Razer claw-drop pitting.
44. Pussycat vs. Panic Attack - Series 5, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
*insert rubbish jp me-owch joke*
And just as we have another Razer battle, we also have another Series 5, Semi-Final B battle.
Pussycat vs. Panic Attack is mainly seen as a disappointment for how a battle between two of the finest drivers in the history of the show were unable to have a clean battle, with Kim Davies' Panic Attack suffering from intermittency during the fight. And during the opening exchanges where Panic Attack remains dormant in the CPZ, the reality sets in that this will not be an all-time classic. This hurts the battle, clearly.
However, credit here to Pussycat, because it causes some immense damage to Panic Attack, and only gets more and more aggressive as the battle goes on. What starts as general bodywork scratches and cuts turns into a ripped-back side skirt, broken forks and a warped srimech, as Pussycat gets more aggressive and comes in with some pacey drives where it crashes into Panic Attack from a distance. Is this fight disappointing? Absolutely. But Pussycat still provides as much content as it could have from the situation this battle was placed in with Panic Attack's issues, and I enjoyed the quality of its attacks a lot while rewatching this fight.
43. Chaos 2 vs. Trident - Series 3, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
and an official photo to boot, lovely
This fight was a big a mismatch as you could hope to see. But at least Chaos 2 makes it a fun one and done! The flip from George Francis' machine was fantastic, a massive hurl which flings the lengthy Trident back up and over itself. The battle is short and easy to call, hence why it's still down here, but the attack itself was visually pleasing and impressive.
42. Panic Attack vs. Thing 2 - Series 3, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
it feels like these two would've faced each other later on in their Robot Wars careers, but alas it wasn't to be
Series 3 Semi-Final A had a good standard of battles, especially for its time, though it is a shame that two of the first round battles featured a KO from an arena spike.
Not too dissimilar to Fire Storm vs. Pitbull, this battle starts with the underdog - in this case Thing 2 - with the upperhand, before the arena hazard intervenes to end this promising start.
So why is this battle six places higher than the other?
Well this battle is more active, fast paced, and makes use more use of the arena, with the CPZ and an arena wall charge being involved. Also, the KO itself, despite being via the arena spike, came about through a nice, angled Panic Attack reverse over the arena hazard, which looked more deliberately manufactured than Firestorm and Pitbull nudging each other before that KO happened.
Still a waste of potential? Absolutely. But not bad considering it was all of 45 seconds long.
41. Firestorm 5 vs. Mute - Series 7, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
imagine if we had an official photo of this shot
Not much in the way of a competitive battle here, as the number 2 seed Firestorm 5 easily gets the better of Mute, although there's some fun and amusement in here.
Mute provides the chunk of it, with a ramp over Firestorm to begin with, followed by its trademark stylish self-righting antics. But what concluded the fight was special even for Mute, as it helped hurl itself out of the arena. Not that it could really have done much else with the position it was put in - it was either a Firestorm OotA, or a stylish self exit, and the Mute boys opted for the latter method.
We also get a Jonathan Pearce "Fred Astaire" line as per usual - especially for a Mute battle.
Also, as a sidenote: if people ever dare to say that the BattleBots knockout rounds are "all the same robots" just because they all have vertical spinners, just show them a fight like this, where two front-hinged flippers couldn't be anymore further apart in their style and philosophy.
40. Terrorhurtz vs. Spawn Again - Series 6, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
*insert song with dance in the lyrics*
Some Terrorhurtz action up next. This battle was another path in the way towards Terrorhurtz's eventual Grand Final place, and it was another dominant victory. The competition here in Spawn Again wasn't too stiff, but Terrorhurtz still makes inroads of Spawn Again with a scattering of splits and lacerations across its bodywork.
Spawn Again's lack of, well, anything doesn't help this fight, and Terrorhurtz didn't exactly do "a S.M.I.D.S.Y." to its opponent either, but some good damage, and that classic axe-spasm dance makes this fight start off the Top 40 area with a jig of delight (and destruction).
39. Roadblock vs. King Buxton - Series 2, Semi-Final B[]
such a nice attack to watch
This far into the list, it might come as a minor surprise that this is only the second Series 2 battle to appear yet! This battle is mostly known as King Buxton being surprisingly dominant against the Series 1 champion, before burning up.
While King Buxton carries out a couple of good pushes, its dominance is hardly boisterously so, with Roadblock itself really starting the stronger - as King Buxton sees itself in the PPZ while Roadblock then connects with its saw blade.
And that weapon is exactly what Roadblock uses to carry out a nifty KO. The Bodmin Community College team make excellent use of their secondary attacking method in this fight, and although King Buxton was always threatening to burn up anyhow, Roadblock should not be discredited for its role in King Buxton's eventual immobility in this fight.
The fight isn't very long, but it's a good one for Series 2, and features some nice camerawork of Roadblock's saw and the burning Buxton too, which is a nice little bonus.
38. Storm 2 vs. The Grim Reaper - Series 7, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
i swear i see this photo constantly, and i don't even know why i do
A standard Storm 2 fight against a machine its superior to, here, and that's what mostly keeps this fight routed in 38th. Nothing surprising, as Storm 2 dominates throughout, but Storm 2 makes sure it does its utmost to keep the pace of the fight up and entertain, with several crunching slams into the arena walls.
Aside from that usual Storm 2 exuberance, we also have some more amusing/decent minor moments. Storm 2 breaking the top panel of the angle grinder, Sgt. Bash clawing its way into one of The Grim Reaper's panels, and even Shunt losing his exhaust. The first and the latter of those three more down to build quality rather than extraordinary power from the machines in the arena, but amusing nevertheless.
37. Firestorm 4 vs. S3 - Series 6, Semi-Final A, Round 2[]
my phone falling out of my hand as i fall asleep
As apposed to our last entry, this one is much more rapid, with not much past some Firestorm bundling around, and an OotA. However, a nice OotA it was, with S3 scrambling to save itself, before being elegantly overbalanced and sunken over the arena wall. A shame to see S3 once again disposed of with ease at this stage of the tournament, but at least its exit was unique, visually.
36. X-Terminator vs. St. Agro - Series 7, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
X-Terminator gives St. Agro another four flppers
A match between two machines who very nearly didn't even reach this stage of the tournament, with St. Agro nearly dropping down into the Pit against Ceros, while we all know about the perilous position X-Terminator found itself in during its Heat Final fight with Tsunami.
Here, X-Terminator makes sure there's no doubt as to who will go onto win, with a decisive and destructive victory over the dual flipper. This was X-Terminator at its merciless best, as it shredded its way through St. Agro's front wedge, and took a chunk out of its opponent's wheel, too.
We're now at the stage of the list where the quality will suddenly get high very, very quickly, and although this battle is held back by its short length, onesidedness and not a truly amazing KO blow, it's still a good battle, and one of many good ones from this version of X-Terminator.
35. Panic Attack vs. Mortis - Series 2, Semi-Final A[]
I love JP's "ooh goodness me what a surprise!!" commentary for this moment
Panic Attack's champion campaign Semi-Final battle is next to be highlighted. In isolation this is a wonderfully-opportunistic pitting, and helps prove Panic Attack as a nifty machine while also continuing its charming charity run for another round.
We do sadly know that this battle wasn't without disruption in its buildup, with the Mortis issues in the Pinball, and the subsequent lack of trying in this fight. This can be noticed further by Mortis' passive movement, and lack of attacks.
Nevertheless, the Pitting itself is still rather surprising, comes about from a strong burst of speed from Panic Attack, and helps continue Panic Attack's charity-underdog narrative against a big machine. So it still holds its own.
34. Mace 2 vs. Big Brother - Series 3, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
the morning mace atop of big brother... and underneath
Up next is one of the Semi-Final fights that I rarely see given much credit. It's understandable as to why in some cases. It's a Round 1 battle between two robots without much star power about them, in a Semi-Final featuring Chaos 2, Panic Attack and Fire Storm, with good battles in general, and the fact that I'm an unashamed Mace battle lover. It's easy to forget this battle in amongst some other good ones.
However, a really good little battle it is! Both machines have good spells, with Mace 2 starting the stronger, before Big Brother comes back with a couple of good drives itself. It's a very active battle with a lot of manoeuvring, and the KO attack itself is a lovely one, as Mace 2 darts in from behind, crashes Big Brother into the arena wall, which sets up its subsequent lift at the perfect angle to strand Big Brother on its own rear end.
Minus points from Mace 2's lifter getting temporarily jammed up near the Floor Flipper, with the editing team deciding a generic "doi-oi-oing" noise was the appropriate sound effect to compliment this moment with. It really is that silly. Still, a proper decent scrap from these two is enough for a decent overall finish.
33. Typhoon 2 vs. Atomic - Series 7, Semi-Final B, Round 2[]
"the typhoon is nearing!!"
Up next is a soul-crushing way of losing, in which the winner technically did nothing for the win, yet also showed the frightening levels its power could reach. Yes, it's Typhoon 2 vs. Atomic.
We know the story: Atomic charges immediately, cuts Typhoon 2's angle off and flips. But it flips itself over - and out. As a battle, it isn't full of back-and-forth content, tactical sparring and intrigue throughout. No, this is a super-shallow battle for the action between the two machines, and yet it still provides us with such a poignant, yet intimidating and notable moment in The Seventh Wars, with Atomic's broken body, Typhoon standing up while revving up louder and louder, and the eventual hits it delivers. Even when provided with what ends up being a free win, Typhoon 2 still displays its insane power levels, and yet was still perilously close to losing.
The in-battles limitations obviously hurt it, but for a fight with technically no attacks to cause the KO to finish this even this high, shows how solid the storytelling of the rest of this fight really was.
32. Hypno-Disc vs. 101 - Series 3, Semi-Final B, Round 2[]
imagine if hypno-disc got the win because of a gauge on the side of 101 that something like overkill helped inflict
And another battle with not-the-best attacks, but still an intriguing, close watch is this one! Now, I personally am not one to credit 101 immensely in this fight. But I've been vocal in the past about how it failing to dominate a basically weaponless Hypno-Disc was a massive, massive missed opportunity for 101.
That doesn't mean the fight itself is bad because 101 didn't win easily, if anything it makes it even more of an interesting watch, and one of those typically-intriguing 101 fights! It is very much like Shredder vs. The Alien, but with an even higher ceiling because of how the unstoppable, destructive Hypno-Disc has to adopt the battle strategy of a limited-offensive machine like 101 in order to win a place in the final four. And win it did - just!
The edits the show provided us with often get criticised, and for the most part - rightly so! Some seemingly fine judges' decisions get completely warped by edits, and even within the same episode, the edit given to us in Steg-O-Saw-Us vs. Gravedigger wasn't truly convincing either.
But this particular edit is perfect, and the in-battle content we're given shows why the judges had to inspect both machines. 101 and Hypno-Disc both drive into the CPZ each, and they both carry out a couple of good drives each too. It really is that close. And is a perfect battle for a machine like 101 to be involved in too at this stage of the competition.
31. Fire Storm vs. Panic Attack - Series 3, Semi-Final A, Round 2[]
beautiful quality
It might come as a surprise that this fight barely gets past the halfway mark of the list. It's often touted as one of the best fights of Series 3, and it is definitely in the upper section of that wars. But it has its limitations.
Fire Storm dominates for virtually the whole fight without actually completing many attacks. Also this is probably the most lowkey champion defeat of all time. Jonathan Pearce hardly hypes up the possibility during the fight and it never has an air of of shock about it. It's just a strange atmosphere, and Panic Attack's whimpering attacks of its own are accepted from the off.
The best moment in this fight is where Panic Attack gets flicked up by the Floor Flipper, and Fire Storm immediately darts in to where Panic Attack will drop back down, in order to then push it up against the arena wall. A fantastic piece of driving - one of the very best and opportunistic pieces of driving in the show - that if you didn't know any better you'd assume was manufactured by Graham Bone, but indeed, Alex Mordue was the driver for this fight.
Nevertheless, this fight is still very good. It's pacey, lively and has action throughout, and one of Series 3's better ones.
30. Steg-O-Saw-Us vs. Gravedigger - Series 3, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
Gravedigger crushes down on Steg-O-Saw-Us' lifter with its own hydraulic wedge
Into the Top 30, and this fight on the other hand is quite cagey and slow paced in comparison. But it is super tight. Steg-O-Saw-Us tries to get going in fits and spurts, but largely has to try to grind its place in this fight slowly but surely.
Gravedigger has the more notable individual attacks. The second one that turns Steg-O-Saw-Us over is seen as controversial, but I beg to disagree. On its side, Steg-O-Saw-Us was indeed in the CPZ, so it's fair game for Matilda to attack. It just so happens that her tendency to rear up saw her drive into Steg-O-Saw-Us with the tusks raised. This saw her right tusk make contact with Steg-O-Saw-Us first which knocked it over. It wouldn't have been deliberate, not that it would've been wrong for a House Robot to carry out an attack in its CPZ anyway.
(Also, the only reason Gravedigger even attempted its first attack was because Sir Killalot came way too far out of its CPZ and pushed Steg-O-Saw-Us up onto Gravedigger anyhow!)
Nevertheless, Gravedigger's attacks are worthwhile in a judges' decision, and Steg-O-Saw-Us has to work for points of its own. It paces itself throughout this fight with decent bumps and nudges, before a very solid finish after the Matilda righting - pushing Gravedigger with both its tail and its main body. This period was probably longer than it looked too.
It's a good, close fight, with honest, hardworking moments from both machines, but more context in the edit would've been appreciated. I don't disagree with the outcome, and fully understand where the points would've come from, but it would've been nice to have had a more convincing picture painted neverthless.
29. Dominator 2 vs. Bigger Brother - Series 6, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
hmm, the arena looks a little different than I remembered it being for this fight
Dominator 2 and Bigger Brother. Two durable machines with good, consistent, effective weaponry. And the first half of this fight shows exactly that, with both machines carrying out good attacks with their weaponry, as well as good follow-up drives across the arena too. It's a varied, exciting display between two contrasting weapons.
Sadly, the fight suddenly cuts out during the midway point, with Bigger Brother losing drive on one side just like that. Part of the rest of the fight sees Bigger Brother in Sir Killalot's clutches, but the fight is long over as a contest.
It's a shame it ended as it did - with no truly visible KO attack, and with a hobbling Bigger Brother for a good minute of the edit. The opening period was fantastic, and didn't deserve what followed it, but there was still some great content in here.
28. Wild Thing vs. X-Terminator 2 - Series 4, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
*insert picture i fee like i see virtually everyday on the wiki for no reason whatsoever*
It's quite telling of the quality of Series 4's Semi-Final battles that this is only the second battle from both Semi-Finals to feature so far. And what we have is a proper good driving fight.
X-Terminator 2 starts very strong with a long-pacey drive across the arena and into the CPZ. After this, Wild Thing largely takes over, with X-Terminator 2 managing a couple of minor lifts in response. But my word, Wild Thing's pressure for the rest of the battle is textbook and uses so much of the arena. Pinning against the arena wall, smothering into Shunt's CPZ, then Dead Metal's too. And eventually a really clever KO manoeuvre.
Wild Thing first slips underneath X-Terminator 2. Its opponent gets stuck a top of Wild Thing, and where it would be so easy for Wild Thing to overshoot and for X-Terminator 2 to fall back onto the arena floor, Nick Adams instead carries out an instance swivel on the spot, which allows his machine to push X-Terminator with its wedge again. Adams then finishes this attack off by raising Wild Thing's lifting arm, and turning X-Terminator 2 over, and into Dead Metal's arms again.
My only complaint of this fight is that the damage that tolls up on X-Terminator's body over the course of the fight is lost in the edit quite easily. I would've appreciate just a little bit more time spent on showing us the action when X-Terminator 2 was inside Shunt's CPZ. Aside from that though, a terrific little battle, and although Wild Thing does massively take over after a strong X-Terminator 2 start, its driving on display was still very appealing to watch.
27. Firestorm 3 vs. Pussycat - Series 5, Semi-Final B, Round 2[]
well that's a rather amusing photo
The final Series 5 Semi-Final B bout is here, and thankfully in a Semi-Final of substandard battles, this one is more like the standard we hope to see.
Firestorm does largely dominate but it is entertaining in doing so, with some terrific pace and a variety of flips. Pussycat does have a large comeback attempt which adds a little to the fight, although as a contest this is largely foregone.
Still, a good bout between two very good machines, and a fight that wouldn't be out of place in any Semi-Final episode.
26. Chaos 2 vs. Mace 2 - Series 3, Semi-Final A, Round 2[]
"starlight, starbright! The star of Mace is out of sight!"
It's rare to see Chaos 2 troubled in The Third Wars, but for a period, it was at least facing resistance here! Mace 2 judges the early periods of this fight very, very well, slipping its lifting arm in precise areas of Chaos 2 - keeping George Francis' machine at bay and managing a couple of decent attacks.
Chaos 2's clean attacks in this fight are few and far between, but are also very memorable. One of them sees Chaos 2 get in behind Mace 2, where it then hurls its opponent. But Mace 2 gracefully balances while in mid air and lands back on its tyres. The KO flip too, oh a lovely chuck over, with some first-rate Jonathan Pearce commentary to boot. Great stuff.
25. Chaos 2 vs. Steg 2 - Series 4, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
almost a replica of the pussycat oota attempt in the title fight
25 battles to go, and our very first Series 4 Semi-Final A battle appears! Indeed, this fight also kicked off the episode itself, and it's a great introductory fight for the Semi-Finals. Chaos 2 is ruthless in this one, consistently keeping up the pace, and offering a mass variety of flips and attacks - some that hurl Steg 2 over sideways, one that nearly gets it out of the arena, and so on. Steg 2 also replies with a good kick itself at one point.
The fight does end awkwardly, mind. Steg 2 suddenly only moves backwards and forwards, this allows Chaos 2 to turn Steg 2 over, and then Chaos 2 traps it in place on its side with its open flipper panel.
JP's commentary is also very energetic in this fight, although minus points to him for trying to botch something together to explain Steg 2's immobilisation, with "that's the vulnerability of a srimech!". Oh boy.
Nevertheless, an energetic battle this is, though it shows the standards of Series 4 Semi-Final A if there's still 5 more battles to come from it!
24. Terrorhurtz vs. Bigger Brother - Series 6, Semi-Final B, Round 2[]
"'oh no' says little joe!"
The second of Terrorhurtz's axe beatdowns in the Semis is up next. Could this be higher? Potentially. It does absolutely dominate the second seed after all. It batters it and bruises it. It isn't just internal damage here, Bigger Brother really is warped and its flipper structure completely mangled.
The fast-paced nature and Terrorhurtz's relentless aggression does make this fight a treat. It's so rare to see this level of domination in a fight when a axebot features. Even when Bigger Brother was limping and on its last legs, Terrorhurtz still didn't let up.
The only think that really holds this fight back is Bigger Brother's true inactivity. Compared to Terrorhurtz's fight with S.M.I.D.S.Y., for example, S.M.I.D.S.Y. still moves around and attempts to retreat for a long time. It tries to escape its doom, but Terrorhurtz continues to hassle it around the entire arena, hits it in all areas, and connects with a variety of blows. Here, the blows are still brutal, but are more concentrated. Still fantastic, but with so many fantastic fights to follow, this is maybe the peak level for a final placement.
23. Bigger Brother vs. S3 - Series 5, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
ngl i can't be bothered to think of a caption, i alredy used my fred astaire quote in the main passage
We now finally revisit Series 5 Semi-Final A after the early Razer battles were covered. This battle is the opener to the episode, and it's a really fun, fast-paced one. Bigger Brother gets in quickly and tries to get things finished - and it does! But it features a short burst of a variety of chaos.
Bigger Brother helps throw S3 through the air twice in a style Jonathan Pearce would 9/10 refer to as 'Fred Astaire like'. Although maybe he didn't say that in this case because of how S3 slashed part of the arena wall away in the process! Both machines then try to unscramble their brains, which ends in an even more scrambled conclusion, and Bigger Brother hurriedly slides S3 down into the Pit - while nearly going down itself, mind! Bigger Brother was even slightly saved from reversing into the Pit by a stray Dead Metal claw earlier in the fight too!
Terrific fun, this was. A more competitive S3, (and even Bigger Brother also reversing into the Pit during the KO manoeuvre) would've made this fight even better.
22. Panic Attack vs. Spawn of Scutter - Series 4, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
Glances of admiration from the House Robots
First of all, I'm going to use this fight to clarify my modern day thoughts about Kim Davies after I called him slightly overrated a couple of years back. Now, I've always maintained his high level of quality, but my main gripe back then was how him being unable to beat any of the true elite made him 'very good' instead of 'truly great'. I take that back. Kim Davies is a masterful driver and carried out some wonderful pieces of precision in his Robot Wars career. Instead, my stance in the modern day is one which simply goes against an argument that I've seen quite often: that Kim Davies made an average/not great machine into a great one. I cannot agree. Panic Attack was never average/not great. Its design was always good quality, so let's not disrespect Panic Attack itself by saying it wasn't at the very least of a good standard. But yes, what Kim did do was help push Panic Attack as a competitor from 'good' to 'as good as it could've been' with his great driving. That meant it could not quite compete with the truly top-tier All-Stars in the show, but it also meant that Kim helped Panic Attack do as good as it probably could have.
Now, that's out of the way with, let's celebrate one of his very best moments: this gorgeous beaching of Spawn of Scutter. This KO itself was just beautifully woven together. Initially, Spawn of Scutter looks like it will fall loose from Panic Attack's lift. But Kim Davies tweaks his angle, and immediately accelerates. Davies also keeps the lifting forks at the perfect height needed. This height, as well as the good burst of pace over a distance, is enough to expertly crash its opponent against the arena wall in a position where it is unable to recover.
Also a personal highlight from this fight is when the House Robots surround the outside of this KO afterwards, with Jonathan Pearce pointing it out too. They all keep such a distance it's like they're simply admiring the world class KO that Panic Attack manufactured. Terrific ability from a gifted driver and machine.
21. Tornado vs. Gravity - Series 7, Semi-Final A, Round 2[]
pop
The first of the two Series 7 Semi-Final A Round 2 battles now, and it's a fight I'm a particular fan of. The fight has interesting and explosive attacks, and I like the variety. Tornado's tyre punctures are determined and precise, a lot of the arena is used, and Gravity itself manages a massive flip. What follows is a period I'm strangely found of, where Tornado is upside down while Gravity bobbles along. It tries an opportunist OotA attack which doesn't come off, before a sad but solid pitting from Tornado. Disappointing to see a Series 7 force lose like this, but I enjoy the battle itself.
Minus point to the part of the fight where they show an attack through Killalot Cam, and then replay that exact same few seconds straight afterwards from a normal camera view. (they also label it Killalot Cam when it's from Refbot's perspective, lol).
20. Chaos 2 vs. Tornado - Series 4, Semi-Final A, Round 2[]
Chaos 2 got more height on the OotA than it seemed too
A good, swift, to-the-point battle to open up the Top 20. Both machines buzz around each other, Tornado tries to get stuck in, and then Chaos 2 delivers a rally a flips and hurls Tornado out of the arena. The battle itself is very short, and the multiple restarts of this fight is a bit of a shame. But the OotA we got in the end was terrific. A set of clean, crisp flips with clear intent, before a lovely camera angle capturing the final chuck over the wall.
(Also, the way Tornado is flipped in the buildup to the OotA throw itself gives me proper Arenas of Destruction GBA vibes. Maybe I was just that used to me using Tornado and getting rolled over like that).
19. Tornado vs. Hypno-Disc - Series 6, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
"ooooh, goodness me they went too near that yawning twice!"
Three Tornado battles back to back! It may have had that stinker against Raging Knightmare, but that aside, its Semi-Final battles were largely entertaining watches, and this one opened up the second Semi-Final of Series 6 with a terrific, energetic fight. Tornado largely dominates here, with a large amount of slams scattered across the arena side walls. Hypno-Disc does try though, and to its credit it survives a large amount of blunt trauma, and connect with a couple of good blows of its own. If it was spinning faster, the side hit it delivered could've ripped Tornado open there and then.
Other appealing moments in this fight is the double Pit drama back to back, as well as a personal liking to the consistent high-camera shots this battle uses. Hypno-Disc being dominated is a shame, and it needed to offer more to shunt this fight up higher, but still a fun fight it is.
18. Tornado vs. Dominator 2 - Series 6, Semi-Final B, Round 2[]
not the first or last time Matilda would hurl machines around with ease
Four Tornado battles back to back! It may have had that stinker against Raging Knightmare, but that aside, it's Semi-Final battles were largely entertaining watches. This one isn't exactly your typical 5-minute Tornado slugfeast, but boy is it eyecatching.
Before the big drama, the battle is interesting. Tornado unsurprisingly pushes against Dominator 2's long flanks when it gets the chance, but Team Tornado are also clearly aware of the potential damage Dominator 2's axe could inflict on their machine. Largely, this would a fight Tornado would dominate, but the apprehension towards is clear.
The moment itself at the end: rather spectacular. A Tornado pitting attempt that it can't fully line up, Dominator 2 trying to unscramble its brains in the CPZ, Tornado driving too close to danger and being flung across the arena by Matilda - narrowly avoiding the Pit, and Dominator 2, err, brains still not unscrambled darting into the Pit.
Is it a disappointing defeat for this beloved axebot? For sure. But the moment itself is incredibly striking, and both machines were so very close to having that chaotic moment go in their favour for a subsequent Grand Final placing. Tornado got it, and what a bizarre end it was.
17. Gravity vs. Dantomkia - Series 7, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
the absolute state of this power
The record breaker: Gravity. The air flyer: Dantomkia. This battle was over in the quickest time seen yet, and so soon after Gravity's opponent here had just broken that record one fight ago in its own Series 7 campaign.
There's not too much to say here. It's an immediate under, up, and out from Gravity. But still. At this stage of the competition, it is mightily impressive to blow such a highly-regarded machine out of the arena so quickly. Dantomkia had a strong Heat showing, and was looking to push on from its debut series, but it met this absolute mammoth of a machine.
If this fight happened in Round 2 of the Semis I think I would know it down slightly, actually. It would've felt a bit sad if Dantomkia worked so hard to get through Round 1 of the Semis and then was simply flipped out in record time.
But what we got was a great show of power. Gravity hardly seemed like it was trying, and yet it still utterly catapulted Dantomkia way higher than it needed to in order to actually achieve an OotA. RAPID eventually broke the record itself with a flip on Track-tion, and credit to it, but RAPID's own casual fling over the arena wall could never beat out Gravity's almighty hurl for the visual factor. A shame Gravity couldn't go even further, but it certainly left it stamp alright.
16. Storm 2 vs. Firestorm 5 - Series 7, Semi-Final B, Round 2[]
a massive moment
By the Semi-Final Round 2 fights of Series 7, things were at an intriguing stage. Semi-Final A saw the old guard, the champion, Tornado press through the exuberant, modern Gravity, while an improved X-Terminator also pushed through. Series 7 had certainly provided many a new, exciting machine, but ultimately, two machines with UK Championship experience pushed through for victory in the end.
In Semi-Final B, things were just as interesting. Alongside Typhoon 2, Storm 2 was another one of these UK Championship debutants. But unlike Gravity or Tough as Nails, could Storm 2 seal the first Grand Final slot for the new age? You bet it could.
Firestorm 5 starts this one fast, and on another day could've easily turned Storm 2 over with one of its early flips. However, it ultimately wasn't able to. And once Storm 2 settled, it did its damnedest to unsettle its experience foe. Multiple slams, outmanoeuvring and dominating one of the most mobile machines out there. Storm 2 proved the modern machines didn't need experience to make that step in the Seventh Wars. Storm 2 proved raw power and build quality was possibly enough.
The slams: brilliant. And the eventual pitting? So good. Storm 2 somehow swivelled Firestorm 5 around on the spot, and then arched it down into the Pit. Such a high-quality pitting, and so good to watch, as was this fast-paced battle as a whole.
15. Killertron vs. Behemoth - Series 2, Semi-Final A[]
that camerawork, that shatter: beautiful
A Series 2 fight in the Top 15 bet Semi-Final fights ever? Incredibly, yes!
This fight hs started to gain some form of praise in more recent times. And it deserves a lot of it! This really is a notable amount of power on show for only the second UK series ever! Every Killertron attack in this fight feels impactful. The initial hit is great. A proper shattering, highlight-reel moment. But even after that Killertron doesn't stop, with repetitive slams to the freshly-created crevasse.
This start alone was impressive for Series 2, and was enough to already kill Behemoth. But Killertron wanted more, and did more by pulling Behemoth over - with an axe! It's such a pleasing, almost-showboating way of ending the fight, and shows the brutality Killertron was capable of in Series 2. The fights above it from here on in are either incredibly close judges' decisions, or all-time classics, so Killertron vs. Behemoth can be very proud of this placement, and I do think it has fully earned it.
14. Stinger vs. Panic Attack - Series 4, Semi-Final B, Round 2[]
fine margins, to say the least
Expect to see a lot more of Series 4 going into the final batch of fights. Most of those go to the judges' decision, and this is another one of those.
Panic Attack largely struggles to get its weapon effectively into play during this fight, with Stinger being a machine without any real hook point. However, that does not stop Kim Davies' machine remaining aggressive and persistent throughout.
For general dictation of the bout, I'd personally side with Panic Attack in the decision. However, it isn't a clear dominance, and it is likely Stinger's side slams would have squeezed out a necessary Damage point or two extra to take the overall decision.
This fight itself isn't full of explosive, high-tech action. It's really just a tactical control bot vs. a spinning, slamming thing. But those two styles helped provide a very intriguing battle, and a super close, almost open-to-individual-taste judges' decision. Not just that, but this battle in general is a very important moment in the career of Panic Attack. The former champion had ironed out the flaws of its title defence and looked better than ever in Series 4. This battle was the step towards it facing the big boys that came along in Series 3 which was an exciting prospect. And yet incredibly, this rank outsider with a mace a two wheels stops that. This was Stinger's first mainstream test, and it showed it belonged in an around this level of competition.
13. Bigger Brother vs. Chaos 2 - Series 5, Semi-Final A, Round 2[]
The end of the Chaos 2 reign
Next up is a terrific flipper fight, an important moment in the show's history: the moment Chaos 2's UK Championship dominance was ended.
It's easy to assume that Bigger Brother simply outlasses Chaos 2. That Chaos 2's age caught up to it. But what isn't given enough credit is that even when it lost its crown, Chaos 2 put up a hell of a fight.
After the initial opening period of Bigger Brother pressure, Chaos 2 surges, and completes multiple high-quality flips - attempting an OotA too. The battle is lively, aggressive, and Chaos 2's aggressive response to Bigger Brother's start essentially sees it acknowledges that is has a hell of a fight to pull through if it is to continue its remarkable unbeaten run.
But indeed, it could not do so, and a Bigger Brother side flip leaves Chaos 2 out of gas, out of power, out of hope. In all truth, it's a shame Chaos 2 couldn't have been KO'd in a more visually-appealing way in this bout. But at the same time, it laying like a beached turtle while Bigger Brother prods at it and Refbot counts the champion out for what feels an eternity, certainly captures the mood perfectly. A really good fight, and one fighting of both machines.
12. Bulldog Breed vs. Tough as Nails - Series 7, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
"Bulldog Breed holllllding on"
Coming in at 12th is Bulldog Breed and its victory over Tough as Nails, in a terrific tussle between a machine finally reaching the higher heights, and an impressive Dutch newcomer.
Here, after many a year trying, Bulldog Breed finally pressed through for a Semi-Final place in Series 7, and its determination to make a statement of this level of the competition was clear, as it came roaring out of the kennel early on, and in truth maintained a consistent presence during this bout, with some aggressive throws and a couple of near OotAs.
Tough as Nails wrapped its unorthodox design around Bulldog Breed many a time too, and did give itself a foothold in the fight, with some controlled moments, and the threat of a potential pitting at any given time.
In the past, despite Tony Somerfield's dogged attitude and a design that looked like it could take a lot of punishment, when it came to digging in during difficult situations Bulldog Breed itself was often all bark and no bite.
But here, against a design which can threaten many a flipper, and many a great machine, Bulldog Breed dug in. Bulldog Breed was constantly aggressive and boisterous, and when it needed to match Tough as Nails for true grit and determination in at close quarters, it did. And it provided us with a fantastic tussle.
Ultimately, Tough as Nails did struggle to truly complete many attacks of note despite trying its best, which does stop this fight piercing the Top 10, but it helped making Series 7, Semi-Final A one of the better episodes in the show's history.
11. Pussycat vs. Dominator 2 - Series 4, Semi-Final A, Round 2[]
*insert me-owch joke again*
The only battle at this stage of Series 4 which guaranteed a new machine in the Grand Final episode, and a great fight it is.
Pussycat is aggressive at multiple stages during this one, but credit must also go to Dominator 2 for some decent control moments as well as a push which nearly lead to a Matilda tusk OotA in the CPZ!
The battle closes with an iconic attack from Pussycat, digging deep into Dominator 2, raising its shell up, and then cutting into it soon after. A very eyecatching moment.
One disappointing factor in this fight is how Dominator 2's axe doesn't seem to be working properly at all. It just droops down on multiple occasions, and really limited Dominator 2's offensive output.
Nevertheless, a great fight, and a fitting one to see Pussycat make the Grand Final
10. Pussycat vs. Thermidor 2 - Series 4, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
the damage pussycat racks up as the minutes go by in its series 4 fights are so good to watch (also official photo klaxon)
Number 11 kicked things off in this regard, and it may be unsurprising to see Series 4 Semi-Final A fights being big showers at the peak f this list.
This fight is a cracking one, and starts off rather surprisingly too. Pussycat went into this fight on the back of a win against Razer, and emphatic knockouts prior to that too. Thermidor 2 had a solid Heat performance itself - especially considering its performance in the same Heat as Pussycat the series prior - but it was nowhere near as decisive as Pussycat was, and likely wouldn't have gone into this battle with too much backing.
Thermidor 2 managed some brilliant early flips though. The rally of attacks it connected with were of such consistent quality and pure aggression, with four good-to-great throws and a couple of minor flicks too.
It would've been able to panic and be overwhelmed if you were at the controls of Pussycat. But thankfully for the machine, it was David Gribble at the controls, and he manufactured a beautifully-paced comeback. It's incredible that he composed himself as quickly as he did after the slow start, especially after he admitted that he underestimated Thermidor 2 in the post-battle interview with Craig Charles.
This battle and the next were originally above number 7 by mistake, though it is still close. Number 7 is the closest fight though, and still has a lot of high quality attacks in its own right too, which combines to give it an edge. Though the visual appeals of the attacks in this and the next battle are still excellent.
9. Tornado vs. Wheely Big Cheese - Series 4, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
JP took about 5 seconds too long to release Wheely Big Cheese's wheel was fractured, but still
Series 4, Semi-Final A klaxon here, lads.
This fight is a treat. The contrast between them is great too. Tornado is the fast, aggressive, machine with power coming from its basic fundamentals, while Wheely Big Cheese's power is in the weaponry itself. The latter looked to be on the way to proving superiority in the opening stages, while a superb hurl on Tornado, and the follow-p flip soon after isn't bad either.
Tornado responds with one of my favourite individual attacks on the show - absolutely slamming into Wheely Big Cheese and shattering one of its wheels. Andrew Marchant continues the momentum with a cringe-inducing carry of Wheely Big Cheese across the arena, before both machines sizle over a Flame Jet. Wheely Big Cheese flips one more time, and then both machines limp towards cease with visible issues. It's another battle with too short of an edit, but the attacks we got were such iconic ones. I personally prefer this fight to the previous one because of that, but you can honestly take your pick between them.
8. Dominator 2 vs. Firestorm 2 - Series 4, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
AnD fIrEsToRm 2 CoUlD'vE uSeD aN AxE wEaPoN tO fOlLoW tHrOuGh WiTh ThErE 🤪
Another Series 4 Semi-Final A fight, and now the other Dominator 2 fight - this time in the form of a judges' decision.
This has always been seen as a super-tight fight, and rightly so, with Dominator 2 completely some puncturing attacks, as well as some beautifully controlled ones too, while Firestorm 2 carried out its usual fast-paced, consistent aggressive and flips.
The action is a proper good Robot Wars fight, with weapons that aren't going to rip away armour panels but they performed consistently to the en in this one, with a fitting shot of both machines scrambling for that extra competitive edge right until the final seconds when Dominator 2 tries to wriggle itself free from the wall, while Firestorm 2 continues to put pressure on its opponent.
Ultimately, a short edit for such a tight judges' decision did lose us a bit too much context. That, and why would you cut stuff from this fight? It would've been even better with more of a fleshed out broadcast. With what we have, it's still enough to get into the Top 10, but a truly drawn-out edit like Bulldog Breed vs. Tough as Nails would've likely pushed this one even further.
7. X-Terminator vs. Bulldog Breed - Series 7, Semi-Final A, Round 2[]
*insert "x-rated stuff from x-terminator" line*
A break from Series 4, as we go back to the final series with Semi-Final episodes involved.
One of two big destrution fights remaining - no prizes for guessing the other - this battle really is a treat. X-Terminator had proven itself big time in Series 7 up to this stage in the tournament, but this was the first fight it had against a higher-tier machine which is dominated from start to finish - and shall we say even after the 'finish' part.
X-Terminator's superiority is clear from early on, and consistent pressure and great hits on Bulldog Breed's front end not only shreds Bulldog Breed's flipper edge, but also grinds Bulldog Breed down. For the remainder of the fight, Bulldog Breed's kennel is right near Killalot's CPZ.
And here, X-Terminator continues the onslaught. It doesn't need to, but I'm so glad it did. hits that spin Bulldog Breed into the arena wall at high speeds, hits that nearly hurl its opponent over the arena wall, and hits that completely shatter a large panel on Bulldog Breed. X-Terminator's mixture of composure, determination and explosiveness are intoxicating, and so so rewarding to watch. Terrific statement from Marlon Pritchard and Simon Baldwin.
6. S3 vs. Wild Thing vs. Spawn Again - Series 5, Semi-Final A, Losers' Melee[]
so good
Honestly, these next three fights are near-on interchangeable in their positions. They're all high quality, but in different types of ways.
This particular fight gives us a terrific tussle between S3 and Wild Thing - a battle that would likely always be a good one between a damaging machine and a durable one. There's spiralling hits, aggressive drives, smothering moments and powerful retorts.
Though it could've made the fight even better if it was working, the limp performance from Spawn Again isn't one I consider as much of a problem. It's like Big Nipper dying early in Carbide vs. Gabriel 2, where the rest of the fight is so good that it doesn't really matter much. This battle in general is very similar to that all-time classic in Heat B of Series 10 actually, and although it is in a much less crazy, more condensed way, that does not mean what we got was in anyway limited in quality.
This battle could have been even higher if we got a deeper edit (and if the lengthy footage of Spawn Again being pitted was traded in for more action between the two standing) but what we did get was still a fast-paced, high-quality contrast of styles with plenty of action. Brilliant.
5. Dantomkia vs. 13Black vs. Wild Thing 2 - Series 6, Semi-Final A, Losers' Melee[]
The main highlight is clear, but boy do I love this attack
The final two Losers' Melees remaining find their finishing positions back to back within the Top 6, but this particular bout does enough to seal a Top 5 spot.
The entertainment value of this fight has never been in doubt. Every machine has fun, and has hilarious moments, but there's also quality hits and exchanges. Whether it's a Dantomkia acceleration and hurl into the arena wall, 13Black delivering solid hits, 13Black dancing upside down, Wild Thing 2 jumping into the Pit, or Dantomkia joining in with 13Black's shenanigans, there's always some form of action gong on.
I previously discredited this fight in Robot Wars: The Ultimate Countdown for its lack of competitiveness. And in a field of so many top quality, competitive fights, it did stick out like a sore thumb. But really it only stands out for humour, entertainment, and good ol' Robot Wars laughs. Fantastic stuff.
Another positive: the edit of this fight is one with so much depth. It's 4 minutes long, and is full of action all the way. I just wish S3's Losers' Melee - which was 2 minutes shorter - got a similar broadcast time.
4. Atomic vs. M2 - Series 7, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
"And Atomic are closing in! And Atomic now for me are on top! And Atomic has M2 on the sidewall! And M2 bounces, and rocks and rolls, and dashes away...
And completing a hattrick of fights I consider so, so close is Atomic vs. M2 in Series 7 .
Referencing the Ultimate Countdown again, the three fights in question had their space apart to say the least! Dantomkia's Losers' Melee was 95th, S3's Losers' Melee in at 58th, and Atomic vs. M2 claimed 30th. A similar gap between them all. So what has changed in this instance?
Well, aside from the fact that this list is purely looking at Semi-Finals, hence eliminating a lot of ineligible fights from the Ultimate Countdown, it is still true that yes, my opinions on the fights has altered over time. While S3's melee remains in a similar spot in my mind, and Dantomkia's melee has caught up, it is also true that Atomic vs. M2 is the fight that has slightly slipped in my previous estimations. Not by much, but slightly. The main reasons are to do with it becoming clearer to me over time just how much more dominant Atomic was in this fight, and the fight also not having too many truly unique, eyecatching attacks, which even fights like Tornado vs. Wheely Big Cheese and Pussycat vs. Dominator 2 have.
But look, that is just for some clarification. And for even more clarification: this fight is still terrific! It's down as my 4th bet Semi-Final fight in Robot Wars history after all! The pace of this fight is high throughout. Atomic carries out so many flips throughout this fight, and has a couple of terrific scrambles in trying to get M2 out of the arena fully. I also love Jonathan Pearce's energy during one of these instances, where he just says "and Atomic sgjsdljfk" three times in the space of a few seconds while M2 scrambles to right itself.
The standout moments are M2's lifts and charge into the CPZ which sees Sgt. Bash zoom in, and the curling, elegant, finishing OotA itself. It helps cap off a lovely flipper battle. A flipper battle that maybe wouldn't come as a surprise in the flipper-heavy UK scene, but still a flipper battle of truly high quality.
3. Hypno-Disc vs. Wild Thing - Series 4, Semi-Final B, Round 2[]
tis nothing but a massive chunk taken out of my face
Into the podium places we go, and the fights remaining all feature at least one of Hypno-Disc or Wild Thing. Here is the battle where the two face off.
By Series 4, Hypno-Disc was near-on impossible to resist. The machine that beat it was Pussycat. Even that was with an incredible piece of driving, and even then: the moment Pussycat made contact with Hypno-Disc's flywheel, its own weapon was broken immediately.
Aside from that, Hypno-Disc ruined The Predator, Raizer Blade twice, V-Max and Splinter. Hypno-Disc in Series 3 had destructive wins, but the consistency of how easy the destruction was in Series 4 was unparalleled. To have a spinner that destructive in the 80kg era was borderline unfair. What could even hope to resist it slightly, what with the thinner armour going around at the time?
Well Wild Thing gave it a damn-good go. At first you feared the same fate for it. Hypno-Disc violently spun Wild Thing around, ripped a huge chunk into its front wedge, and delivered multiple body blows on its opponent. And yet, Wild Thing kept going.
It grew stronger. It carried out limping, but determined drives, fed the spinner into the House Robots, and slammed it against the arena walls in a valiant comeback surge.
It ultimately wasn't enough. But god damn was it a terrific watch. Both machines showed off their best traits and also had to suffer through the spells where they were on the backfoot. But they both showed durability, both displayed aggression throughout, and both put on a terrific spectacle. Bravo, lads.
2. Hypno-Disc vs. Splinter - Series 4, Semi-Final B, Round 1[]
No prizes for guessing the Top 2, though the order itself is still very much a question of taste. Here we have one of the most iconic battles in Robot Wars history, and one of the most notable destruction fights too.
Splinter came into with fight with every right to fear Hypno-Disc after the way it destroyed everything in its Heat - to the extent where its Heat Final foe just flatout didn't even want to enter the arena with Hypno-Disc again.
Despite this, Splinter, at least design wise, was one of the few that had a slight chance against Hypno-Disc in this era, with some form of a defensive front end.
And to its credit, Splinter far exceeded everybody Hypno-Disc foe in Series 4 up to this point with its aggressive start, where it went on the frontfoot and also withstood a couple of hard exchanges. Afterwards though, Hypno-Disc broke through - or rather shattered through.
Hypno-Disc delivered many an extreme blow in this fight, but the one which completely destroyed Splinter's front end still remains as one of the single-most devastating attacks in robot combat. A gamechanging blow, a blow synonymous with Hypno-Disc, and the rest of the fight was Hypno-Disc at its very, very best. And considering just how many fights Hypno-Disc had where it was in full flow, that tells you just how next level this particular performance was from it. Spin to win indeed.
1. Chaos 2 vs. Wild Thing - Series 5, Semi-Final A, Round 1[]
probably the 97th time i've used this, but: "and George Francis breathes again!"
And now for number 1. Two of the most lowkey, modest people associated with Robot Wars give us a battle of blood and thunder, where they competed for every inch the warzone allowed them.
This fight is similar to Hypno-Disc vs. Wild Thing in the way that both competing machines do what they normally do to an incredibly high standard. But here, Wild Thing came even closer to a massive upset of a comeback, with the finest of margins seeing Chaos 2 surviving two pitting attempts.
The action throughout was high energy and competitive, with a collection of high quality, varied Chaos 2 flips mixed in with Wild Thing's iconic shoves. Near OotAs, near pittings, both roboteers visibly going through the rollercoaster that this fight was throughout, as the camera cut to both Nick Adams and George Francis drawing the sharpest of breaths.
The fight as a whole was essentially like a fantasy fight you'd see in the magazines, with moments that didn't seem possible to carry out or to resist. A true all-time classic, and one that George Francis himself so nonchalantly and yet so decisively called as his best fight ever.