Number 5 - Whiplash

Whiplash is one of the most powerful, speedy, agile, versatile, well driven robots ever created. In three seasons, it's established itself as a superstar, with a semifinalist run, a quarterfinalist run, and a championship run before being eliminated in each season. Whiplash has taken down some of the most devastating robots ever built - Warhead (number 31 on this list), Yeti (12), Bronco (8), Minotaur (4), Son of Whyachi (13), HUGE (26; twice), Lock Jaw (10), Valkyrie (18; twice), HYDRA (14), and Black Dragon (7). Its only weakness is that its armor doesn't stand much of a chance against the absolute killers, as its record against the top three robots on this list is 0-5, being brutally knocked out each time. Whiplash debuted in season 3 with a red paint job, and obliterated Hypothermia in one of the most violent matches in history. It quickly knocked out a highly respectable Mecha Rampage in its second bout, which earned it a main event battle against Tombstone. Whiplash started out well, delivering some nasty hits, but in the end, Tombstone's devastating weapon was too much. At 2-1, Whiplash still had a good shot to reach the top 16 if it took out its next opponent, Warhead. Whiplash rose to the occasion and knocked out the British legend, securing it the 10th seed and a fight with returning semifinalist Yeti. Whiplash eliminated the fearsome Yeti and faced a then 11-2 Bronco in the quarterfinals. In one of the biggest upsets of the season, Whiplash won by knockout. Whiplash was finally stopped by Bite Force in the semifinals. In season 4, Whiplash was repainted yellow and won its first two fights (both main events) against Minotaur and Son of Whyachi, but lost its third main event to Witch Doctor. Its third fight was very interesting, as it faced fellow 2-1 robot Texas Twister, a horizontal spinner built by the same team that built Hypothermia. The fight was rather disappointing for Texas Twister, however, as it was knocked out. Whiplash's 3-1 record put it in the round of 16 again, this time as the 5th seed (a seed or two high, I must admit), and it faced 12th seed HUGE. Their fight went the distance, and the judges wrongly awarded Whiplash the victory. The bad news for Whiplash was that it had to fight Tombstone again the quarterfinals, and it was beaten again. After the main tournament, Whiplash participated in a small competition in Las Vegas, and went 1-1, knocking out Lock Jaw and losing to Bite Force. In season 5, Whiplash lost its first fight to SawBlaze, but won its next two fights (both main events) against Gruff and Valkyrie to make the round of 32 as the 8th seed. It took its next two fights by rematch over HUGE and Valkyrie, and crushed HYDRA in the quarterfinals. Whiplash beat Black Dragon in the semifinals, earning it a championship fight with End Game. End Game laid waste to Whiplash en route to the giant nut. Whiplash's all time record is 16-7 (.696) with seven knockouts. It's been one of the best robots of the past three seasons with many legendary heads on its mantle. Whiplash has earned its ranking as the fifth greatest Battlebot of all time. 

Number 6 - Death Roll

Death Roll is one of the greatest Battlebots ever made and has one of the best stories of any competitors in the sport. It is definitely the most improved combat robot that I have ever seen. Death Roll debuted in season 2 and went 0-2, losing out first to Captain Shrederator and then to Skorpios in an exhibition rumble. The Australian robot got some upgrades and came back in season 4. Death Roll went 4-0 in the opening round, knocking out End Game, Foxtrot, and top 16 member Quantum. When it was 3-0, it faced a 2-1 Rotator in a main event, as seen above. In what may have been the most violent battle ever against one of the most durable robots, Death Roll took down Rotator, but somehow, the fight went to the judges. With an undefeated record, Death Roll made the top 16, but was only seeded sixth. I personally would have ranked it second, but it didn't really matter, as Death Roll easily knocked out two legendary drum spinners in Yeti and Minotaur. In the semifinals, Death Roll faced fellow 6-0 vertical spinner Witch Doctor. Death Roll struggled early, but eventually Witch Doctor stopped moving. Even though a robot is supposed to be counted out if it stops moving for more than ten seconds, the referee took 26 seconds to start counting it out. This kind of injustice always happens to save the ever popular Witch Doctor. After 29 seconds, Witch Doctor started moving again and they finished the fight. In the end, the judges awarded a split decision in favor of Witch Doctor (hmm... how did that happen?), eliminating Death Roll from the competition. Death Roll did not return in season 5 on account of COVID-19 travel restrictions, but plans to return with a vengeance in season 6. Death Roll may have is one of the five robots that has been seemingly unstoppable. Number 5 on this list is not one of them, but did not have a rookie season in which it was essentially ineffective. For its great season 4, especially its violent wins over End Game, Rotator, Yeti, and Minotaur, Death Roll is again seeded sixth, this time among the top 50 Battlebots of all time. 

Number 7 - Black Dragon

Black Dragon has only been around for two seasons, but has taken out some of the greatest Battlebots ever created. On Black Dragon's list of victims are top 50 members Bloodsport (19), WAR Hawk (50), Minotaur (4), Skorpios (20), Tombstone (2, as seen above), and Ribbot (32). Black Dragon's egg beater spinner has caused massive destruction, but its best strengths are its durability, reliability, tough front wedge, and driving skills. Black Dragon first appeared in season 4, losing its debut fight by a split decision to Texas Twister. It then knocked out Bloodsport, but still decided to enter the Desperado Tournament. It knocked out Captain Shrederator and WAR Hawk before it met Minotaur in the finals. The two legendary drum spinners from Brazil battled a great fight, but Black Dragon got the win with a questionable judges' decision. Winning the Desperado Tournament put Black Dragon in the top 16 as the 8th seed, where it battled 9th seed and season 3 Desperado champion Lock Jaw. Lock Jaw clobbered Black Dragon for the majority of the battle, but it started smoking towards the end and Black Dragon landed a massive hit. The fight went the distance, and the judges awarded Lock Jaw a split decision, eliminating Black Dragon from the tournament. After the season, Black Dragon fought Skorpios in an exhibition fight, which wet to the judges, who awarded Black Dragon a unanimous decision. In season 5, Black Dragon won its first two fights, but lost its third to Copperhead. Season 5 Copperhead had one of the most devastating weapons in history, yet Black Dragon went the distance. In the round of 32, Black Dragon was seeded surprisingly high - 5th - and faced off against 28th seed SlamMow!, which Black Dragon knocked out with ease. In the round of 16, Black Dragon beat Tombstone, and in the quarterfinals, took out Ribbot. Black Dragon was finally stopped in the semifinals, where it lost to Whiplash. Black Dragon's record is 10-4 (.714) with five knockouts. For its record and wins over several legends in just two seasons, Black Dragon is number 7 among the top 50 Battlebots of all time. 

Why Bronco (8) Is Better Than HYDRA (14)

Bronco was undoubtedly the greatest flipper robot ever until 2019, when HYDRA came in and some fans thought that it might be better. This is a ridiculous belief! Even in 2021, after HYDRA played another season, Bronco is still the greatest flipper of all time. I have reasons and statistics to support this statement. 

Knockout Percentage 

Bronco - .500 

HYDRA - .450 

Average Knockout Time 

Bronco - 1:22 

HYDRA - 2:17 

Longevity 

Bronco - 4 seasons 

HYDRA - 2 seasons 

Bronco's opponents were also much tougher than HYDRA's. 

Bronco - Witch Doctor (twice; number 15 on this list), Plan X, Stinger (23), Tombstone (2), Blacksmith (45), Chrome Fly, Razorback, Minotaur (4), Bombshell (47), Lock Jaw (10), DUCK! (30), SawBlaze (9), WAR Hawk (50), Whiplash (5), Bite Force (1), Free Shipping (twice), HUGE (26), HYDRA (14) 

HYDRA - Free Shipping, WAR Hawk (50), Petunia, Bronco (8), Minotaur (4), HyperShock (twice; 33) Witch Doctor (15), HUGE (26), Uppercut (21), GIGABYTE (35), Whiplash (5) 

In terms of how well a robot is designed and how it performs in battle, HYDRA has the lower ground advantage, but Bronco has stronger weaponry, armor, and driving. 

Each robot fought Minotaur, a robot that will never be damaged by a flipper, and each was knocked out. Bronco lasted for 174 seconds; HYDRA lasted for 42 seconds. 

Bronco has always abided by the rules of the competition. On the other hand, HYDRA ignored the referee in its fight against HUGE when told to stick to the time allowance for a pin, earning it a warning. 

Bronco has fought several of the greatest fights in Battlebots history, while HYDRA's fights are rather boring. Bronco has also fought very, very well in some of its losses, whereas HYDRA tends to get slaughtered when it loses. HYDRA also won two consecutive fights in season 5 purely as a result of bad judging. 

Bronco holds the record for the most career out of the arena knockouts with two, over Stinger in 2015 and Bombshell in 2018. HYDRA has none. 

Bronco has once made it all the way to the semifinals and twice to the quarterfinals. HYDRA has only once made it to the quarterfinals. 

I rest my case. 

Number 8 - Bronco

Bronco is the greatest flipper robot of all time. It has sent some of the greatest robots of all time flying through the air to their dooms. My next post will explain why it is ranked above new fan favorite HYDRA, and why it is perfectly sensible to think so. Bronco debuted in season 1, knocking Witch Doctor out in 27 seconds to earn the 4th seed in the round of 16. It disposed of Plan X in one hit that round, and launched the legendary Stinger out of the arena in only 78 seconds in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Bronco met Tombstone. Bronco lost, but it fought one of the greatest fights of all time and caused perhaps the most damage that anyone had ever done to the feared horizontal spinner. In season 2, Bronco dominated the well built Blacksmith in the qualifying round to earn the 2nd seed in the round of 32, behind only Tombstone. It met 31st seed Chrome Fly, and although Chrome Fly wasn't much of an opponent, Bronco destroyed it in one of the most violent fights ever. Bronco knocked out Razorback in the round of 16 and met 7th seed Minotaur, a ferocious drum spinner, in the quarterfinals. Bronco chose to go with a wedge design to counter the drum, but that meant that they couldn't add wheel armor. Bronco veered from its strategy and decided to attack Minotaur head on with its flipper, and started out well, but the flipper had problems launching Minotaur more than a couple feet, making Bronco easy prey for the deadly Minotaur. Bronco survived for 2:54 of the three minutes, but it couldn't last the distance. Minotaur moved on to the semifinals, and Bronco was knocked out of the tournament. In season 3, Battlebots adjusted the tournament format, giving each robot four qualifying fights before a final tournament at the end of the season. All four of Bronco's fights were featured as a main event, and it went 4-0 with two knockouts over such great opponents as Bombshell (the runner up in season 2), Lock Jaw, DUCK!, and SawBlaze. At 4-0, Bronco was chosen for the round of 16 and seeded 2nd. It quickly knocked out 15th seed WAR Hawk, but lost out to Whiplash in the quarterfinals when the batteries that controlled the wheels simply gave out. In season 4, HYDRA first came up and was starting to get popular, but Bronco had the least successful season of its career. It lost to defending champion Bite Force in its first fight, a main event, but since practically nobody ever beats Bite Force, there was no shame in the loss. Bronco then fought Free Shipping, and when it lined up for a flip, its flipper split in half, giving Bronco another loss. This can be blamed on a bad batch of titanium, but Bronco still fell to 0-2 and was starting to get desperate for a victory if it wanted to make it back into the round of 16. Its third opponent was HUGE, and the battle was the night's main event. The two fought to a very close judges' decision, but Bronco lost again. Think about it - HUGE, number 26 on this list, is a legitimate contender, and season 4 was its best season ever. Bronco, in its worst season ever, almost beat HUGE, a robot that is essentially immune to flippers. At any rate, HYDRA was 3-0 and some fans were starting to doubt if Bronco was really the best flipper anymore. Bronco had been the only robot with a flipper since 2002 that was ever considered any kind of contender to win anything. This being said, Bronco was not designed for any other flippers. In 2019, HYDRA joined it on the list, an the highly anticipated match was also a main event. HYDRA won because it had the lower ground and flipped Bronco onto a spot in the Battlebox where it simply got stuck. Bronco failed to make the round of 16 and its season was over. Shortly afterwards, it participated in a small tournament in Las Vegas. It got its revenge on Free Shipping with a dominant knockout but lost to season 4 runner up Witch Doctor in the finals. Bronco did not appear in season 5, but is planning to come back in season 6. Bronco's record is 12-8 (.600) with ten knockouts. For a ridiculous amount of knockouts, wins over some of the greatest robots of all time, and for being one of the top three robots across the first three seasons, Bronco is a member of my top ten Battlebots of all time. 

Number 9 - SawBlaze

SawBlaze is designed to bulldoze its opponent and come down on it with one of the most lethal weapons ever created. Its hammer saw has chopped many robots down to size, and its diamond tipped saw has sliced through many layers of top armor. SawBlaze has been active since season 2, and has never had a bad season. In season 2, it faced Razorback in the qualifying round. In the single worst judges' decision ever (except for HYDRA vs. HUGE), Razorback came out on top. All was not lost for SawBlaze, however, as it won a rumble against Overhaul and Road Rash. In season 3, SawBlaze won its first three fights, including two knockouts and a win over Reality, before it squared off against 3-0 Bronco in a main event. SawBlaze managed to make it the distance, but was no match for the legendary pneumatic flipper. SawBlaze also participated in a special "U.S.A. vs. The World" event, and drew End Game as its opponent. SawBlaze came out victorious, but the judges' decision was not very well thought out, it seems. With a tournament record of 3-1, SawBlaze impressed enough to make it to the top 16 as the 5th seed. Its opponent, Monsoon, was seeded 12th. In my opinion, SawBlaze was far underseeded and Monsoon was underseeded, and it would have made better sense had Monsoon been seeded 5th and SawBlaze 12th. At any rate, Monsoon tore SawBlaze to shreds, eliminating it from the tournament. In season 4, SawBlaze debuted its new hammer saw, but stuck to its traditional blade for its first two fights. It beat Rotator in the season opener but lost to Tombstone in a main event in its second battle. SawBlaze then fought Blacksmith, and won another really bad judges' decision (Blacksmith is seemingly always the victim of bad judging). SawBlaze then took out Ribbot to make it to the top 16 again, this time as the 7th seed. Its opponent, Son of Whyachi, probably had the psychological advantage because it had brutally knocked Monsoon out in season 3, but SawBlaze didn't care. As seen above, SawBlaze did what it does best and won. The clock wound down too quickly, but SawBlaze must have noticed, as it kept on attacking all the way to the end. SawBlaze then lost to Witch Doctor in the quarterfinals, which knocked it out of the competition. In season 5, SawBlaze started off 1-1, knocking out a legend in Whiplash in its first fight and losing to another legend in Uppercut in its second. It won its third fight against Rusty to earn the 7th seed in the round of 32. SawBlaze went 2-1 in the single elimination rounds, beating Kraken and getting its revenge on Witch Doctor before losing to Tantrum in the quarterfinals. SawBlaze's record currently stands at 13-7 (.650) with four knockouts. For its devastating hammer saw, two quarterfinal runs, and dominant wins over Whiplash and Son of Whyachi, SawBlaze cracks the top ten among the greatest Battlebots of all time.