Rumbles are special battles which take place either during or at the conclusion of BattleBots competitions, where most, if not all of the survivors of a weight class are given the opportunity to enter the BattleBox for a free-for-all fight.
Classic Era (1999-2002)[]
During the pay-per-view and Comedy Central seasons, the rumbles typically lasted a total of five minutes, and did not feature any of the typically active BattleBox hazards. During the first two tournaments, one rumble was held for each weight class, in which all surviving robots regardless of seeding and tournament standing would be given the opportunity to participate.
However, beginning with Season 1.0, the concept of the Consolation Rumble was introduced, due to the substantial increase in robot entries. This initially only affected the lightweight class, and was carried out by dividing the lightweights into two large groups, participating in two separate rumbles. The winners of this rumble advanced to a third “grand” rumble, where the official rumble winner would be declared.
Beginning with Season 2.0, every weight class featured a Consolation Rumble. The surviving robots with lowest tournament standing were provided the opportunity to participate in the rumble. Two winners would be selected to participate in the Royal Rumble, which consisted of robots of higher tournament standing - typically Round of 16 and above. This continued until the show was axed after Season 5.0, though only a handful of rumbles occurred in the final season due to a safety breach which saw all other rumbles canceled.
Untelevised Era (2002-2012)[]
Rumbles continued in the years that BattleBots was strictly untelevised, including in BattleBots IQ events as well as R3: Rochester Robot Rampage in 2005. For the BBIQ competitions, the concept of Consolation Rumbles and Royal Rumbles was carried over, but in other events, they were one-off battles.
Reboot Era (2015-Present)[]
A rumble between Bad Kitty, Skorpios and Black Ice.
During the ABC seasons, Rumbles typically only consisted of three robots, though a nine-way rumble was initially planned for World Championship II. Alongside the existing red and blue starting squares, an improvised green square was introduced to accommodate the third competitor, this being illuminated by green stage lighting during the build-up sequence. This practice was continued for three-way Rumbles held during first two Discovery seasons.
Rumbles played a much more important role in World Championship II, with four three-way fights (all forming the opening episode "The Gears Awaken") being held to determine the final places in the main competition. BattleBox hazards were disabled in the these Rumbles so as to give greater emphasis on individual competitors' performances. Exhibition rumbles were still fought, however, with notable themes being The Battle of MIT, between three teams consisting of MIT alumni, The Legends Rumble between three teams with historic pedigree in the sport, and The Daughters Rumble where robots were driven by the daughters of their respective team captains.
- "Three robots all in one box together, all out for blood..."
- — Chris Rose describes a rumble ahead of Episode 1 of World Championship III
A rumble during the 2018 season featuring Kraken, Deviled Egg and Sharkoprion.
In BattleBots World Championships IIl and IV, each episode's Fight Night card would feature a three-way rumble exclusive to Science Channel airings of the episode. These typically consisted of mid-to-lower tier robots which could not guarantee an exciting 1v1 matchup, and to also give these robots more fights on their records without having to film additional battles.
The Last Chance Rumble from World Championship III was the main exception to the three-robot rule, with DUCK!, Bombshell, Gigabyte, Lucky, Valkyrie and Red Devil all competing for the final space in that season's tournament bracket. Despite going 0-4 in its regular season, this granted Bombshell a place in the Top 16. The Four Horsemen and Double Jeopardy both hold the record for the most rumbles in the modern era, having both competed in three each.
The four-way rumble at BattleBots: Metal Mayhem in March 2024.
In part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, exhibition matches and rumbles were dropped in World Championship V to ensure social distancing whenever possible, and also due to the introduction of BattleBots: Bounty Hunters.
It was later confirmed that competitive rumbles had been dropped after the 2019 competition, with insinuation from teams that they had been pulled from the show completely.[1] Although exhibition battles returned from World Championship VI onward, these have been strictly 1v1 battles. According to Ben Burton of Terrortops, he began a signup list for a end of season rumble, but backed out after only Team Whyachi's Hydra and Fusion put their names forward.[2]
During BattleBots: Metal Mayhem, a four-way rumble was held between 15lb competitors. This was won by Horns of Fury, and was the first rumble to occur at a BattleBots event in five years.
Royal Rumbles[]
Long Beach 1999[]
Kilobot Rumble
HammerHead, Mouser Catbot 2001, Sallad, The Missing Link, Hot Air, Instigator, W.L.O.W., Gorange 3, Lock-Nut Monster, Rasta, RACC, Toe-Crusher, Defiant, Spike of Doom, Executioner, Ziggo, Knome
Winner: HammerHead
Megabot Rumble
Deadblow, Spaz, Stuffie, Carnivore, Son of Smashy, SlapPest, Ankle Biter, Scorpion "Beta 3" , Knee-Breaker
Winner: Deadblow
Gigabot Rumble
Razer, BioHazard, Tazbot, Voltarc, Rhino, Malicious Mischief, The Mauler, Namreko 3000, frenZy, S.L.A.M., K.I.S.S., Kill-O-Amp, Punjar, Juggernaut
Winner: Razer
Las Vegas 1999[]
Heavyweight Royal Rumble
BioHazard, Tazbot, KillerHurtz, Rhino, Mortis, Razer, Blendo, Kill-O-Amp 2, Monster, Slugger, Blunt Force Trauma, Ronin, frenZy, The Annihilator, Malicious Mischief, Namreko 3000
Winner: BioHazard
Superheavyweight Royal Rumble
Minion, Ricon, Ginsu, World Peace, S.L.A.M.
Winner: World Peace
Season 1.0[]
Lightweight Royal Rumble
Backlash, Mouser Mecha-Catbot, Rott-Bott 2000, Sallad, Cereal Box Killer, Thorn
Winner: Mouser Mecha-Catbot
Middleweight Royal Rumble
Spin Orbiting Force, Alien Gladiator, Blade Runner, Ankle Biter, Deadblow, Pegleg, Pressure Drop, Hazard, Bad Attitude, Turtle Road Kill, Subject to Change Without Reason
Winner: Hazard
Heavyweight Royal Rumble
Kill-O-Amp, Mjollnir, OverKill, Knome II, Mauler, Nightmare, frenZy, Punjar, Monster, Gammatron, BioHazard, Suicidal Tendencies, Blendo, Vlad the Impaler, KillerHurtz, Tazbot, Voltarc, Bender
Winner: BioHazard
Superheavyweight Royal Rumble
Ginsu, Minion, Gray Matter, Grendel, Odin, Abbatoir, S.L.A.M., Super Rhino, Ronin, Prompt Critical, Diesector
Winner: Minion
Season 2.0[]
Lightweight Royal Rumble
Serial Box Killer, Sublime II, Toe-Crusher, No Tolerance III, Mecha Tentoumushi, Beta Raptor, HammerHead, Dr. Inferno Jr., The Crusher, Das Bot, Afterthought 2.0, Scrap Daddy LW 55, Ziggo, Backlash (Dropped out), Sallad, Shish-ka-bot, Fang, Green Dragon, Mouser Mecha-Catbot, Scrub
Winner: HammerHead
Middleweight Royal Rumble
Instigator, Space Operations Force II, Spaz, Blue Streak, Buddy Lee Don’t Play in the Street, Turbo, Blade Runner, Subject to Change without Reason, Super Chiabot, Ankle Biter, Deadblow, Bad Attitude, SABotage, Kegger, Scrap Daddy MW110, El Diablo
Winner: Deadblow
Heavyweight Royal Rumble
Punjar, OverKill, KillerHurtz, GoldDigger, Panic Attack 3, Nightmare, Mortis, Suicidal Tendencies, BioHazard, Tazbot, Voltronic, FrostBite, Vlad the Impaler
Winner: Tazbot
Superheavyweight Royal Rumble
Minion, Liquid Lunch, Kenny’s Revenge, Diesector, World Peace, War Machine, Doom of Babylon, Toro, Revision Z
Winner: Toro
Season 3.0[]
Lightweight Royal Rumble
The Crusher, Reaper, Backlash, Bad Habit, Death By Monkeys, Dr. Inferno Jr., Gamma Raptor, Herr Gepoünden, Mecha Tentoumushi, Mouser Super Mecha-Catbot, Sallad, Serial Box Killer, Skid Mark, Sublime, Trilobot, Wedge of Doom, Ziggo
Winner: Ziggo
Middleweight Royal Rumble
Alabama Slammer, Instigator, Bad Attitude, Blade Runner, Complete Control, Deadblow, Double Agent, Eraser, Hazard, Little Drummer Boy, SABotage, Sunshine Lollibot, T-Minus, T-Wrex, Twin Paradox, Village Idiot, Zion
Winner: T-Minus
Heavyweight Royal Rumble
Little Sister, Kill-O-Amp, frenZy, GoldDigger, HexaDecimator, KillerHurtz, MechaVore, Nightmare, Omega-13, OverKill, Sharkbyte, Tazbot, Voltronic
Winner: HexaDecimator
Superheavyweight Royal Rumble
Half Gassed, Whyachi (Dropped out), Anubis, Atomic Wedgie, Dawn of Destruction, Diesector, Electric Lunch, Odin II, Ogre, Phere, Revision Z, Techno Destructo, The Judge, Toro, Vladiator
Winner: Toro
Season 4.0[]
Lightweight Royal Rumble
Slap 'Em Silly, Dr. Inferno Jr., Pursuer, Rambite, Backlash, Tentoumushi 7.0, Afterthought, Low Blow, Hexy Jr., Das Bot, The Crusher, Ziggo
Winner: Dr. Inferno Jr.
Middleweight Royal Rumble
Summoner, SABotage, Psychotron, Malvolio, T-Wrex, Heavy Metal Noise, 2925 Jack Rabbit, Alabama Slammer, Turtle Road Kill, Bad Attitude, Huggy Bear, T-Minus
Winner: Bad Attitude
Heavyweight Royal Rumble
Little Sister, GoldDigger, Nightmare, BattleRat, SlamJob, The Matador, MechaVore, Sharkbyte, Botulizer, M.O.E. (Rest unknown)
Winner: Little Sister
Superheavyweight Royal Rumble
The Judge, Toro, Electric Lunch, Gammacide, Atomic Wedgie, Odin II, Techno Destructo, Vladiator, Swirlee, Maximus, Ronin, Little Blue Engine (Rest unknown)
Winner: The Judge
| Winners | Lightweight | Middleweight | Heavyweight | SuperHeavyweight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach 1999 | HammerHead | Deadblow | Razer | N/A |
| Las Vegas 1999 | N/A | BioHazard | World Peace | |
| Season 1.0 | Mouser Mecha-Catbot | Hazard | Minion | |
| Season 2.0 | HammerHead | Deadblow | Tazbot | Toro |
| Season 3.0 | Ziggo | T-Minus | HexaDecimator | |
| Season 4.0 | Dr. Inferno Jr. | Bad Attitude | Little Sister | The Judge |
| Season 5.0 | N/A | |||
| BattleBots Rochester R3 | ||||
| Skip or Die | Star Hawk 3.0 | |||
| World Championship I | ||||
| Nightmare | Stinger | |||
| World Championship II | ||||
| Bite Force | Skorpios | SawBlaze | ||
| Lock-Jaw | The Ringmaster | ROTATOR | ||
Note: Royal Rumbles and multiple Consolation Rumbles were canceled in Season 5.0 when Nightmare's disc tooth flew off after hitting Junkyard Offspring, flying through the BattleBox roof and into the audience.
Consolation Rumbles[]
Starting from Season 1.0, Consolation Rumbles were also fought, where robots that lost early on in the main competition had a chance to fight in the season's Royal Rumble if they won. However, as many of these were unaired, it is unknown to this day exactly who competed in each one.
Season 1.0[]
Lightweight Participants - Rumble #1
Shrike, No Tolerance II, Thorn, Tentoumushi, The Aggressive Polygon, Shaft, The Missing Link, Disposable Hero, Das Bot, Backlash
Winners: Backlash and Thorn
Lightweight Participants - Rumble #2
Sallad, Chiabot, Afterthought, Ziggo, Dr. Inferno Jr., Cereal Box Killer, Endotherm, Rott-Bott 2000, The Crusher, Mouser Mecha-Catbot
Winners: Sallad, Cereal Box Killer, Rott-Bott 2000 and Mouser Mecha-Catbot
Season 2.0[]
Lightweight Participants
Serial Box Killer, Sublime II, Rim Tin Tin, Enforcer, Widowmaker (Rest unknown)
Winners: Serial Box Killer and Sublime II
Middleweight Participants
Instigator, Space Operations Force II, Red Scorpion, Fusion (Rest unknown)
Winners: Instigator and Space Operations Force II
Heavyweight Participants
Circuit Breaker, Decimator, Dreadbot, Iron Eagle, Punjar, Blendo, Gammatron, Scrap Daddy HW210, Surgeon General, M.O.E., Mjollnir, Kill-O-Amp, Bigger Brother, OverKill, Bender, Technofool, Mauler 51-50.
Winners: Punjar and OverKill
Superheavyweight Participants
Minion, Liquid Lunch (Rest unknown)
Winners: Minion and Liquid Lunch
Season 3.0[]
Lightweight Participants
Carnage Raptor, Crashius Clay, The Crusher, HammerHead, Manic Aggressive, No Tolerance III, Reaper, SnowFlake, Toe-Crusher, Whirligig (Rest unknown)
Winners: The Crusher and Reaper
Middleweight Participants
Alabama Slammer, Ankle Biter, Buddy Lee Stay in Your Seat, Bumper Bawt, Chiabot, Exodus 2001, Fusion, Instigator, Spinster, Subject to Change Without Reason, THWAK!, Turbo
Winners: Alabama Slammer and Instigator
Heavyweight Participants
BattleRat (Dropped out), FrostBite, Greenspan, Junkyard Offspring, Kill-O-Amp, Kritical Mass II, Mauler 51-50, Punjar, RoboSapien, SlamJob, Towering Inferno, Little Sister
Winners: Kill-O-Amp and Little Sister
Superheavyweight Participants
DooAll, Eradicator, Half Gassed, Hammertime, OJ, Tortoise, Whyachi (Three others unknown)
Winners: Half Gassed and Whyachi
Season 4.0[]
Lightweight Participants
Bulldog, The Crusher, Herr Gepoünden, Skid Mark, LocoMotion, General Gau, Gamma Raptor, SnowFlake, Dr. Inferno Jr., UGV Scorpion, Whirligig, Mouser Classic Mecha-Catbot, Scrap Daddy Surplus
Winners: The Crusher and Dr. Inferno Jr.
Middleweight Participants
Malvolio, T-Wrex, Deadblow, Blade Runner, Sunshine Lollibot, Eraser, Little Drummer Boy, Armadillo (Rest unknown)
Winners: Malvolio and T-Wrex
Heavyweight Participants
Junkyard Offspring, GoldDigger, KillerB (Dropped out), Little Sister, Voltronic (Dropped out), I-Beam, Omega-13, frenZy, Greenspan, Phrizbee, Towering Inferno
Winners: Little Sister and GoldDigger
Superheavyweight Participants
Atomic Wedgie, Odin II, Son of Whyachi, Minion, The Probe, Dreadbot (Rest unknown)
Winners: Atomic Wedgie and Odin II
Season 5.0[]
Middleweight Participants
Alabama Slammer, Complete Control, Jack Rabbit, Misty the WonderBot, Summoner
Winners: Alabama Slammer and Complete Control
Heavyweight Participants
Diskontent, FrostBite, GoldDigger, Junkyard Offspring, Nightmare, M.O.E., Little Sister, Spinister, Spitfire
Winners: Little Sister and FrostBite
Consolation Rumble Winners[]
| Winners | Lightweight | Middleweight | Heavyweight | Superheavyweight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1.0 | N/A | |||
| Season 2.0 | ||||
| Season 3.0 | ||||
| Season 4.0 | ||||
| Season 5.0 | N/A | N/A | ||
World Championship I[]
In 2015, two three-way exhibition rumbles were filmed, although only one was aired.
| Nightmare vs. Witch Doctor vs. Overhaul |
| Stinger vs. Splatter vs. Bull Dog * |
* This rumble went untelevised, and highlights were only ever shown in a TESTED YouTube video.[3]
Canceled Rumbles[]
A third, nine-way rumble was planned but canceled due to time constraints.Citation?
The following robots were known to have been drawn into this proposed rumble:
| Stinger vs. Splatter vs. Warrior Clan vs. Nightmare vs. Lock-Jaw vs. Bull Dog vs. Chronic vs. Sweet Revenge vs. Wrecks |
World Championship II[]
In World Championship II, four three-way Rumbles were staged to determine the final four places in the main competition bracket. All were aired in the opening episode "The Gears Awaken" in the following order:
| Son of Whyachi vs. Creepy Crawlies vs. UltraViolent * |
| Gemini vs. Basilisk vs. Blacksmith |
| Invader vs. Mohawk vs. Lycan |
| Black Ice vs. Skorpios vs. Bad Kitty |
* UltraViolent was selected to advance into the World Championship bracket as HellaChopper withdrew.
In addition to these, six exhibition rumbles were arranged, with only one getting aired, and the others merely serving to entertain the audience. Out of the six rumble entrants from 2015, Stinger, Witch Doctor, Overhaul and Splatter all featured for a second time, while Lock-Jaw and Wrecks made their rumble debuts after the the canceled nine-bot rumble a year prior. At some stage after filming of the quarter-finals, a rumble between Nightmare, Mega Tento and Creepy Crawlies was also planned, but also did not go ahead due to time restraints.Citation?
| Bite Force vs. Wrecks vs. Witch Doctor |
| Untelevised Exhibition Rumbles |
| Skorpios vs. Bucktooth Burl vs. Death Roll[4] |
| ROTATOR vs. The Disk O' Inferno vs. Splatter[5] |
| The Battle of MIT |
| SawBlaze vs. Overhaul vs. Road Rash[6] |
| The Legends Rumble |
| Lock-Jaw vs. Stinger vs. Ghost Raptor[7] |
| The Daughters Rumble |
| The Ringmaster vs. OverDrive vs. Bad Kitty[8] |
World Championship III[]
World Championship III continued to stage Rumbles as part of the Fight Night format, often in the form of three-way matches. Participation in these contributed to the overall win/loss tallies of every robot involved, with the ultimate aim of being chosen by the selection committee to compete in the main Top 16 bracket. A six-way Last Chance Rumble took place to determine the final place in the Top 16.
Not all Rumbles were televised during these seasons' respective debuts on Discovery. Some were shown exclusively as 'Bonus Battles' on Science Channel and international airings; others were released as separate 'Basement Tape' clips uploaded by the official BattleBots YouTube channel.
| Mecha Rampage vs. DUCK! vs. Free Shipping |
| Sharkoprion vs. Kraken vs. Deviled Egg * |
| The Four Horsemen vs. Double Jeopardy vs. Gamma 9 |
| Gemini vs. Mohawk vs. Kraken * |
| Bale Spear vs. Valkyrie vs. Predator * |
| Axe Backwards vs. Deviled Egg vs. Basilisk * |
| Play In Matches |
|---|
| Last Chance Rumble |
Lucky vs. Bombshell vs. Valkyrie vs. DUCK! vs. Red Devil vs. Gigabyte |
* Indicates a Bonus Battle exclusive to Science Channel or select international airings.
World Championship IV[]
Only two three rumbles were televised during World Championship IV, with six further rumbles going unaired as part of the Basement Tapes fights. The third of these televised rumbles was a play in match, with the winner guaranteed selection into the Top 16.
| Marvin vs. Gruff vs. Gemini * |
| Double Jeopardy vs. Rainbow vs. Extinguisher * |
| Play In Matches |
|---|
Railgun MAX vs. Bloodsport vs. Uppercut |
* Indicates a Bonus Battle exclusive to Science Channel or select international airings.
Exhibition and Basement Tape Rumbles[]
| The Four Horsemen vs. P1 vs. Extinguisher | [9] |
| Petunia vs. Jasper vs. BattleSaw | [10] |
| Double Jeopardy vs. Foxtrot vs. Daisy Cutter | [11] |
| Uppercut vs. Tantrum vs. Jasper | [12] |
| Kingpin vs. Daisy Cutter vs. Deep Six | [13] |
| The Four Horsemen vs. Double Jeopardy vs. Lucky | [14] |
BattleBots: Metal Mayhem[]
During BattleBots: Metal Mayhem - a special 15lb event held as part of SXSW 2024 - a single 15lb rumble was held between four competitors.
| Not Scott vs. Horns of Fury vs. Competitive Pricing vs. Desserts |
Trivia[]
- Of the Comedy Central era Rumbles to take place, the Season 1.0 Superheavyweight Royal Rumble, plus every Rumble from Seasons 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0, were left untelevised. Footage was nevertheless recorded for these fights, and in some cases, later uploaded to video-sharing sites such as YouTube.
- Season 2.0 was the only Comedy Central season to broadcast a Rumble from each weight division.
References[]
- ↑ Correspondence involving SFCJack and Kyle Awner of Team HyperShock
- ↑ Correspondence between SFCJack and Ben Burton in February 2023
- ↑ https://youtu.be/c0rF_eoCKf8?t=73
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Lgpsl71EI
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HJkGAlfgU4
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujhoA6NN5z4
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-xQuS92N1g
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyJfg9JYEQE
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji8fMFTFEZo
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LACfoHhB8qw
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPYksYcpf3w
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYUnJfpPYA4
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2riS61mTc0c
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3L_UxLsPt0