Rotator's Discovery Season 4 appearance.
Rotator is a robot that competed in the second season of ABC's BattleBots reboot and both seasons of Discovery and Science. It was armed with a spinning disc on the front top and bottom rear, making it a palindrome like its name. Rotator was originally an alternate for the show, but was allowed in due to one of the many drop-outs which occurred at Season 2. It didn't do well in the competition as it lost its first match to Witch Doctor, but did win an exhibition rumble.
For Season 3, Rotator was given new tires which gripped the rims better, some new LED lights, the logos are now painted on both ends of the robot and one of the discs can be swapped out to add a thicker titanium plow and wheel guards. It did much better, making the top sixteen and upsetting Icewave before falling to the former, and soon to be re-crowned champ, Bite Force in the quarterfinals. Due to the carnage done to Icewave, it received the "Most Destructive Robot" of 2018 award.
For Season 4, Rotator received even more upgrades like new tires, new discs that could spin faster along with new teeth to increase the damage they do, as well as new, curvier armor panels for the front and back. Rotator now also has what the team calls the "forks/scrapers" configuration, of which was used in its matches against SawBlaze and Bombshell. Sadly, despite beating the feared Tombstone, Rotator fell short after losing a side of drive in an important Play-off match against Blacksmith.
Its builder, Victor Soto, also competed with the middleweight entry Blue Flame for the NPC Charity Open in 2004 and the 2011 BattleBots competition, the latter becoming the runner-up.
Robot History
ABC Season 2
Rotator's Season 2 appearance.
Witch Doctor rips off one of Rotator's wheels.
Rotator's first ever match in BattleBots was against Witch Doctor. For this match, Rotator went with the stronger steel bars as the team knew that the aluminum discs would be destroyed. In the beginning, Rotator opted to start sideways to try and confuse Witch Doctor's drivers. Both robots approached, but Rotator's wheel rims weren't fully gripping the tires and thus Rotator only slowly approached. Witch Doctor immediately ripped a wheel off of Rotator and it couldn't move properly. Because of this, Rotator was counted out and Witch Doctor won the match by a quick KO. Unfortunately, Rotator wasn't chosen to be a wild card and was eliminated from the tournament.
Rotator is rolled by Splatter.
Rotator wasn't finished yet as it participated in an exhibition rumble with The Disk O' Inferno and Splatter. The rumble didn't start off particularly well for Rotator as it wasn't able to cause much damage and lost the use of one of its spinning discs. Rotator continued to maneuver around before Disk O' Inferno charged and slammed it into the wall where the impact caused Rotator's remaining disc to suddenly, with a deafening sound that filled the BattleBox, Rotator shattered Disk O' Inferno's disc, eliminating its primary weapon and forcing it to resort to it's lifting arm. Splatter charged in and began to flip Rotator multiple times, trying to stack it against the arena. Splatter took advantage of The Disk O' Inferno's weapon problems by flipping it over. Both of Rotator's discs began to spin now, and it began dishing out multiple hits to Splatter, tearing and shredding open Splatter's sides in a flurry of sparks and leaving it to drive in circles. Time ran out and Rotator was declared the winner of the rumble by a unanimous judges decision.
Discovery Season 3
Rotator's Discovery Season 3 appearance.
Rotator tears into Petunia's armor.
Petunia takes Rotator to the killsaws.
Rotator's first opponent was against Petunia. When the match began, things started off in Rotator's favor as they tore into the beak and side armor of Petunia. However, the discs eventually stopped spinning, leaving Rotator with little defenses or options. Still, Rotator used its drive system to try and become a push bot and spin like a thwackbot, but Petunia was gaining the upper hand. Rotator was grappled by Petunia right near the wheel well, but Petunia couldn't cause any sufficient damage. Later, Rotator found itself in Petunia's grasp again, this time a bit more towards the center of the bot. Towards the end of the fight, Rotator was grabbed again and this time taken to the killsaws Complete Control-style and had one of its tires shredded. In the end, the judges awarded the victory to Petunia.
Rotator fighting Predator.
Rotator then had an untelevised match against Predator, in which Rotator quickly got both discs up to speed, then started to shave bits of armor off of Predator's left side, then managed to rip off both the wheel guard and the wheel off of Predator's front right side. Rotator then got a huge hit on Predator's left side and ripped off the wheel and wheel guard this time off the front left side, and bent open Predator's back left wheel guard. Rotator then went in for a final hit that ripped out once again the wheel and wheel guard of Predator's back left side. Predator was then counted out, giving Rotator the win via knockout.
The two bots collide.
Rotator's next opponent was against Warrior Dragon. For this match, Rotator swapped out its usual blades for its spinning bars and opted to spin them in the opposite direction they normally spin to counter against Warrior Dragon's ring spinner. The match started out pretty evenly, although Rotator was getting the better of the attacks. Rotator continued to attack, using its undercutting bar to cause damage. Warrior Dragon continued to fight but continued taking punishment as well. Rotator was beginning drive issues as it was now driving in circles. Luckily for Rotator, Warrior Dragon's weaponry
Rotator is pinned and roasted.
eventually stopped working, allowing it to inflict more damage. In response, Warrior Dragon pushed and pinned Rotator against the barrier of the screws, with the "Dragon" drone making use of its flamethrower. The drone, though, flew too low and clipped Rotator's top bar, grounding it. With it's drone done, Warrior Dragon pressed on and pushed and pulverized Rotator. Rotator eventually broke free and attacked but by this point, smoke was pouring out of Warrior Dragon and it was barely moving. Time ran out and the judges awarded Rotator the win on a split 2-1 judges decision.
Rotator rips off Skorpios saw arm.
Rotator next found itself up against Skorpios and went with its usual dual-spinning disc configuration. The match went underway as Rotator was instantly box rushed by Skorpios and so began the chase. Rotator tried to use its upper cutter to dish out some punishment but to no avail, even after repeated impacts. Skorpios went on the aggressive, pursuing Rotator and chasing it around the BattleBox. Rotator drifted and circled left and right, trying to deflect Skorpios' repeated charges with it's under cutter and give time for Rotator's under cutter to circulate. However, Orion Beach and Skorpios certainly weren't making anything easy for Victor Soto and his partner. Rotator was then pushed up against the arena barrier and was about to take potential saw damage, but fortunately for Rotator, Skorpios' weapon wasn't working properly, so they were released instead. After narrowly missing the pulverizer, Rotator was again pushed by Skorpios against the arena barrier. But it was Skorpios that found itself and it's front forks entrapped against the arena barrier. With a massive opportunity right in front of Rotator, it instead decided to point it's uppercutter, of which was now
Rotator spinning victoriously over a bruised and battered Skorpios.
becoming a quick blur, towards Skorpios and waited patiently for Skorpios to break free. Sparks flew as Skorpios abruptly broke free and barely missed having it's saw taken off. Rotator was quickly backed into the the arena barrier... Right in front of both teams to see Rotator deliver a vicious shot and forcefully dislodged Skorpios' Saw. Skorpios backed away into the killsaws and despite losing it's weapon, still chose to pursue Rotator. Skorpios pushed Rotator towards the killsaws , but instead, was the bot that got took a shot from the killsaws. still spinning dizzily, Rotator reversed to where a pulverizer stood and Skorpios charged. Rotator delivered another hit that tore off a piece from the top of Skorpios near where the saw arm once stood, revealing the insides of Skorpios. As this happened, the pulverizer slammed down hard on Skorpios. Skorpios chased after Rotator of whom took a shot from the killsaws and missed the slightest hit from the pulverizer. Skorpios desperately shoved Rotator against the screws and took a volley off shots from Rotator in return. And that was the end. Time ran out and the judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision to Rotator.
Rotator destroying the ICE on Icewave.
Rotator's first match of the top 16 was a grudge match against Icewave. In response, the robot was fitted with only one of its two discs, intending to hopefully cut into the ICE of Icewave and thus disable the weapon. Additionally, the strengthened the armor for where the other blade would've been to use as a shield against Icewave's weapon. When the match began,
Rotator annihilates Icewave's engine housing.
Rotator was on the attack but not causing much damage. Rotator continued to attack and this time started to tear into the housing for Icewave's ICE. By the third attack, the housing for Icewave's ICE was torn open and Icewave now had no active weapon. Rotator continued to rip into the housing and took out Icewave's ICE itself despite being pushed around by its opponent. Rotator stayed aggressive and left only the top and back of the housing that once supported Icewave's ICE. Both robots took a shot from the killsaws before Rotator got one final hit that tore off the top off the housing for Icewave's ICE. Time ran out and the judges awarded a well deserved unanimous decision to Rotator to advance to the quarterfinals and face the former champion Bite Force
For this fight, Rotator went with its dual spinning bars to coincide with Bite Force's own bar spinner and leave less surface area for Bite Force's weapon to hit. When the match began, Rotator was immediately launched into the air by Bite Force. Rotator recovered and started its assault, tearing off pieces of Bite Force's armor.
Rotator is cornered by Bite Force.
Despite it being clear that Paul Ventimiglia and Bite Force were holding back, Rotator was still being tossed around like a rag doll. In a burst of sparks, Rotator was violently flung by Bite Force and nailed by the pulverizer. As the match progressed, Rotator continued to tear off pieces off Bite Force, until Rotator's own armor panel was torn off. Now Rotator was on the receiving end of damage as they were integral losing pieces of their own. Paul asked Victor if they were "okay to keep going" since the damage Rotator was
Bite Force brutally smashes Rotator.
receiving was quite severe. Victor's driving partner hurriedly responded to "keep going." Following the rest of the match, Rotator struggled to keep its weapons running and soon enough, Bite Force put an end to the match and mangled one of Rotator's tires. Rotator was counted out, giving Bite Force the win by KO and eliminating Rotator from the tournament.
Discovery Season 4
Rotator's first match of the season was against SawBlaze, which had been configured to have a sturdier wedge to defend against Rotator's undercutting blade, and thicker rubber plates to append the uppercutter. However, Rotator had tricks of it's own. Rotator was configured to roughly half the size of its usual appearance and was shaped to be more pentagonal, with only one upper-cutting blade and four wedgelets attached to its back in hopes of getting under SawBlaze's wedge.
As soon as the match began, SawBlaze immediately charged out of its square but was appended by Rotator's forks early on. Rotator swung around and its spinner collided with SawBlaze's wedge. SawBlaze retaliated with lightning agility by forcefully shoving Rotator up onto the screws right in front of the judges to see. The impact flipped Rotator out of control making Rotator inverted. It took SawBlaze a bit of time to bring its saw down as the team had some problems with their weapon controller as the saw would struggle to spin up, but would take a while to get going afterwards. Once it got going, they brought
Sawblaze cuts down Rotator.
down its saw onto Rotator and the sound of the saw cutting into Rotator filled the BattleBox as sparks flew. SawBlaze released Rotator and its blade immediately powered up again. SawBlaze used Rotator's fork to its advantage and threw Rotator against the wall, its blade brushing against SawBlaze's wedge. SawBlaze continued to control the pace of the match and almost shoved Rotator into the screws again, but instead, bumped into the screws and lost its grip on Rotator. SawBlaze chased Rotator across the BattleBox and almost managed to pulverize Rotator, but Rotator's forks managed to get under SawBlaze and its wedge briefly. Rotator's blade continued to make contact with SawBlaze's wedge, but no significant damage could be seen inflicted upon SawBlaze. Rotator was then taken to the screws, its blade repelling itself from being stuck on the screws. SawBlaze made a second attempt, but Rotator's forks once again denied it. Rotator found itself yet again in SawBlaze's grasp and was slammed into the BattleBox. SawBlaze brought down its saw onto Rotator's wedgelets and even
Sawblaze unleashes a flurry of sparks off Rotator.
more sparks were lit. The carnage continued from SawBlaze as it drove and cut into Rotator at the same time, then slamming Rotator against the screws for the third time. For the fourth time, SawBlaze dragged Rotator against the screws, stopping its weapon and ramming Rotator under the pulverizer and hammered Rotator at least seven times. Jamison Go kept the pressure on, desperate to not let the battle go to distance. Rotator deflected a charge from SawBlaze and spun around to line back up again. Rotator's spinning was cut short by SawBlaze, who popped Rotator into the air by hitting its spinning bar just right, sending it reeling into the screws. Rotator tried escaping, but SawBlaze forced them back in, leaving Rotator to get chewed up in the last ten seconds. Rotator got out, right side up with only five seconds left in the match. Rotator tried to land one more hit, but the time ran out as they were lined up perfectly, but couldn't deliver the final shot. The judges ruled an unanimous 3-0 decision in favor of SawBlaze.
Rotator's next match was against former runner-up and Last Chance Rumble winner Bombshell. For this fight, Rotator stuck with the same setup used in the SawBlaze fight, but with the rear wedgelets at a more shallower angle at the ends to hopefully get a better shot under the opponent. As the match got underway, Rotator took the first hit and was sent flying through the air but landed upright. Rotator then took another hit but then attacked Bombshell, tearing into Bombshell's side and ripping off a front wheel. Rotator got in another hit that sent Bombshell flying, as well as dislodging Bombshell's left base plate a bit, but Bombshell stopped moving when it landed, most likely due to that hit knocking something loose inside. Bombshell was counted out, giving Rotator the win by KO.
Rotator's next match was against former champion, Tombstone. In response, it added the plow that it used against Icewave. This proved to be a good choice as the first hit sent Tombstone flying and caused Tombstone to lose part of a tooth on its weapon bar. As the match progressed, Rotator continued to take damage while also sending Tombstone flying through the air, eventually causing Tombstone to pivot on one wheel as gyroscopic forces took over.
Both bots collide.
Tombstone got going again, but Rotator got Tombstone up against the arena barrier near the screws and caused trouble for Tombstone. Rotator soon got the break it was looking for as Tombstone started smoking and its weapon spun down. Rotator fought on, despite having its own weapon being destroyed in one of the earlier hits and eventually Tombstone caught fire. Rotator had very little to fight with, but Tombstone eventually stopped moving as the flames spread and took over. Rotator gave Tombstone some final taps before Tombstone was counted out, giving Rotator an upset win by KO.
Rotator was then placed against the 2019 undefeated Death Roll from Australia. Rotator went with a configuration designed for success against vertical spinners but when the match began, things didn't go well for them as they were taking damage from Death Roll and being thrown around the arena. Rotator continued to fight, even as its weapon was removed and its side armor came loose. Despite being flipped a few times, Rotator managed to last to a judges decision. The judges awarded Death Roll a unanimous 3-0 decision.
In a final bid for the Top 16, Rotator was placed against Al Kindle and Blacksmith. In response, Rotator was back to its traditional two disc setup. As the match got underway, Rotator was on the attack but not causing much damage to Blacksmith. Rotator continued to attack and eventually took out Blacksmith's weapon but Blacksmith's hammer still continued to emit flames. Rotator soon began to have drive issues up against the screws and was facing retaliation from Blacksmith. With little offenses left due to its drive issues, Rotator opted to spin in place and was shoved under the pulverizer. Rotator fought bravely until time ran out. The judges awarded Blacksmith a unanimous 3-0 decision and a place in the Top 16.
Wins/Losses
- Wins: 7
- Losses: 6
| Competition | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| ABC Season 2 | Splatter and The Disk O' Inferno (Exhibition Rumble) | Witch Doctor |
| Discovery Season 3 |
Predator (Untelevised Undercard Match) Warrior Dragon (Undercard Match) Skorpios (Undercard Match) |
Petunia (Undercard Match) |
| Discovery Season 4 |
Bombshell (Undercard Match) Tombstone (Main Event/Undercard Match) |
SawBlaze (Undercard Match) Death Roll (Main Event/Undercard Match) |
Faruq Tauheed Introductions
"Flip it, flop it, you can’t stop it. It’s ROTATOR!"
"If it were a classic rock band, it would be REO Bleed Wagon. Roll with the changes, it's ROTATOR!"
"Your destruction is gonna go viral when this bot catches you in its death spiral. It's ROTATOR!"
"You say "rotateo" I say "rotato". No matter how you say it, this bot will mash you up. It's ROTATOR!"
"I've done over 500 of these introductions and I just realized something incredible....that Rotator spelled backwards is "rotator". That's a palindrome, and you know what? That's pretty darn cool. Get ready to be spun to your death. It's ROTATOR!"
"It's dual disks spin like they are crazed. It can hit you two ways and drive away unphased. It's the only bot with a split personality. It's ROTATOR!"
"All it does is spin, spin spin no matter what. Got wins on its mind and is never givin' up. When it steps into the box, everybody's hands go UP!" It's ROTATOR!"
"This bots favorite movie is 'Bladerunner' because it has spinning blades that gore, and loves Harrison Ford. It's going to bring the pain. Like. Tears. In the Rain. Wake up! It's time for ROTATOR!"
"This next bot will grind you like creepy guy in the night club. He's the VIP from Miami and you're gonna be RIP. Complete with throttle service, clear the dance floor for ROTATOR!"
"This bot's in such great shape, it could teach a spin class. After this workout, you'll be feeling shredded and saying "cardi-oh no!" It's ROTATOR!"
Trivia
- Its fight against ICEwave was very similar to the fight with Final Destiny and Gray Matter.
- Rotator was the only seed that didn't have all of its qualifying fights aired fully on TV.
- Rotator is also one of four robots to reach the Top 16 in the reboot's third season to not have any of its fights featured as a main event, with the others being Son of Whyachi, Monsoon, and WAR Hawk.
- In its first three matches that Rotator lost, a tire was significantly damaged.
- Rotator's first fight is a regular fight for the two hour Discovery premiere, but is the main event for the international premiere.