The Four Horsemen

The Four Horsemen
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship III World Championship IV
Team Information
Team	The Four Horsemen
Team Members	Ian Watts (Captain) Sam Watts Ann Gribble Jamie Anderson (WC IV) John Frizell (WC IV) Ryan Pratt (WC III)
From	Brighton, UK
Associated Robots	Bull Dog, (Ian Watts, John Frizell) Creepy Crawlies (Ian Watts, John Frizell, Sam Watts)
Robot Statistics
Weight	~250lb combined
Power	5S LiPo batteries
Drive	Various Ranglebox motors
Weapons	Various horizontal spinners
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

The Four Horsemen was a heavyweight multibot built by veteran builder Ian Watts, and competed in BattleBots World Championship III and IV.

In the two seasons it entered, The Four Horsemen consisted of a small army of two-wheel drive robots, much like their World Championship II entry Creepy Crawlies. However, only three could enter the BattleBox at any one time to remain within the weight limit.

The Four Horsemen during World Championship III hero shots.

Their options comprised of a yellow, wedge-shaped robot called Buttercup and three identically-designed robots with horizontal bar spinners: War (red), Famine (black) and Pestilence (white). Buttercup was included to slide under opponents and hold them up while the spinners attacked, but The Four Horsemen struggled to implement this plan throughout World Championship III. All three 1v1 battles in their debut year resulted in a loss, but The Four Horsemen did manage to win a rumble against Double Jeopardy and veteran competitor Gamma 9.

The team comprised of British roboteer Ian Watts and Canadian-born John Frizell, who both applied with Bull Dog for World Championship I, but remained an alternate throughout the competition. Ian and his son Sam Watts competed in Robot Wars with Or Te, with Ian also entering Bigger Brother into the original run of the UK show as well as BattleBots. Alongside his other children Joe and Ellie Watts, Ian fought with the similarly-designed Little Sister in the original run of BattleBots as well. Team member Ann Gribble was a long-standing member of the Cold Fusion Team during Robot Wars, who were responsible for fan-favorite heavyweight Pussycat.

All six robots making up The Four Horsemen during World Championship IV.

The team returned for the 2019 competition with three new minibots to make up their entry. Daisy was a slightly larger version of Buttercup and white in design. Pizza, designed similar to their previous minibots but armed with a large circular saw, and technically replaced Pestilence. And Skye had a smaller chassis but was armed with a paddle-like cage spinner to swat opponents away and entangle spinners. These three additions also featured in the team's entry for Series 10 of Robot Wars - The Swarm. The team saw changes too, losing Ryan Pratt but gaining John Frizell, who returned for the first time since the debut of Creepy Crawlies. They were also joined by Jamie Anderson, who entered Robot Wars alongside John Frizell with Terror Turtle and The Kegs. Despite earning three wins across the year, The Four Horsemen did not make the championship bracket.

The Four Horsemen would not return to BattleBots after World Championship IV, but the team entered the first season of Chinese show King of Bots with a similar multibot called The Grubs. They then fought in This is Fighting Robots with Eater, but did not find much success on either occassion.

Robot History

World Championship III
The Four Horsemen vs. Gamma 9 vs. Double Jeopardy Pestilence tears off a piece of Gamma 9's left armor. War damages and rips off a wheel of Double Jeopardy. Buttercup gets underneath Gamma 9 while Pestilence gets crushed. The Four Horsemen's first BattleBots fight came against Gamma 9 and Double Jeopardy as part of an undercard rumble. Due to the weight limit, The Four Horsemen went in with only three of the four members. As the rumble began, things were off to a good start for the multibot as they tore into Gamma 9 while it was pinning Double Jeopardy into the arena barrier. Despite the attacks delivered by Gamma 9, The Four Horsemen continued to strike back, tearing off more armor from Gamma 9 and also damaging Double Jeopardy's tires. Eventually, Double Jeopardy was unable to move so it was down to The Four Horsemen and Gamma 9. By this point, The Four Horsemen were looking battered and not functioning as well as they had been when it all began. Still, Buttercup got under Gamma 9 towards the end of the rumble before at least one of them took a final assault from Gamma 9 that also knocked itself out with ten seconds left. Time expired and the judges gave The Four Horsemen a split 2-1 judges' decision victory.
The Four Horsemen vs. Blacksmith Buttercup pushes Blacksmith into the wall. Famine gets a hit on Blacksmith. Famine is hammered into submission. The Four Horsemen next found themselves up against the flaming hammer of Blacksmith. The match began poorly for The Four Horsemen as Blacksmith was shoving them all around the arena with its front wedge. Eventually, Pestilence collided with Buttercup and tore off one of Buttercup's wheels, leaving it immobile. Regardless, they continued to attack and took shots from their opponent's hammer while being simultaneously shoved against the arena barrier. After this exchange, Pestilence was no longer moving, but still had power to its weapon. Only Famine remained mobile but not for very long and the trio was eventually counted out with 3 seconds left on the clock.
The Four Horsemen vs. Hypothermia War deflects off Hypothermia. The Four Horsemen also took part in the USA vs. The World special tournament and was up against the Fuzzy Mauldin and Hypothermia. Things were not going well for The Four Horsemen as they were unable to mount a single decent attack on their opponent and were also being pushed around the arena. War and Famine tried to use their spinning bars, but were both overpowered and pushed aside. War was briefly pushed on its side, but managed to get down while Famine was sent into the screws before smoke began to pour out. Famine was left mostly out of action for the rest of the fight as it had lost drive on its right side but ended up underneath Hypothermia before time ran out. The judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision and 1 point to Team USA.
The Four Horsemen vs. Gemini Pestilence gets hit by Hydroxyl. War and Hydroxyl collide. The Four Horsemen were now in the last-ditch effort to make the Top 16 by facing Gemini. Things were pretty even to start as both robots were causing hits, though none severe. However, Gemini started getting the better of the collisions as they threw The Four Horsemen around the arena and took out Pestilence in a single hit. The Gemini twins then collided with each other and the red twin was without its rear wedge. As The Four Horsemen continued to approach, Gemini continued to attack, disabling Pestilence, leaving only War to survive. Meanwhile, the red Gemini twin was having mobility issues as it was mostly driving in circles but still managed to help corral War. Time ran out and the judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision to Gemini.
World Championship IV
The Four Horsemen vs. Lucky vs. Double Jeopardy Lucky and two of The Four Horsemen do battle. The first fight The Four Horsemen had was an untelevised rumble against veteran Lucky, and a robot it knocked out in its debut rumble, Double Jeopardy. In response, Pizza, Buttercup, War and Famine were chosen to fight. When the rumble began, the group found themselves under pressure from Lucky as Double Jeopardy missed with its cannon's projectile. Pizza soon faced trouble from Double Jeopardy, whom was trying to get it on the screws, but thankfully was unsuccessful. War then attacked Double Jeopardy's left side and ripped open the armor. This left Double Jeopardy mostly driving in circles, but still having the size and weight advantage. War then ran into the screws and spun out of control for a period before attacking its own team member Famine, whom immediately emitted smoke. Pizza was then pushed up over the screws and into the gap behind them where it couldn't move anymore. Buttercup was able to get under Double Jeopardy, but wasn't able to do much beyond that. With Double Jeopardy considered immobile, time ran out on the two remaining bots and the judges awarded Lucky a unanimous 3-0 decision.
The Four Horsemen vs. Extinguisher War strikes Extinguisher and makes a plenty sparks. Pizza hits Extinguisher's side. The Four Horsemen were then placed against newcomer Extinguisher. The Four Horsemen began the match pretty well as they able to avoid Extinguisher's rather sluggish weapon and even cause minor damage to Extinguisher's wedge. Buttercup was then caught by Extinguisher's hammer and flipped over, but it was invertible and able to continue the fight. Partway through, Daisy stopped moving as it had been hit by War as it was thrown into the air. Pizza was also able to get in an attack but only ended up costing itself damage in the process. Extinguisher was then down to half a drive system and eventually stopped moving but was able to get going before it could be counted out and survived to a judges' decision. The judges awarded The Four Horsemen a 2-1 split decision.
The Four Horsemen vs. Bloodsport Skye gets destroyed by Bloodsport. Pizza gets hit by Bloodsport then... ...shortly it was getting stuck by the screws. Buttercup's last wheel gets ripped off by Bloodsport. The Four Horsemen now were placed against newcomer Bloodsport and opted to go with Skye, Pizza, Buttercup, and Daisy, with Skye serving as the spinner killer. Unfortunately, the match didn't go as planned as Skye was immediately thrown across the arena with its weapon assembly breaking off as a result. With Skye out of commission, Pizza was next to take a hit and ended up on top of the screws, where it couldn't escape. Making matters worse, Buttercup and Daisy had also lost a wheel and were pretty much defenseless as Buttercup took the final hit. The Four Horsemen were counted out giving Bloodsport the win by KO.
The Four Horsemen vs. SubZero War is flipped out of the arena by SubZero. Buttercup is tossed into the air by SubZero. Famine strikes SubZero's rear. The Four Horsemen then fought veteran SubZero in another untelevised fight. The Four Horsemen opted for War, Famine, Buttercup and Daisy in this battle, though War was almost immediately tossed out of the arena by SubZero. This left the other three to fight. Famine managed to strike SubZero's back, causing smoke to emit from their opponent. The Four Horsemen were unable to do much as their opponent continued to slow down until it eventually stopped completely. Daisy and Buttercup brought SubZero to the arena barrier just before the count finished, and The Four Horsemen took the win by KO.
The Four Horsemen vs. Extinguisher vs. P1 War tore off one of Extinguisher's tire. The Four Horsemen also took part in an exhibition rumble with previous opponent Extinguisher and newcomer P1. The Four Horsemen started off rather poorly as they were taking hits from Extinguisher without being able to do much in return. However, War soon got its weapon into Extinguisher's left rear tire and tore it off before aiding in P1's attack on Extinguisher to put it on the screws. Extinguisher escaped, but wasn't able to do much afterwards as they were soon on fire. Due to safety concerns regarding Extinguisher's fire, the rumble was cut short and the judges awarded The Four Horsemen the win.

Results

Competitive Wins/Losses

• Wins: 3
• Losses: 5

Exhibition Wins/Losses

• Wins: 1
• Losses: 0

Total Wins/Losses

• Wins: 4
• Losses: 5

Competition	Wins	Losses
World Championship III	Gamma 9 & Double Jeopardy (Undercard Rumble)	Blacksmith (Undercard Match) Gemini (Undercard Match) Hypothermia (Untelevised USA vs. The World match)
World Championship IV	Extinguisher (Undercard Match) SubZero (Untelevised Undercard Match) Extinguisher & P1 (Exhibition Rumble)	Lucky (Untelevised Undercard Rumble) Bloodsport (Undercard Match)

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"Three bots in the box shouldn't be allowed, but it is. It's THE FOUR HORSEMEN!"

"These bots are galloping into the ring. Are their opponents ready? I say neighhh! *horse noises* It's THE FOUR HORSEMEN!".

"It's the Doomsday prepper. Don't lose focus. It comes at you like a swarm of locusts. It's THE FOUR HORSEMEN!"

"From the United Kingdom, all rise for the Mean of England, THE FOUR HORSEMEN!"

"These British bots will give your armor a Big Ben. They'll fry your circuits like a plate of fish and chips. Oi guv'ner! These bots is jolly good fighters they is! Saddle up for THE FOUR HORSEMEN!"

"These next bots are the devil in carnage. They are going to draw Bielsa blood with their hard-hitting dia-blows. You'll be begging Mephistoper please! It's THE FOUR HOURSEMEN!"

"One, two, three, four deadly robots on the floor. Five, six, seven, eight, they're about to decimate. Nine and ten?! It's THE FOUR HORSEMEN!"

"Like locusts, it'll strip you bare like biblical plague. Then you'll be like "S'warm, isn't it?" Storming the box, ready for battle. Aww... look at their little saddles. It's THE FOUR HORSEMEN!"

Trivia

• With the exception of Buttercup, all members of The Four Horsemen matches the color and the respective horsemen of the biblical beings sent as harbingers for the Last Judgement. Buttercup replaces Death, the pale horse.
• Having competed in no fewer than four rumbles, The Four Horsemen and Double Jeopardy share the record of fighting in the most rumbles in modern BattleBots.

See Also

• The Swarm (Robot Wars)
• Bigger Brother (Robot Wars)
• Little Sister (BattleBots)
• The Grubs (King of Bots)
• Eater (This is Fighting Robots)