Robot Wars: Top 10 Greatest Upsets Part 2

This is part two of our top ten round up of what we think are the greatest upsets ever in Robot Wars. Part one was posted earlier in the week, so if you missed it you can catch up by clicking the link below:

» Robot Wars: Top 10 Greatest Upsets Part 1

5. Cassius vs Panic Attack (Series 2)

Cassius was by far the favourite to win Robot Wars Series 2, it was built by the same team who reached the Series 1 grand final with Recyclopse and was the first UK robot to successfully self-right in battle using its flipper arm. The Panic Attack team considered themselves very lucky to have reached the grand final in the first place, after having to run a second playoff gauntlet round in the semi-final to narrowly beat Mace. Nobody thought that the simple box design of Panic Attack could beat the far more effectively armed Cassius.

Once the battle started both robots showed good speed around the arena with Panic Attack even driving straight up Cassius' front ramp. Had Cassius used the flipper at that point, the battle could have been over very quickly. Panic Attack knew that their best chance was to push their opponent down the pit or into the House Robots, and were quick to take advantage when Cassius found itself positioned between them and the pit. They managed to catch Cassius off guard and push it straight down the pit before it had a chance to escape.

4. Chaos 2 vs Bigger Brother (Series 5)

Chaos 2 was the defending champion, having won both Robot Wars Series 3 and 4. Bigger Brother, while reaching the semi-finals in Series 3, went out in round 2 of its heat in Series 4. By this stage many people considered Chaos 2 to be almost unbeatable, although it had a very difficult battle with Wild Thing in the first round of the semi-finals before meeting Bigger Brother.

The battle started with a surprise as Bigger Brother flipped over Chaos 2, which then struggled to self-right and expended a significant amount of the CO2 gas used to power its flipper. Chaos 2 then retaliated, flipping Bigger Brother repeatedly against the pit release button. Shortly afterwards Chaos 2 momentarily stopped over the flame pit, allowing Bigger Brother to flip them over. Chaos 2 did not have enough CO2 left to self-right, and Bigger Brother kept the robot pinned down while Refbot counted them out. This was Chaos 2's first ever loss in the main UK championship.

3. Hypno-Disc vs Pussycat (Series 4)

This appeared to be an easy draw for Hypno-Disc in the first round of the Robot Wars Series 4 grand final, as Pussycat had relatively thin armour and highly exposed wheels. Hypno-Disc had a relatively easy route to the grand final, and after coming second in Series 3 many people predicted it would go all the way in Series 4. If it had beaten Pussycat, the Series 4 grand final would of been a rematch of the Series 3 final against Chaos 2.

As soon as the battle started, Hypno-Disc turned to the side to give it time to spin up the disc before attacking Pussycat. This tactic had worked well against earlier opponents, however this time it allowed Pussycat to drive straight across the arena and hit one of Hypno-Disc's rear wheel guard arches with its blade. The metal bent downwards onto the wheel itself, preventing it from turning and immobilising Hypno-Disc on one side. Pussycat pushed their opponent into the nearby CPZ where House Robot Shunt brought its axe down right into the disc of Hypno-Disc, stopping it instantly. Sir Killalot picked Hypno-Disc up and dropped it into the pit.

2. Razer vs Pussycat (Series 4)

Before meeting Hypno-Disc in the grand final, Pussycat had already caused a major upset in its heat final against the World Champion Razer. While Razer had suffered from mechanical breakdowns in both Series 2 and 3, they had won the First World Championship and looked on good form to do well in Robot Wars Series 4. With Pussycat's weak armour and exposed wheels, the Razer team were confident their three tonne hydraulic crusher could do serious damage to their opponent.

The battle started with Razer attempting to get a grip on Pussycat with its claw, but the unique design of Pussycat made it very difficult to get hold of. Pussycats blade then made contact with Razer and while it didn't appear any damage was sustained, it became apparent that Razer was stuck in forward drive and was not responding to its radio controls. After further examination it turned out that Pussycat's blade had caused the radio control switch inside Razer to fall apart, leaving the team with no control over their machine.

The Razer team were unhappy with the amount of damage Pussycat inflicted after Razer was immobilised, leading to a grudge match in Robot Wars Extreme. The video below includes both fights, the Series 4 one followed by the grudge match.

1. Hypno-Disc vs Bigger Brother (Series 5)

Despite having beaten top seed Chaos 2 on route, Bigger Brother were up against it when they met Hypno-Disc in the first round of the grand final. Bigger Brother knew they had to keep their back panel facing the weapon of their opponent as it was the strongest part of their armour, and had the best chance of withstanding the powerful and hugely destructive spinning disc.

The fight began well for Bigger Brother, as they successfully rammed Hypno-Disc with the stronger rear armour and even attempted to flip their opponent over. Hypno-Disc responded by attacking the sides of Bigger Brother, puncturing huge holes into it and eventually ripping the flipper from its hinges. Bigger Brother was still mobile however and managed to release the pit just as Hypno-Disc was in the ideal place to be pushed into it. For a few moments Hypno-Disc was left teetering on the edge of the pit before Bigger Brother pushed them down to reach the final.

With that, we conclude our round up of the ten greatest Robot Wars upsets of all time! Stay tuned for more in the near future, but in the mean time why not take a look at our section dedicated to Robot Wars?