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The robot's weaponry initially consisted of a pneumatic lifting spear at the front, which was replaced for Season 5.0 with a larger spatula weapon also adopted by Vlad the Impaler II. This was used in tandem with the robot's powerful four-wheel drive system, giving it a top speed of 35mph and the ability to ram opponents into BattleBox walls and hazards at high speed. Such was the force behind Vladiator's attacks that it was also capable of damaging the lexan enclosure on occasions.
Vladiator's power and speed were crucial to its run of success in the Comedy Central era, allowing it to win the Season 3.0 superheavyweight division in its debut appearance. This was followed by a quarterfinal finish in Season 4.0, and a runner-up finish in Season 5.0 in a truncated final match against Diesector.
Following the end of the Comedy Central run, Gage Cauchois left the robot combat scene altogether and spent years either cleaning up or rebuilding two of his robots. On November 17, 2006, Gage put Vladiator up for auction on eBay, where nine days later, it was ultimately won by and sold to Team Moon for $2,500.
In 2007, Vladiator returned to the robot combat scene with significant modifications to its drive, armor, and lifting wedge. It first competed in Twin Cities Mechwars 10, where it took advantage of a declining superheavyweight field to go undefeated by beating the likes of Stump Grinder and Psychotic Reaction. It then competed in RoboGames 2007, where it went 2-2, with notable matchups including those against fellow Comedy Central-era veterans RoboLoco and The Judge. Vladiator's last season of competition was in 2008, by which time it had also been equipped with a flamethrower attached to its front-left side. Its farewell event was the inaugural RoboGames Texas Cup in October, where it won two fights against The Judge[1] and another Comedy Central veteran, Steel Reign. Vladiator eventually fell to the legendary Ziggy in what would end up becoming its last-ever fight, and was retired shortly afterwards along with Team Moon's other Superheavyweight, Star Hawk.
Vladiator currently resides with New Cruelty builder Dick Stuplich, who continues to compete with Team Whyachi.
Robot History[]
Season 3.0[]
Vladiator vs. JuggerBot
Vladiator received a bye in the first round and matched up againsts JuggerBot. The two robots collided together very quickly, and JuggerBot got the upper hand due to its better traction. However, Gage Cauchois eventually got used to his robot's low traction and managed to use Vladiator's lifting spike against JuggerBot, and they each got a slam into the spikestrip. JuggerBot got a hit on the side of Vladiator that sent its spike through Vladiator's lexan, but Vladiator returned the favor by turning JuggerBot upside-down. The two robots continued to trade blows with Vladiator getting two more lifts in before the match ended. Vladiator won the match on a 28-17 judges' decision and it advanced to the TV rounds, where it faced Hammertime.
Vladiator vs. Hammertime
Vladiator pushes Hammertime against the spikestrip.
Vladiator attempts to free Hammertime from the spikestrip.
Both robots went straight to the middle of the BattleBox as Vladiator drove itself over the killsaws twice. Hammertime poitions iteslf in front of the killsaws, allowing Vladiator to get its lifting spike under Hammertime. Hammertime got a hit in with its overhead weapon and Vladiator attempted to take it to the screws, but Hammertime just escaped, leading Vladiator to drive itself into the screws instead. Vladiator repositioned itself for another shot at Hammertime, lifting it against the spikestrip. Both robots were driving around the BattleBox and after Vladiator got caught on the killsaws again, Gage Cauchois' bot managed to get its lifting spike under the front of Hammertime again, slamming it hard against the lexan wall. Vladiator backed away before charging into the rear of Hammertime, trying to lift it again but failing. Hammertime was momentarily interupted by the piston and Vladiator became caught on the killsaws once again. It was then Vladiator's turn to be attacked by the piston as it tried to lift its opponent once more. Hammertime attempted to land a hit atop Vladiator, but missed. It instead opted to push Vladiator with its hammer, but this proved ineffective as Vladiator was able to escape without harm. Hammertime got itself stuck on the spikestrip and Vladiator attempted to free its opponent with its lifting spike, but was unsuccessful in doing so. The fight was temporarily halted as Hammertime was manually freed by Crewbots off-camera. Hammertime attempted to get its hammer into play again late in the match, but struggled to land any of its attacks. Vladiator bullied Hammertime in the closing seconds but time ran out on the battle. Vladiator won on a 30-15 judges' decision and advanced to the Round of 16.
Vladiator vs. Revision Z
Vladiator lifts Revision Z.
Next up for Vladiator was Revision Z in a highlighted battle. At one point, Vladiator got its lifting arm underneath Revision Z and slammed it against the arena wall. After this, the time ran out and Vladiator won on a 30-15 judges' decision. This win put Vladiator to the quarterfinals.
Vladiator vs. Techno Destructo
Techno Destructo is flipped and derobed by Vladiator.
Vladiator faced Techno Destructo in the final eight. Despite Vladiator's great speed, Techno Destructo managed to stay close to Vladiator and was flipped once before slamming Techno Destructo against the wall and onto its back. With no way to self-right, Vladiator rammed the helpless Techno Destructo twice more, causing damage to Techno Destructo's two black plates that had covered its internals. Techno Destructo was now being counted out and Vladiator won the match by KO at 2:26. This victory put Vladiator through to the semifinals.
Vladiator vs. Diesector
Diesector on top of Vladiator.
One win away from another title fight, Vladiator now faced off against Diesector. Both robots started the match fairly evenly, pushing each other around. Vladiator was hit by Diesector's hammers a few times, but then flipped Diesector over with its lifting spike. From this moment onwards, Vladiator was the dominate one and became the more effective bot and started slamming Diesector into the walls, with one impact causing Donald Hutson's robot to fly into the air. Diesector attempted to push Vladiator into a pulverizer, but was hit by the hazard instead of Vladiator. Vladiator rammed Diesector into the spikestrip and into the same pulverizer. Vladiator was hit by Diesctor's hammers and got under by Diesector's wedge after Diesector escaped and began trying to push Vladiator into a pulverizer. Vladiator escaped and rammed Diesector once more. In the last thirty seconds of the fight, Vladiator was shoved into a pulverizer by Diesector, where it was hit several times while also taking punishment from Diesector's hammers. The fight ended with Vladiator evading from Diesector into the center of the BattleBox. Vladiator won on a close 24-21 judges' decision and advanced to the Superheavyweight finals.
Vladiator vs. Minion
Vladiator gets underneath Minion.
In the title decider, Vladiator met Christian Carlberg and Minion. Both robots were avoiding each other for the first 20 seconds but shortly after, Vladiator charged at Minion, avoiding its spinning flywheel. Vladiator then dashed at Minion a second time, but its opponent evaded the attack and Vladiator crashed into the spikestrip, becoming stuck. Vladiator struggled as Minion came in to hit Vladiator with its spinning flywheel, but little damage was caused. Vladiator was still stuck on the spikestrip as Minion retreated. It began to spin in victory as Vladiator was being counted out. However, Vladiator was able to escape from the spikestrip with only one second left on the count in a dramatic recovery. Vladiator started to take several runs at Minion as it struggled to get its spinning flywheel into play again. Vladiator got its lifting spike under Minion, pushing Minion across the BattleBox and dislodging a drive chain as Minion hit the entrance ramp. Vladiator pinned Minion for much of the closing stages, forced to retreat after the thirty second pin limit was enforced. The fight went the distance and Vladiator won on a 26 -19 judges' decision, becoming the new superheavyweight champion.
Superheavyweight Royal Rumble
Vladiator returned for the Superheavyweight Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament. It rammed Half Gassed, then gave a glancing-blow to Anubis. It also bashed The Judge at one point. It then went for Anubis again, then got flipped over by Toro and Vladiator retaliated by slamming Toro into the wall. It then rammed Electric Lunch, then carried Diesector to the wall. It almost rammed Electric Lunch again, then got attacked by Diesector. Vladiator started slowing down and eventually stopped functioning entirely, and was ignored for the remainder of the rumble as Toro was declared the winner.
Season 4.0[]
Vladiator vs. TriMangle
TriMangle breaks Vladiator's lifting spike.
Due to being the reigning Superheavyweight champion, Vladiator was allowed to skip the preliminary rounds of Season 4.0, where it eventually fought TriMangle. For this fight, all four of Vladiator’s wheels had been shielded by sturdy, metal plates, possibly as a response to TriMangle’s spinning blade. At the start of the match, both robots headed for the center of the BattleBox and TriMangle knocked Vladiator to the side with the rotating triangle. Unfortunately for TriMangle, the bot was plagued with radio issues throughout the match, leaving TriMangle unable to turn. This hit ripped off Vladiator's lifting spike and both bots were driving around the BattleBox. TriMangle suffered a lot of damage from the killsaws and towards the end of the match, TriMangle was rendered motionless. Vladiator drives over the rear of TriMangle and the time ran out soon after. Vladiator won on a 37-8 judges' decision and advanced to the Round of 16, where it faced Electric Lunch.
Vladiator vs. Electric Lunch
Vladiator won on a 27-18 judges' decision and advanced to the quarterfinals, where it faced Toro.
Vladiator vs. Toro
Toro flips the reigning champion, Vladiator, into the air.
Both robots went straight at each other and Toro completely misses Vladiator. Vladiator gets its spike caught in the floor and lifts itself off its front wheels. The two robots turn around and rammed into each other again. After a third hit, Vladiator's spike, which hadn't fully been reattached from its previous fight, flies off upon impact. Vladiator spins itself once, points its front end at Toro, and slams itself into the side of Toro, propelling both bots into the arena wall. Toro turns to get its flipping arm under Vladiator, and briefly does, but Vladiator drives away before Toro has a chance to activate it. Vladiator moves around the arena and drives into Toro's flipping arm, but Toro doesn't activate it and Vladiator drives to the other side of the BattleBox. Both robots meet over the killsaws and Toro tries to flip Vladiator, but Vladiator escapes and drives to the other side of the BattleBox. Vladiator drives straight at Toro and Toro flips Vladiator onto its back. Vladiator stops moving and Toro flips Vladiator again. Vladiator tries to run away, but Toro gets under its side and gives it another flip. Vladiator drives into Toro's front and gets flipped again. While Vladiator lands, it does a wheelie as it drives toward the entrance ramp. Toro gets right under the front of Vladiator, pushes a little, and flips it again. Vladiator drives forward and bounces off of Toro. Toro tries to flip Vladiator again, but misses. Vladiator went straight at Toro and started pushing it. Vladiator drives off to the side before Toro can flip Vladiator again. Toro tries to get under the back corner of Vladiator, but isn't able to flip it. Toro gets under the front of Vladiator again and flips it onto its back again right under the pulverizer. Vladiator rams into Toro again and starts to run away again. Toro gets under Vladiator's front, but raises the flipping arm too late. Vladiator heads toward the wall and Toro follows. Toro flips Vladiator toward the pulverizer and pins it there. Vladiator drives toward Toro and Toro flips it against the arena wall, rendering Vladiator incapacitated for the remainder of the match. Toro backed off and Vladiator was spinning its wheels helplessly. The time ran out and Toro won on a 32-13 judges' decision. This meant that Vladiator was eliminated from the tournament.
Superheavyweight Royal Rumble
Vladiator also participated the Superheavyweight Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament. It is unknown how well it performed, but what is known is that it lost overall to The Judge.
Season 5.0[]
Vladiator vs. Pro-AM
The damage Vladiator sustained to the rear from Pro-AM's disc.
Vladiator flips Pro-AM.
For Season 5.0, Vladiator ditched the spike for a new flipping spatula, along with some new wheels. Due to being a former Superheavyweight champion, Vladiator was able to skip the preliminary rounds of Season 5.0, where it faced Pro-AM. When the buzzer sounded, Pro-AM immediately went over Vladiator's flipping paddle twice. Then Pro-AM used its spinning blade to strike Vladiator once while being flipped into the air by Vladiator, the second time around managed to flip Vladiator on its back. Vladiator got underneath Pro-AM once again and drove it to the screws. Pro-AM's blade then embedded itself into Vladiator's back, driving it to the spikes and then the pulverizer. After a while, Vladiator used its speed to push Pro-AM into the spikes before both robots were sent over the killsaws. Vladiator got underneath Pro-AM one last time before the time ran out. In the end, Vladiator won on a controversial 25-20 judges' decision, one which the live crowd and Pro-AM builder Mike Konshak notably disagreed with.
Vladiator vs. The Probe
Vladiator pushes The Probe against the base of the screws.
After an unpopular victory, Vladiator advanced to the Round of 16, where it faced The Probe. After Vladiator pushed The Probe against the base of the screws, The Probe stopped moving and Vladiator won by KO. This win put Vladiator to the quarterfinals again, where it faced Codebreaker.
Vladiator vs. Codebreaker
Vladiator gets launched in the air by the killsaws before getting flipped by Codebreaker's drum.
Early on in this top eight clash, Codebreaker hit the rear of Vladiator and Gage Cauchois' bot ran underneath its opponent. Codebreaker drove over Vladiator while it just avoids an attack from the pulverizer. Vladiator then scooped up Codebreaker and pinned it against the same pulverizer. After letting go, Vladiator got underneath Codebreaker again but Codebreaker managed to escape this time around. Vladiator then rammed Codebreaker into the spikes in another showing of aggression. After encounters with the screws, Vladiator began dashing across the BattleBox, taking advantage of its superior drive power and speed across the arena. Vladiator scooped its opponent once more as Codebreaker was thrown into the entrance ramp. Vladiator was upended by the killsaws and fully flipped over by Codebreaker in the closing moments. Both robots survive, but Vladiator won on a close 25-20 judges' decision and advanced to the Superheavyweight semifinals for the second time, where it faced Maximus.
Vladiator vs. Maximus
Maximus throwing Vladiator into the air.
In the match, both robots were pushing each other around the BattleBox and Maximus pushed Vladiator against the spikestrip. Shortly after this, Vladiator got its flipping wedge under the front left wheel of Maximus and flipped it onto its back. The flipped Maximus went straight at Vladiator and Vladiator flipped Maximus again. Maximus charged straight at the rear of Vladiator and almost flips it onto its side. After more pushing between both robots, Vladiator at one point penetrating the lexan wall, Maximus pinned Vladiator against the spikestrip before the time ran out. Vladiator won on a close 23-22 judges' decision and advanced to the Superheavyweight finals again.
Vladiator vs. Diesector
In its second title fight, Vladiator met Donald Hutson and fellow former Giant Nut winner Diesector. In an action-packed final, both Superheavyweights sent each other flying into the walls in showings of aggression and control. Though Vladiator suffered multiple blows from Diesector's side hammers, it managed to flip Diesector over on multiple occassions. The match was extremely close with neither robot showing a clear edge. However, while slamming into the wall multiple times, Vladiator caused one of the lexan panels to bend, crack and come loose, stopping the fight after one minute and 36 seconds due to safety concerns. Mentions of the wall breach were not made in the TV broadcast. After a period of deliberation in which they highlighted the risks posed by the damaged lexan panel, the judges evaluated the fight up until the stoppage. They ruled a 26-19 decision against Vladiator, making it the runner-up of the Season 5.0 Superheavyweight division.Vladiator did not compete in the Superheavyweight Royal Rumble due to an incident involving Nightmare during the Heavyweight Consolation Rumble.
"It's foul-tempered, ill-mannered, acerbic, churlish, cantankerous, and lots of other words I found with a Thesaurus. Won't you please welcome... VLADIATOR!"
"The general who became a slave. The slave who became a robot. The robot who defied an empire. Introducing VLADIATOR!"
"As is often the case with great ideas, wonderful in theory. Violent and bloody in practice. Here is VLADIATOR!"
"This is no summer blockbuster, no Oscar winning action flick. It's the steel spiked toning robot who's looking for an ass to kick. It's VLADIATOR!"
"Sprung from the same brain that created the great Vlad the Impaler, here is his younger nastier brother, VLADIATOR!"
"Some bots say 'do what to others as you would have them do one to you'. This one says, screw that! Here is VLADIATOR!"
"If he looks familiar, that's cause he's in just about every freakin' show! Introducing VLADIATOR!"
"A former champion looking to regain his throne. Introducing VLADIATOR!"
