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SABotage was a middleweight robot built by Team Sabotage, which fought in four seasons of Comedy Central BattleBots.

It was a wedge-shaped robot armed with a CO2-powered lifting arm, which could double up as a clamping arm to control its opponents. This arm also featured teeth underneath to not only assist with its secondary use, but helped with its shark aesthetic in later seasons.

For Season 2.0, SABotage was painted pink and featured its lifting and clamping arm, but this was reworked into a flipper for Season 3.0. Unsatisfied with this, Team Sabotage reverted back to its dual purpose lifter and grabber for its final two seasons. SABotage's name derived from the surname of builder Matt Sabatino, hence the capitalization of the first three letters.

SABotage was a consistent performer in BattleBots, making the quarter-finals and semi-finals during its career. It returned for the NPC Charity Open in 2004 and performed modestly, finishing with a 2-2 record. Despite not competing since, SABotage resided with the team until 2022.

Team captain Matt Sabatino unfortunately passed away in May 2006 following a long illness.

Outside BattleBots[]

SabotageRW97

SABotage during Robot Wars 1997.

Sabotage was originally the name given to Matt Sabatino's featherweight entry for the 1997 US Robot Wars event.

In the opening round, Sabotage defeated Gorange and Buzzcut before losing to eventual runner-up Red-Green in the semi-finals.

Sabotage did not return to Robot Wars as the 1997 competition was the last to be held by founder Marc Thorpe.

Robot History[]

Season 2.0[]

SABotage vs. Red Scorpion

SABotage's first ever match in BattleBots was against Red Scorpion. SABotage immediately attacked Red Scorpion, who was attempting to make its way across the BattleBox. Red Scorpion showed relatively fast walking speed, but was not fast enough to turn towards its opponent. SABotage repeatedly got underneath the side of Red Scorpion and tried to flip it over, but was unsuccessful due to the size and weight of Red Scorpion. SABotage then started to drag Red Scorpion closer to the arena traps, nearly flipping Red Scorpion over in the process. SABotage finally held Red Scorpion off the ground for several seconds before taking the robot over the killsaws. The time ran out and SABotage won on a 42-3 judges' decision. This win put SABotage to the Round of 16, where it faced Bad Attitude.

SABotage vs. Bad Attitude

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SABotage flips Bad Attitude.

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SABotage gets pushed against the spikestrip by Bad Attitude.

Both robots met in the middle of the BattleBox, where Bad Attitude drove backwards into SABotage's flipper and got flipped by SABotage. Bad Attitude tried to hit SABotage, but ended up driving over the killsaws a couple times. SABotage got Bad Attitude clamped in its flipper momentarily, but Bad Attitude escaped. SABotage got underneath Bad Attitude once again, flipping it right side up. Bad Attitude was now able to get under SABotage, pushing it hard against the arena wall near the pulverizer, where SABotage got its back end punctured by the spikestrip. Bad Attitude repeatedly rammed SABotage, finally freeing it, and SABotage once again tossed Bad Attitude onto its back before the time ran out. Bad Attitude won on a 25-20 judges' decision and SABotage was eliminated from the tournament.

Middleweight Royal Rumble

Instigator rumble

SABotage lifts Instigator.

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SABotage lifts El Diablo toward the pulverizer.

SABotage also participated the Middleweight Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament. In the beginning, SABotage started moving around the BattleBox and SABotage was hit from the front by Team Loki's Turbo. After this, SABotage was moving around the BattleBox again and SABotage flipped Deadblow onto its back, which self-righted immediately. SABotage moved to the center of the BattleBox and lifted Instigator into the air. About nine seconds later, Instigator fell off and SABotage got pushed against the spikestrip by Deadblow. After flipping Bad Attitude onto its left side, SABotage got its lifting arm onto the left rear track of El Diablo and took it to the pulverizer. However, the pulverizer wasn't active and SABotage let El Diablo go with about 20 seconds left. SABotage was stuck on the spikestrip for a brief moment and escaped immediately before the time ran out. SABotage was one of few robots that were still moving in the end, but lost overall to Deadblow.

Season 3.0[]

SABotage vs. Huggy Bear

SABotagevshuggybear sf01

SABotage flips Huggy Bear.

Due to previously competing in Season 2.0, SABotage was allowed to skip the preliminary rounds of Season 3.0, where it faced Huggy Bear. This was a close match as Huggy Bear clamped SABotage at one point and pushed it under the pulverizer. Shortly after, SABoatge almost flipped Huggy Bear and was caught on the killsaws. In the end, SABotage won on a close 23-22 judges' decision and the crowd was booing because of the result of the match. Despite this, SABotage advanced to the Round of 16, where it faced Team Diginati's Double Agent.

SABotage vs. Double Agent

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SABotage flips Double Agent.

At the beginning, SABotage got underneath Double Agent's side and flipped it onto its back. Double Agent stumbled around the BattleBox and SABotage missed getting its arm underneath for most of the match. SABotage got underneath the front of Double Agent and almost flipped it, but it was only tipped. With about one minute and ten seconds left, SABotage finally flipped Double Agent back to its original position. Double Agent quickly drove over the killsaws, sending pieces of armor flying and sending Double Agent flying into SABotage. SABotage got underneath Double Agent's side and flipped it again before the time ran out. SABotage won on a 34-11 judges' decision and advanced to the middleweight quarter-finals, where it faced Twin Paradox.

SABotage vs. Twin Paradox

Sabotage vs Twin Paradox

SABotage flips Twin Paradox under the pulverizer.

In the match, SABotage managed to flip Twin Paradox onto its back, and then it drove Twin Paradox under the pulverizer, where it suffered numerous blows, which it eventually broke down despite its spinning disc remaining operational. SABotage won by KO at 1:43 and advanced to the middleweight semi-finals, where it faced Little Drummer Boy.

SABotage vs. Little Drummer Boy

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Little Drummer Boy flips SABotage.

In the beginning of the match, SABotage drives around Little Drummer Boy's side and managed to flip it ten seconds into the match. Little Drummer Boy stopped and reversed the direction of the spinning drum. It then backed into the wall, since it's driving upside-down. SABotage tried to flip it again, but got pushed back by the spinning drum of Little Drummer Boy. SABotage then took a hit from Little Drummer Boy. It tried to flip Little Drummer Boy, but Little Drummer Boy didn't quite tip over. Little Drummer Boy retaliated with a hit that flipped SABotage onto its rear end. SABotage brought in its lifting arm, and with some help from Little Drummer Boy, landed right side up again. Unfortunately, SABotage stopped moving, likely a result of radio interference. Little Drummer Boy hit it from the back and then from the side. All SABotage could do was raise the lifting arm as it was being counted out. Little Drummer Boy won by KO at 1:16 and SABotage was eliminated again, though it started moving after being counted out.

Middleweight Royal Rumble

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SABotage flips both Complete Control and Village Idiot.

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SABotage gets lifted by Complete Control.

SABotage again fought in the Middleweight Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament. In the beginning, SABotage flipped Twin Paradox onto its back and SABotage was almost overturned by T-Minus. SABotage bumped into the rear of Double Agent and SABotage got its flipping arm under the rear of T-Minus, but it missed. After this, SABotage was pushing Instigator around the BattleBox and SABotage pushed Double Agent against the base of the screws. SABotage got underneath the right side of Deadblow and tried to flip it onto its back, but it wasn't successful. As Complete Control was clamping into the left side of Village Idiot, SABotage got its flipping arm underneath the right side of Complete Control and flipped it onto its side along with Village Idiot. After this, SABotage was being pushed by Blade Runner for a brief moment and SABotage tried to free both Complete Control and Village Idiot. SABotage then flipped T-Wrex, who was breached on its own tail, and SABotage was being bumped around by Hazard, T-Minus and Alabama Slammer. Complete Control got its lifting arm underneath the rear of SABotage and lifted it. SABoatege came back and got its flipping arm underneath the rear of Complete Control, nearly flipping it onto its back. With only a few seconds left, SABotage was slowly moving in the center of the BattleBox. SABotage was one of few robots that were still moving in the end, but lost overall to T-Minus.

Season 4.0[]

SABotage vs. Pack Raptors

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SABotage lifts one of the Raptors off the BattleBox floor.

Due to previously competing in Season 3.0, SABotage was allowed to skip the preliminary rounds of Season 4.0, where it eventually fought Pack Raptors. In the beginning, the Pack Raptor on the right met SABotage first. While SABotage dealt with that one, the other one came in from the side. SABotage put the pointed ends of its lifting arm inside one of the Pack Raptors and lifted it into the air. The other Raptor came in and popped SABotage from the side, causing the other Raptor to fall off. While the other Raptor tried to do something with its lifting arm, SABotage simply pushed it into the arena wall. SABotage pushed one of the Raptors against the arena wall again and the other Raptor started to lift SABotage. One of the Raptors came in and scooted itself under SABotage while it was being lifted by the other Raptor. One of the Raptors pushed SABotage under the pulverizer and both robots moved to the other side of the BattleBox. Toward the end of the match, SABotage tipped one of the Raptors onto its side. After the killsaws were lowered, one of the Raptors bumped the other Raptor back onto its rear wheels, though it was still inverted. SABotage pushed one of the Raptors onto the killsaws again before the time ran out. SABotage won on a 26-19 judges' decision and advanced to the Round of 16, where it faced the unstoppable Hazard.

SABotage vs. Hazard

Hazardvssabotage4

Hazard destroys SABotage's back panel.

SABotage immediately took a shot from the killsaws as it drove around the BattleBox. The initial hit from the two middleweights was destructive, with parts of the lifting arm being torn off, the lifter getting bent to the left and the front left panel receiving a dent from Hazard's spinning bar. Thankfully, the next hit didn't do much, but SABotage's wheel was ripped by the hit after that, leaving it to spin in circles. Hit after hit, SABotage received more and more damage. SABotage's front panels were eventually bent towards each other, the rear panel was torn clean off and SABotage was left to smoke on top of the killsaws. SABotage was counted out and Hazard won by KO at 1:04. This meant that SABotage was eliminated from the tournament once again.

Middleweight Royal Rumble

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SABotage gets flipped by T-Minus.

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SABotage on its back.

SABotage once again fought in the Middleweight Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament, despite the damage taken from Hazard. Early on, SABotage got its lifting arm under the right side of Malvolio and almost flipped it onto its back. Malvolio hit SABotage's left wheel with its spinning hammers and SABotage pushed Heavy Metal Noise toward the spikestrip. After this, SABotage got underneath both Huggy Bear and Heavy Metal Noise. T-Minus pushed Heavy Metal Noise on top of SABotage and flipped them both. Heavy Metal Noise bounced off the arena wall and SABotage landed on its back. Huggy Bear and Psychotron pushed the flipped SABotage toward the spikestrip and SABotage was trying to self-right with its lifting arm. SABotage could not self-right and it was being bumped around the BattleBox by Huggy Bear and Psychotron. SABotage moved to the center of the BattleBox and it almost got flipped by Alabama Slammer. After this, SABotage was being pushed around the BattleBox by Heavy Metal Noise and SABotage stopped moving shortly after. T-Minus flipped SABotage onto its right side near the screws and it was left there for the rest of the rumble. In the end, Bad Attitude was declared the winner of the Royal Rumble.

Season 5.0[]

SABotage vs. Space Monkey

SABotagevsSpaceMonkey SF02

SABotage flips Space Monkey against the spikestrip.

SABotage was allowed to skip the preliminary rounds of Season 5.0, where it eventually faced Space Monkey. After flipping Space Monkey against the spikestrip at one point, it stopped moving and was counted out. SABotage won by KO and advanced to the Round of 16, where it faced Zion.

SABotage vs. Zion

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SABotage gets clamped by Zion.

After both robots were moving around the BattleBox, SABotage got underneath the arm of Zion and was able to lift it off the ground for a second. SABotage then accidentally got caught on Zion's lifting arm and Zion was able to clamp SABotage and move it under the pulverizer. SABotage took two hits from the pulverizer and SABotage managed to escape. Zion was not moving and SABotage pushed Zion under the pulverizer. As Zion took two hits from the pulverizer, SABotage accidentally got caught on the screws and was almost flipped from the impact. SABotage was then clamped again by Zion shortly after and SABotage escapes before the time ran out. Zion won on a close 23-22 judges' decision and SABotage was eliminated from the tournament once again.

2004 NPC Charity Open[]

SABotage vs. Major Punishment

NPC Open 2004 SABotage vs Major Punishment

SABotage lifting Major Punishment late on.

After receiving a bye in round one, SABotage went up against Major Punishment. Both robots drove around each other before Major Punishment managed to send something flying off SABotage. SABotage then clamped down on the front of Major Punishment, pushing it under the pulverizer. After a while, SABotage managed to lift Major Punishment and push it against the arena wall, only for Major Punishment to fall down. Both robots drove around each other for a while before SABotage managed to lift Major Punishment again. The two drove around for a while again before SABotage got Major Punishment from behind and lifted it up. The time ran out and SABotage won on a judges' decision. This win put SABotage to the winner's quarter-finals, where it faced Adonai.

SABotage vs. Adonai

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SABotage lifts Adonai against the corner of the arena.

SABotage went straight at Adonai, who was having driving issues, and started lifting it for a brief moment. Adonai was running away and SABotage caught Adonai from the rear. SABotage started lifting Adonai from the rear and pushed it against the arena wall. Adonai was still having driving issues and SABotage pushed it against the corner of the arena. SABotage started lifting Adonai and almost flipped it onto its back. SABotage backed away and Adonai was still having trouble leaving the corner of the arena. SABotage started lifting Adonai from the rear again and almost flipped it onto its back. After SABotage was lifting Adonai against the corner of the arena again, SABotage opened its jaws and clamped the rear of the immobile Adonai. SABotage took two hits from the pulverizer and pushed the immobile Adonai against the corner of the arena. After this, the buzzer sounded and SABotage won the match by KO. This win put SABotage to the winner's semi-finals, where it faced Z.I.P.

SABotage vs. Z.I.P.

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SABotage lifts Z.I.P.

In the match, Z.I.P. prevented SABotage from lifting it and pushed it against the arena wall multiple times. SABotage managed to get its lifting arm under Z.I.P. and started lifting it, carrying it over to the pulverizer where it was hammered until Z.I.P. escaped. After several more collisions between both robots, SABotage stopped moving at the 2 minute mark and Z.I.P. pushed it across the other side of the arena. After this, Z.I.P. rammed itself against the arena wall and drove itself over SABotage's lifting arm. Z.I.P. backed up and charged straight at the immobilized SABotage. After this, the buzzer sounded and Z.I.P. won the match by KO. This loss put SABotage to the loser's bracket, where it faced Team Whyachi's Falconizer.

SABotage vs. Falconizer

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SABotage gets tossed by Falcon's spinning drum.

Both robots were circling around each other and SABotage tried to lift Falconizer from the right side, but it was only a small lift and Falconizer easily dropped back onto the ground. Falconizer then managed to hit the front of SABotage with its spinning drum and ripped a piece off from the left side. Falconizer continued to hit SABotage and tossed it onto its back. As SABotage tried to self-right, Falconizer hit SABotage's lifting arm and tossed it back onto its feet. SABotage was moving around Falconizer and both robots collided into each other shortly after. SABotage then got its lifting arm underneath the left side of Falconizer and tried to lift it, but missed. Both robots backed up and Falconizer went straight at SABotage, tossing it onto its back once again. Falconizer continued hitting the flipped SABotage and SABotage tried to self-right again. However, SABotage wasn't able to and Falconizer tossed SABotage again with its spinning drum. SABotage was still on its back and Falconizer hit SABotage's right wheel. After this, SABotage was counted out and Falconizer won the match by KO. This meant that SABotage was eliminated from the tournament.

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 8
  • Losses: 6
TeamSabotage

Team Sabotage with SABotage at Season 4.0

Competition Wins Losses
Season 2.0 Red Scorpion Bad Attitude
Season 3.0 Huggy Bear

Double Agent

Twin Paradox

Little Drummer Boy
Season 4.0 Pack Raptors Hazard
Season 5.0 Space Monkey Zion
2004 NPC Charity Open

Bye

Major Punishment

Adonai

Z.I.P.

Falconizer

Mark Beiro Introductions[]

"He's a military strategy for which there is no defense. Introducing SABOTAGE!"

"He packs a punch and eats inferior robots for lunch. Introducing SABOTAGE!"

"You can pick up your crap and head back to your garage when your done tangling with SABOTAGE!"

"If you want nice and cuddly, try Lifetime. If you want mean and cruel, try SABOTAGE!"

"If at first you don't succeed, then you're screwed. There ain't no second chances with SABOTAGE!

Merchandise[]

Any appearances by SABotage in merchandise are listed below:

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