Tombstone's name comes from computer networking term 'tombstoning', meaning to kill something and have it stay dead. The robot became synonymous with the idea of using its large, exposed tires as bait for opponents to attack, and turning the robot in such a way as to deal an attack with its spinning bar instead. With one of the most destructive weapons in the field, former champion Tombstone remains one of the most successful robots in the BattleBots reboot, winning many of its fights by knockout. The design of Last Rites was inspired by Comedy Central BattleBots competitor M.O.E., but with Ray Billings wondering how it could work with two wheels instead of four.

Last Rites to this day remains one of the most vicious robots on the robotic combat circuit and holds a spot in the Combat Robot Hall of Fame. Its name was taken from the team's retired superheavyweight version.

The second Tombstone was a new version of the team's flagship heavyweight, Last Rites, as Ray Billings did not want to contractually tie up Last Rites to compete in BattleBots, so he built a new Last Rites specifically for the show. One of the only parts from the original 2004 design to be reused in its heavyweight design was the black spinning blade. It returned for the 2009 Pro Championship, finishing fourth overall. Originally a superheavyweight robot, Tombstone won the 2004 NPC Charity Open after twice beating The Judge. Tombstone is a heavyweight (formerly superheavyweight) robot built by Hardcore Robotics, which competed in the 2004 NPC Charity Open, 2009 Pro Championship and numerous BattleBots competitions from World Championship I up until the 2022 re:MARS all:STARS event.Įvery iteration of Tombstone has been a two-wheel drive, box-shaped robot armed with a large horizontally-spinning bar which weighs between 65-75lbs. It's unapologetically just a weapon.' - Ray Billings during World Championship I

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