Whoever at
Comedy Central decided to give Battlebots the amount of coverage it has deserves major kudos. Its popularity is no surprise; this is the true successor to
flesh and bone gladiatorial combat.
True, Pro Wrestling had the whole personal combat thing going for a while, but it really only appeals to people who can get over the fact that none of it is real in the slightest - like a really cheap movie action sequence. Battlebots, on the other hand, thrives on the same appeal that made real-life gladiators so exciting - the fact that this is real honest to god combat. Sure, martial arts might be closer to the spirit of the real thing, but it's never had the publicity, plus it's moderated so as to avoid any real damage.
Battlebots, however, not only employs real, unlimited destruction, but also feeds on 20th century Man's general love of big machines - machines with big shiny moving parts of destruction moreso. I mean, let's face it - this is the start of mecha combat - in the future, if we're lucky, Battlebots will feature 20 ton robots in gigantic arenas firing missiles and going at it with vibroblades... And it all starts here.
Then there's the geek appeal - Not only are they big shiny machines, but it's all built by individuals, whom people like LordOmar obviously identify very strongly with. Of course, I myself am still hoping for the day that it all gets co-opted by Boeing and Lockheed-Martin for some truly impressive bots to be built.