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In the crowded basement of The Common Market, tucked between Duke University’s East Campus and Ninth Street, all my worlds collided.

My wife, Catherine Constantinou, joined me at a table at the edge of a makeshift wrestling ring to watch a guy dressed like a refugee from the old sci-fi movie Zardoz introduce grown humans dressed in cardboard robot costumes. They would battle for our entertainment and after each round, Joe Striks, a man who seemed fresh off a shift at Foot Locker, asked us to render judgment.

Like when the Catholic Converter – a tall black bot who carried a shield festooned with images of Pope Francis and reminded me for all the world of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail – went sprawling after a particularly energetic shove from the shiny but grumpy Looking for Sarah Connor. The Converter almost tumbled into an expensive video camera capturing footage of the fight.

“Are we still having fun?” Joe asked.

The humans behind the bots assured him that they were. The crowd cheered. Combat resumed.

What Even Is Giant Robot Fight Club?

Welcome to Giant Robot Fight Club. It’s been a monthly fixture at The Common Market since December 2024. Safe to say, the first rule of Giant Robot Fight Club is to talk about Giant Robot Fight Club as much as possible. I heard about it through the r/bullcity subreddit, and that’s how I got in touch with Griffin Hennelly (or HotDog Henly as he’s known in GRFC).

My wife’s an assistant public defender, but she also participates in improv classes at Mettlesome. I’m a journalist, but I’ve also spent nearly 27 years running an online interactive storytelling game called OtherSpace that sometimes involves virtual robots fighting each other. Ironically, judging these fights with humor and whip-quick wisecracks came much easier to Catherine.

HotDog’s background is in experimental comedy. In New York City, he built a small cult following around a psychedelic kids show for adults called Benny and Griff that used puppets and large set pieces. He moved to Durham to be closer to his wife’s family.

“I love this city, so I wanted to make the perfect show for Durham,” he said. “I thought about what kind of things people here liked to do. Most of the things I saw advertised were either some form of crafting, athletic clubs, or roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons. I was trying to think of ways to combine all of those things into one show. And while sitting in Common Market, I noticed the way the upper level looked down on the lower level felt kind of like a coliseum. The rest of the ideas sort of just flowed from that.”

During a break between bouts on the night we judged, HotDog performed the ritual nerd communion for the crowd – nacho cheese Doritos washed down with Mountain Dew.

In the six months since the battles started, he’s been astonished by the inventive robots, including Motherboard Superior (a giant robotic nun), the Pabst Blue Robot (made entirely from Pabst Blue Ribbon boxes), and a crowd favorite: Dread Bender (a punked-up Bender from Futurama).

A City of Storytellers in Cardboard Armor

Dread Bender is the creation of Vinny Faso, but the bot’s personality – loud, brash, unapologetically himself – resonated because of his brother Chris. They used to watch Futurama together growing up.

“Chris identified with Bender so much he even got a big tattoo of Bender drinking beer and smoking cigars, with flames around him, on his bicep,” Vinny Faso said.

Chris died last year in an accident in Florida. Vinny struggled with grief.

“I spent months isolating myself after his death and realized that it was important for me to re-engage with the world,” he said. “My wife, Jill, mentioned GRFC to me – people crafting cardboard robot costumes and fighting each other in the basement of a bar sounded like the weirdness I needed to get out of the house. We went to the first show, and I was immediately hooked.”

His fight club strategy? “Absolutely having fun. The audience is what drives me; when I can hear them cheering, booing, and having a good time, that’s what makes it a good night at GRFC. Win or lose, I want my fights to have big moments, heavy hits, and lots of throws and falls. It’s what the people want.”

For Sam Skuce, the battler behind Looking for Sarah Connor, the choice came naturally because he’s a huge fan of the Terminator films – “I will rewatch all the movies, even the ones everyone hates, every year or so” – and he works in robotics automation.

It’s even become a family affair – his daughter Ares went up against him during a previous fight night, and joined him during a battle the night Catherine and I watched.

“I really find it hilarious that Ares’ first ever paying job was for underage bar fighting,” Sam Skuce said. “She has a real afterschool job now, but she is eager to keep crushing her enemies.”

His wife and daughter are the true creatives, though: “Otherwise, LFSC would be a simple silver shoebox. The family that fights together will survive the robot apocalypse together.”

Anthony Wilborn came into the competition on our judging night as a last-minute challenger, disguised as the impressive Tri-Servo-Tops. He got drawn to Giant Robot Fight Club for a couple of reasons.

First, he’s passionate about waste diversion. “All the materials I’ve used for the suits, including protective gear, has been either diverted waste or thrifted, except the tape,” Wilborn said. “To me, if a group of people are getting enjoyment and fellowship out of what would otherwise be garbage, it’s a win for everyone.”

It has also proven to be a great activity to share with his 8-year-old nephew, Jackson, who helped build the first version of the suit and attended Wilborn’s first fight.

“I felt the broad concept and building process offer a good mix of silliness, real-world engineering, and anatomy to make it engaging and educational,” Wilborn said. “He had a great time at the show and helping me build the suit.”

The Catholic Converter, played by Michael McChesney, responded to my interview questions in character and, I have to say, as a guy who has been roleplaying imaginary characters for the better part of three decades on OtherSpace MUSH, I totally respected that choice.

For example, I asked how he chose his robot persona:

“The Catholic Converter was not chosen; it was born. Fashioned from a stolen catalytic converter by a mad homeless priest, the Catholic Converter was designed with one objective: spread the wrath of the Lord, by any means necessary. Catholic Converter’s entire purpose can be summed up by Psalm 3:7, Line 4: ‘Break the teeth of the wicked.’ This is the base code of all his programming.”

The Converter “fights with all the fury of the Old Testament, fused with the advanced technology of the modern age,” he said.

The fight club is ideal “to achieve his artificial life’s purpose, while also paying his rent.”

“Coming from a single, insane homeless priest father, he doesn’t have a lot of job prospects,” the Converter explained. “With three altar bots to feed, GRFC and the championship belt is his only option.”

He has certain expectations for the crowd that comes to see him triumph against his opponents.

“When people see the Catholic Converter enter the ring, they don’t just see a righteous smiting machine, heaven-sent on his holy crusade,” he said. “They see hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. Hope for unity, love, and peace among all people. But, most importantly, hope that whoever stands in the way of Catholic Converter will stand before St. Peter next.”

The Converter really delivered some solid blows against Looking for Sarah Connor in the third round of the final official bout, but I kept thinking about how LFSC toppled the Converter so dramatically. Catherine and I couldn’t agree on a winner.

“I call a conclave!” Catherine demanded when Joe asked for our decision.

That’s when The Oracle – the judge for the first fight club night in December – came down the stairs to break the tie in favor of the Catholic Converter.

The Oracle’s Judgment

Her real name is Kadia Kaloko and she works in electron microscopy. She first got involved in Giant Robot Fight Club because one of her co-workers – Jeff Crews, who plays Pink Pony Clubber – showed her a flyer on Instagram.

“It just sounded like good, wholesome, and crazy fun!” she said.

Kaloko has lived in Durham for 20 years. She thinks GRFC resonates here because “it has always been a city full of creativity and artistry, along with being one of the top areas for R&D and innovation in science and technology.”

“Giant Robot Fight Club happens to touch on both sides of that spectrum,” she said. “It’s the perfect marriage to showcase the creative talents of our local residents.”

So what makes for a great robot fight club contestant?

“I believe what separates a good robot from a great robot is how well they can engage the audience and how they contribute to the overall vibe of the show, from when they first step onto the mat to how they end a match whether they win or lose,” Kaloko said. “I’m an avid wrestling fan and I’ve watched how this show has evolved over the past six months. At first, it was a free-for-all, watching two bots just go at it and toss each other around, to where you now have storylines and character development.

“All the robot fighters have tapped into their creative think tanks and made the show much more lively, which makes me excited for how they’re going to push the envelope with their characters within the confines of putting on great matches.”

The club holds bouts on the second Saturday of each month. The next fights are planned for 7 to 9 p.m. on June 14. The Common Market is at 1821 Green St.

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