WWE Superstars: Modern Day Gladiators?

By Alex Kroke

WWE Superstars: Modern Day Gladiators?

Spartacus, Batista, Commodus, Ezekiel, Verus, and Kane; remember these names. Some are Roman gladiators and the others are WWE wrestlers, but which is which?

Introduction

To begin, one major difference is the types of injuries that both gladiators and wrestlers attain during the actions they partake in, as well as the consequences of these injuries they suffer.

Injuries

Gladiators suffered from:Broken BonesInfectionDeath

Wrestlers Suffered fromBroken BonesTorn Ligaments

Injuries

Gangrene is the death of a body tissue or organ. - Carson-Dewitt (2009)

Staph Infection is caused by a bacterium that affects the skin, bones, and lungs. – McCoy (2009)

Injuries

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament is a major stabilizer of the knee. The highest degree of stress to the ligament occurs during: motions with a foot that is fixed and landing from a jump. – Schwager (2009)

Injuries

Another great difference between the Roman gladiators and World Wrestling Entertainment wrestlers resides in the way that these men are treated.

Treatment

WrestlersPaid Multimillion dollar contractsTravel the worldTrain religiously

GladiatorsTreated like slavesWorked extremely hard to surviveFought to the death

Treatment

Treatment

Image Courtesy of upload.wikimedia,.org

Ancient Gladiator School or “Ludus”

Image courtesy of lighthousewrestling.com

Weight and Training Facility used by Wrestlers

In spite of all these great differences, WWE superstars and Roman gladiators are very much alike. Both wrestling and gladiatorial games were made with the sole purpose to entertain the masses.

Entertainment

Gladiatorial EventsChariot RacesHuman vs. Human CombatHuman vs. Animal Combat

Entertainment

Entertainment

Courtesy of sacred-destinations.com

Pollice Verso ("Thumbs Down"), an 1872 painting of gladiatorial combat

Wrestling EventsTelevision Shows

RawSmackdownECWSuperstars

Pay Per ViewsRoyal RumbleSummerslamWrestlemaniaEtc.

Entertainment

Entertainment

Courtesy of wwfcharacters.googlepages.comThe Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels makes an extravagant

entrance.

In conclusion, gladiators and wrestlers come from completely different universes with separate lifestyles and situations, and have many similarities and differences. Are wrestlers modern day gladiators? You decide.

Conclusion