>>1320948
The vast majority of gladiatorial games didn't end in death for the participants.

>>1320948
They began as ceremonial slave duels to honour the dead in etruscan and early roman history. Perhaps in the etruscan culture they were actual human sacrifices, but when they became a business of entertainment the gladiators would rarely die. It was expensive to replace a slave so the fights were more controlled and less violent than what you see on tv.

they didn't even try to kill each other. it wasn't even a real competition but scripted show comparable to modern day professional wrestling.
have you ever heard that meme how gladiators were fat so it would protect them from cuts and thought how retarded the idea was since you can easily stab through even the fattest fat?
that's because it's not about stopping the real cut intended to kill you but being able to take small fake cuts to spill a little blood without hurting yourself for real.