Gladiator

:This article is about the Roman professional fighter. For other uses of the word, see gladiator.

Gladiators in modern popular culture

Science fiction and fantasy

Gladiators are sometimes mentioned in science fiction, being depicted in the film The Running Man; as well as the games Battletech, Quake, and Unreal. The Unreal Tournament series is especially notable as a futuristic pro-wrestling take on gladiators.

Related Topics:
Science fiction - The Running Man - Battletech - Quake - Unreal

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The exploits of gladiators are also typical fare in the sword and sandal genre of fantasy films.

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Reality entertainment

For obvious human rights and liability reasons, it has been impossible to revive gladiator fights in the Ancient Roman sense (where the fight concludes with serious bodily injury or death). However, the controversial Bumfights videos have been described by some people as 'gladiator fights for the homeless'.

Related Topics:
Human rights - Liability - Bumfights

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In the U.S. during the 1990s, there was a game show called American Gladiators, and around the same time, World Wrestling Entertainment popularized a rather wild style of wrestling which some compared to gladiator combat. However, the competitors on American Gladiators never directly attacked each other, and the WWE fights are openly acknowledged to be staged performances, as opposed to actual competition.

Related Topics:
American Gladiators - World Wrestling Entertainment

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In California, Corcoran State Prison became infamous in 1997 when it was discovered that the guards were staging informal "gladiator" fights with the prisoners (some of which were videotaped). Such fights differ from true gladiator fights in that they were not state-sponsored or approved.

Related Topics:
California - Corcoran State Prison

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