Gladiatorial Combat is an ancient ritual in a Roman society that began with the Etruscans in Italy. This religious ceremony happened to honor a king or a great warrior when he died, in order to pay tribute to his soul and spirit. The events consisted of two warriors fighting until one of them dies. These events happened during the king's or a warrior's funeral ceremony.
I have turned this religious ceremony into an entertainment activity. When two slaves or criminals fought each other; it either ended up with one of them dead, or both were left alive. Slaves were fighting to gain their freedom and some of them continued to fight even thought they did not have to.
The Senate sponsored this show twice per year, where it spread widely in multiple territories and turned into a stage-play show performed by actors in all languages. However, each fighter had a couple of years to participate in these shows. Nevertheless, a fighter was considered extraordinary if he was able to win more than 10 times. The highest record to a gladiator was 88 wins over a lifetime.
There were two gladiators in the arena. The first, included the Gauls, Hoplites, Samnites, and the sector. The gladiator in this category either wore a heavy sword and a helmet that completely covered his face and body in an armor, or used less armor but covered himself in a huge five-foot-tall case for complete protection, yet slowing his movements.
On the other hand, the other gladiators category, or lighter armored opponents, were classified into Thracians and Retiarius. A Thracian wore little to no armors but held a small light shield of wood with a short curved sword. Thracians fought back and forth trying to stab the enemy. A Retiarius only wore a loincloth when fighting, and depended on dancing and skillful play to move freely around his opponent and trap him.