1. By Alex Kroke

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

3. 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.

4. Gladiators suffered from: Broken Bones Infection Death Wrestlers Suffered from Broken Bones Torn Ligaments

5. 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)

6. 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)

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

8. Wrestlers Paid Multimillion dollar contracts Travel the world Train religiously Gladiators Treated like slaves Worked extremely hard to survive Fought to the death

9. Image Courtesy of upload.wikimedia,.org Ancient Gladiator School or “Ludus” Image courtesy of lighthousewrestling.com Weight and Training Facility used by Wrestlers

10. 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.

11. Gladiatorial Events Chariot Races Human vs. Human Combat Human vs. Animal Combat

12. Courtesy of sacred-destinations.com Pollice Verso ("Thumbs Down"), an 1872 painting of gladiatorial combat

13. Wrestling Events Television Shows Raw Smackdown ECW Superstars Pay Per Views Royal Rumble Summerslam Wrestlemania Etc.

14. Courtesy of wwfcharacters.googlepages.com The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels makes an extravagant entrance.

15. 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.