Deadliest Warrior
Apache vs. Gladiator
In the ultimate fight to the death, who will be victorious: the Gladiators, superstar athletes of their time in a deadly arena, or the Apaches, stealthy silent killers of the American West? With vastly different arsenals, the fight is on stakes are high, and the warrior hungry for blood to decide who is the Deadliest Warrior?
In ancient Rome, strong, burly men were chosen from the ranks of the criminals and slaves to attend gladiatorial school where they learned to battle for their very lives. Thrown into the arena, they had no choice but to fight as hard as they could, battling to exit through the victor’s gate on their own two legs and not dragged, a dead carcass, through the loser’s. Though partially armored, they left their chests exposed as a badge of honor to their fighting skills. Fighting not for the crowds, but for their lands and their people, the Apache were fierce warriors of the American West, known for their silent, deadly group attacks. Skin smeared in clay to blend into the landscape, the Apache would disappear into the land after battle to fight another day, more vicious and victorious. Apache means “the enemy,” and these scalp-takers were a fearsome foe.
But the warrior is only half the fighting machine. We must also consider the weapons each man brings to the field of battle. The gladiator has a unique collection of weapons to bring him to victory. The cestus—the first-ever boxing glove, covered in metal spikes—and the scissor, a blocking and slicing weapon, worked together to deal death, revived for modern times by UFC fighting champion Chuck Liddell “The Ice Man.” The gladiator also comes armed with his three pronged spear known as the trident, a sling, and the sica, a curved sword of hardened steel, perfect for slicing around shields. The Apache counters with the tomahawk and the knife, both weapons deadly at close range or when thrown. They also being the war club, a lethal bludgeoning tool, and the bow and arrow, a silent long-distance killer than has stood the test of the millennia. Once the weapons are tested and the merits of the warriors weighed, who will triumph as the Deadliest Warrior?