Finally, it has arrived... American Gladiators is back!!! I've been waiting anxiously for the return of the athletic-inspired competition that pits mortal men and women, like you and me, versus Gladiators with bodies that make make Adonis insecure.
The original series ran from 1989 to 1996 in syndication. Contestants battled each other in a series of events versus Gladiator competition; Man versus man, woman versus woman earning points for the final showdown.....The Eliminator!
Some of the events were Assault, Powerball, Breakthrough and Conquer, Joust, Human Cannonball, The Wall, Atlasphere, Hang Tough, Swingshot, The Maze, Sky Track, Gauntlet, Pyramid, Tug-O-War, Whiplash, Snapback. *Assault, the Joust, Breakthrough and Conquer, Powerball
, and The Wall were the only events to be played on all seven seasons of the original show. In the 2008 version Assault, Joust, Powerball, Gauntlet, Hang Tough, Pyramid, and the Wall have returned....
Donned in a very Americana red, white and blue some Gladiators came and went and many were replaced along the way. My favorite was Laser, the only Gladiator to participate in all seasons of the original run.
Mike Adamle was the main voice of the show and had many a co-host including other former NFLers Larry Csonka, Joe Theisman and Todd Christensen.
The new show debuted on Sunday the 6th with back-to-back pre-taped episodes. The Gladiators now wear black and silver uniforms (you know- VERY American) and the show is "hosted" by WWE star Hulk Hogan and female boxer Layla Ali. Most of the 
show is narrated and Hogan and Ali just interview, and invterview and interview....competitors are interviewed before and/or after every event. It does a good job promoting trash-talking but makes the show short on events.
The Gladiators seem a little more fierce with the competition- and like many of them from the 90s, are a wee bit cheesy. My "favorite" is Wolf who (appropriately) howls like a wold before and after contests he's in.....The best part about Wolf is he's a dead ringer for Dodgeball's White Goodman (or at least his mural):
Anyone catch the new gladiators or have thoughts on the old?
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