Answer:
The blood sports such as wild beast fighting and gladiatorial combat demonstrated Rome's superiority over nature and man. The beast fighting, speaks for itself, but the gladiatorial fighting evolved from a "mundus" or duty to a dead relative, to the vanquishing of prisoners of war or decadent slaves, which demonstrated Rome's superiority over her enemies. Over time the gladiators became professional but the superiority in combat was still an undercurrent in the games.