Emperor Commodus fought as a gladiator in the Colosseum, planned to start the year in arena costume

Emperor Commodus performed in the Colosseum for fourteen days — killing wild animals, fighting as a gladiator and presenting himself as an incarnation of Hercules. His obsession with the arena ran so deep that he planned to greet the new year not in imperial robes, but in a gladiator's costume. The plan never came to pass — the emperor died before he could carry it out.