It couldn't be, because it could never be. Only a favored few had direct access to the emperor. A gladiator, like an actor, was a shameful occupation in the eyes of true Romans and could not even come close to the princeps/emperor.
Perhaps there is a simple confusion of eras, although from the 5th century AD gladiatorial fights were forbidden in both the Western and Eastern Empires.
I think that for a successful continuation of the project, it should be fantasy based on Great Rome. Fantasy allows for any inaccuracies, and here is a good idea: the action takes place in some parallel reality, where the Empire would have existed until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, at least.
