As you know gladiators were slaves, and slaves were costly to the owners. So I thought that maybe the fights were scripted to please the crowds. Moreover if you think about it the helmets and gears are technically costumes but also protective to avoid any accidents. Any historians that might have an idea on the topic?
There is no evidence that the fights were scripted. Since losers died approximately 1/3 of the time, there would be a strong motivation to not accept being on the losing side of a scripted fight.
That said, there was an element of showmanship (to please the crowd) and (probably, usually) an element of cooperation to reduce the chance of killing the opponent (who was usually from the same gladiator company).
For more, see my past answer in: