Actor and martial artist Dolph Lundgren had his breakthrough in the 1985 film Rocky IV. Starring alongside Sylvester Stallone, the movie featured him as Captain Ivan Drago. Stallone, who admitted hating Lundgren initially, showcased his commitment to the film and character, as he asked the martial artist to really hit him, resulting in the Rocky star being hospitalized for over a week.
However, it was not the only time Stallone suffered such a huge impact while filming the franchise, as the actor has shared that he also suffered a serious injury at the hands of the WWE legend Hulk Hogan while filming the third installment in the film series.
Sylvester Stallone Reveals the Most Severe Injury in His Career as an Action Star
During an interview with the legendary WWE star Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone reflected on the worst injury he has suffered in his career as an action star. And Stallone, who was hospitalized for nine days while filming Rocky IV with Dolph Lundgren, revealed that it was actually the WWE champion who gave him the hardest hit of his life.
Stallone shared that he ended up getting around 160 stitches after he tore the pec of the bone in a bench-pressing contest with Franco Columbu. While he described the experience as distressing, he also shared, “Truthfully, the hardest I was ever hit was actually by you, Hulk Hogan.” He further shared,
“You were really, really light on your feet that day for 310 pounds. You went up and caught me with your shin, believe it or not, on my collarbone. I collapsed to the ground. I’ll never forget I was laying there, and I was thinking, “I don’t want to look. I don’t want to look because that bone is sticking through my flesh, and it’s over. Here’s the end of the movie.”
Stallone shared that they did not put the scene in the movie, as the experience really “traumatized” him. He recalled the intense pain from the injury as the “worst actual impact” he had ever suffered. The actor also emphasized that wrestling isn’t devoid of trauma, saying that Hogan was going easy on him, and he still couldn’t see straight for three days.
Hulk Hogan Praise Sylvester Stallone For Rocky III
Rocky has been one of the most successful franchises of Sylvester Stallone’s career. And with his stunning performance in the movie series, the action star has also captivated the WWE legend Hulk Hogan, who had a brief cameo in the third installment of the franchise as Thunderlips.
“He just got the hell beat out of him. At that time, I was 28 years old, 320 pounds,” he said, as per ACE Universe. He also shared that despite the brutality, Stallone was eager to make the sequences and told him to repeat it. “I mean whether his nose was bleeding or he spits up blood one, you saw that, ‘That was great, let’s do it again,'” he shared.
During an interview with SiriusXM, the actor shared that Stallone did all his stunts. The WWE star also recalled the incident, saying, “I remember I hit him with a high knee in the shoulder,” and almost broke his collarbone. Hogan also shared that he worked with the actor in the 80s, and Stallone has not changed a bit.
The Rocky franchise is available on Max.
