Rocky 3s Thunderlips Fight Could Explain Why He Beat Drago

Rocky 3’s Thunderlips Fight Could Explain Why He Beat Drago

Rocky Balboa beating Ivan Drago in Rocky IV appears miraculous but Balboa had already taken down a massive blond giant, Thunderlips, in Rocky III.

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Rocky 3s Thunderlips Fight Could Explain Why He Beat Drago

Sylvester Stallone has released his Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago director’s cut but one of Rocky III’s villains could explain how the boxer defeated Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Stallone begins Rocky vs. Drago by showing six minutes of Rocky III and how Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) became friends with Balboa. Together, they prepared Rocky to beat Clubber Lang (Mr. T) but it’s Balboa’s fight with Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan) in Rocky III that may explain Rocky’s miraculous victory against Drago.

Before Clubber Lang challenged Rocky Balboa in Rocky III, the “Italian Stallion” participated in a boxer vs. wrestler match for charity. It was a clash between Rocky – boxing’s heavyweight champion of the world – and Thunderlips “the Ultimate Male,” the wrestling world champion. On paper, the fight was a mismatch because Thunderlips, who was billed at “almost seven feet” tall and 290 lbs, was a mountain of a man whereas Rocky Balboa was about a foot shorter and a lean 202 lbs. Thunderlips also unexpectedly went berzerk and made the fight “real.” He pummeled Balboa with hard-hitting wrestling moves before throwing the boxer into the third row as his wife Adrian (Talia Shire) watched. However, Rocky tore his gloves off, returned to the ring and fought back. The smaller champion choked out the hulking wrestler and slammed Thunderlips out of the squared circle. The match was ruled a draw and Thunderlips revealed he was putting on a show because “that’s the name of the game.”

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Balboa surviving Thunderlips in Rocky III goes a long way to explain how he was able to defeat Drago in Rocky IV. The Russian was also much bigger and stronger than Rocky, and Balboa was ridiculed for how “little” he was in comparison. Yet when it came time to fight, Balboa showed no signs of being intimidated by Lundgren’s Ivan Drago. This may be because Rocky has already stood across the ring from a towering blond hulk when he gave the massive pro wrestler as good as he got. Some of Rocky’s experience against Thunderlips also played into how he dealt with Drago during their Rocky IV bout. Both Balboa and Drago’s tempers flared early on and by the end of the second round, Ivan and Rocky broke out in a melee where they tumbled to the mat like wrestlers. Again, Rocky had been through a scrap like that before against the maniacal Thunderlips and Balboa kept his cool and stuck to his game plan to beat Drago.

Hulk Hogan was already a rising star when Stallone cast him as Thunderlips in Rocky III but after the sequel became a box office hit, Hogan’s wrestling career skyrocketed. Within two years, Hulk Hogan signed with Vince McMahon’s pre-WWE World Wrestling Federation, became World Champion and Hulk became the most popular professional wrestler in the world. Hogan knows he owes his meteoric rise to Stallone, and they remained friends over the years. In 2005, Stallone even inducted Hulk Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame. But considering the success Stallone found when he cast Hogan as Thunderlips in Rocky III, it’s possible Sly stuck to the mold of a tall, blond villain as the ultimate bad guy for Rocky IV.

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Before Rocky III, Balboa was an unknown Philadelphia club fighter who fought nobodies and had a poor boxing record. Rocky’s two fights against Apollo Creed showed he had an indomitable determination, which led him to beat Creed to become the heavyweight champion. Yet Rocky never faced anyone who was far stronger than him until he stood across from Thunderlips. Balboa likely learned a lot more about himself and what he’s capable of against Thunderlips than even he realized. This experience taking down a monster like the blond professional wrestler in Rocky III ended up serving him well in the ultimate fight of his career against Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/rocky-balboa-ivan-drago-win-thunderlips-fight-reason/

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