Most Rocky fans know that Sylvester Stallone was willing to take stiff punches from the likes of Carl Weathers, Mr T, and Dolph Lundgren in order to create those horrendously hard-hitting scenes in the highly successful boxing movie franchise, but when Stallone cast pro wrestling superstar, Hulk Hogan as ‘Thunder Lips” in Rocky III, the action got so intense that bones were almost broken.
On August 26, 2024, Sylvester Stallone reposted and then responded to comments made in a prior interview that Hulk Hogan had given concerning the physicality displayed in the 1982 cinema classic. Not only did Rocky III bring us the gym playlist mainstay, Eye of the Tiger, and the emergence of Mr T’s Clubber Lang, but it also brought us that chaotic boxer versus wrestler bout to boot. In the movie, Rocky Balboa thought he was signing up for a charity match that was only supposed to be an exhibition, but Thunderlips had other ideas and ended up taking the Italian Stallion to the limit.
Hulk Hogan says Sylvester Stallone bodyslammed him for real in Rocky III
In one scene, Rocky picks up Thunderlips and bodyslams him outside of the ring. So, how did Stallone manage to raise Hogan, who weighted around twice his own bodyweight at the time? Was it a little movie magic? Not so says the WWE legend. “That was him,” explained Hogan. “Bro, if you don’t realize, he was like a buck 60 pounds, and I was like 320. And, he got me up, and he was wobbling. That was him. He did everything. He did all of his own stunts.”
And, when it came to taking a beating rather than dishing one out, Sly was just as eager to take his lumps in order to create the very best action sequences. “I mean, I powerslammed him, threw him in the corner, landed on him, and when I bounced off him the blood came out of his mouth,” recalled The Hulkster. Perhaps fearing that his first foray into Hollywood might be his last, Hogan sought his mentors approval, and was pleased to find out that Stallone was just as tough as any pro wrestler that he’d worked with. “He goes, oh, that was great!,” explains the wrestler, who revealed that he almost crushed his smaller foe. “Cuz I remember, I hit him with a high knee in the shoulder, in the corner, and almost broke his collarbone.”
In most movie fight scenes, punches are designed to miss an actors head but they are made to look real, due to the angle that they are shot at. The Rocky movies often bucked this trend however, because Stallone wanted each punch to look as authentic as possible. “I threw my punches straight into the forehead, when I threw them, you know?,” recalls Hogan. “And, I know I caught him with one real-good one, but he was a trooper, man.”
Sylvester Stallone says Hulk Hogan was the best puncher in Rocky
Of course, Rocky III was a gigantic success, surpassing Rocky I and II, and grossing more than $125 million during it’s North American theatrical run alone. Worldwide box office earnings reached around $270 million. Stallone had gotten himself into insane physical shape for the movie too, cutting down to 2.8% bodyfat for the role.
More than 40 years later, the bout between Rocky Balboa and Thunderlips remains one of the most memorable affairs in movie history. “WOW,” responded Sylvester Stallone after listening to Hogan’s remarks in the clip. “Hulk was the best. Fantastic athlete and threw the most amazing punches of all. Because he was bare fisted, I could actually feel his punch touching my skin, yet he knew how to pull back… Amazing!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBPCWTBBFUs
