Sylvester Stallone is one of Hollywood’s hardmen and has cultivated an extremely macho persona over the past few decades. On top of being the star of in the Rambo series, he also played the titular boxer in Rocky.
By the time Rocky III hit cinemas, he began working with even (physically) bigger actors to fight on the big screen. But this didn’t go well for him with Hulk Hogan – who turns 69-years-old today on August 11, 2022.
Hulk Hogan was brought onto Rocky III as Thunderlips, the series’ world wrestling champion.
In the movie, he fought Rocky in a charity event before the narrative proper kicked off.
But Hogan didn’t hold back during their short battle on set.
Hogan reportedly put “three men in the hospital” during his fight scene. And Stallone didn’t get out unscathed either.
Stallone was reportedly left “battered and bruised” after shooting his scene with Hogan (Via Ultimate Classic Rock).
The actor himself told fans in 2006: “Truthfully, the hardest I was ever hit was actually by you, Hulk Hogan.”
In fact, the scenes Stallone filmed with Hogan weren’t even used in the final picture.
He said: “We didn’t put it in the movie because I was so traumatised.”
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Hogan described this draconian employment as “pretty barbaric”.
But it didn’t stop him from making up his mind.
He agreed to appear in Rocky III – against his employers’ wishes.
This meant that, just before Hogan started shooting with Stallone, he was fired from his spot in the WWF.
Although Hogan only appeared in the Rocky series briefly, Stallone has spoken about what happened to him after.
In an interview about the Rocky series, he joked that Thunderlips had changed careers.
“Thunderlips actually has moved on,” Stallone said. “Became kind of a producer of adult films. He became Thunderhips, is what happened.”
