The Time Dolph Lundgren Nearly Killed Sylvester Stallone

Rocky IV is my favorite in the franchise. That is probably controversial, but the elements of the Cold War and Rocky defeating Drago is great. Sly crafted the perfect 80s villain in Ivan Drago. Creating a cold, methodical, soulless monster to contrast with Rocky’s hard-scrabble emotional wrecking ball resonated with a lot of fans. 

It is no secret that Stallone put himself through the physical wringer for these roles. Boxing is a demanding sport and Sly wanted to make sure he was in the best shape in order to look legitimate. 

Related: Sylvester Stallone Confesses Why Dolph Lundgren Was His Perfect Nemesis For ‘Rocky IV’

However, everything almost went entirely wrong. While filming the final boxing scene, Dolph Lundgren hit Stallone so hard, it nearly killed him. 

More via Fox:

“I didn’t feel it in the moment but, later that night, my heart started to swell, my blood pressure went up to 260 and I was going to be talking to angels,”

Lundgren can look back at it and laugh.

“You know, we all end up incurring all these injuries being an action star. I suppose that was one of the more interesting ones he’s been a part of,” Lundgren said with a chuckle. “I’m glad he made it. Good for me.”

Today, Dolph Lundgren looks like an absolute monster, can you imagine what he was like 35 years ago in peak physical condition? They were punching each other for real, which is absolutely crazy to me. 

That’s what makes these movies so real, is that that they aren’t pulling punches. The hits are real, the pain is real. 

Rocky IV The Ultimate Director’s Cut

Stallone recently re-cut the entire movie into an “Ultimate Director’s Cut” here is the trailer for it: 

As part of the film’s 35th-anniversary celebration, Stallone announced the release of a director’s cut edition. In total, 38 minutes of previously unreleased footage was added to the film, including the lengthening of both fight scenes and Apollo Creed’s funeral scene.

The director’s cut runs 93 minutes compared to the original cut’s 91 minutes.

One major cut was that of the scenes featuring Paulie’s robot. “The robot is going to the junkyard forever, no more robo.”

Scenes with Brigitte Nielsen playing Ludmilla were cut as well. Nielsen and Stallone were married in 1985, shortly after the film’s premiere, and divorced in 1987.

Here’s a video of Stallone discussing why he decided to transform the film. 

Thanks, Covid for a modern retelling of this classic.

Did you see the new version of Rocky IV? What’s your favorite Rocky movie? Let us know in the comments below.