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98-520: Robert " Rocky " Balboa (also known by his ring name the Italian Stallion ) is a fictional character and the titular protagonist of the Rocky film series . The character was created by Sylvester Stallone , who has also portrayed him in eight of the nine films in the franchise. He is depicted as a working class or poor Italian-American from the slums of Philadelphia who started out as

196-417: A club fighter and "enforcer" for a local Philly Mafia loan shark . He is portrayed as overcoming the obstacles that had occurred in his life and in his career as a professional boxer . While the story of his first film was partly inspired by a 1975 fight between underdog Chuck Wepner and heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (which nearly went the 15 round distance despite the odds), the inspiration for

294-433: A left-handed fighting style to a right-handed style , in an effort to both confuse Apollo and to protect his right eye in which had suffered a detached retina during the previous match. The rematch takes place and, after a brutal fight that leaves both men exhausted, knocked down and clinging to the ropes in an effort to stand back up, Rocky wins the title. By the start of Rocky III , set almost five years after Rocky won

392-403: A street fighter , but Tommy squares upon him, saying that he does not own him and wants his respect. Rocky then quickly starts to beat Tommy without giving him a chance, knocking him down. Rocky tells Tommy that, even though he admires him, he actually ruined their relationship. With Rocky's back turned, Tommy sucker punches him and starts attacking some of the bystanders on the side. Tommy gains

490-439: A coma after giving birth to her first child, Robert Jr. As Adrian comes out of the coma, she promises her full support to Rocky. Together, Mickey and Rocky train hard, focusing on Rocky's speed and improving his right-handed punching (Rocky being a southpaw ). At the same time, Creed is also focused on his training, taking this match much more seriously than the previous time. The rematch is set for Thanksgiving . Creed dominates

588-399: A condition that could lead to permanent blindness. He marries Adrian, who convinces Rocky to live outside boxing. However, Rocky, a grade-school drop-out, soon realizes that he has no white-collar skills beyond the eighth grade and is, in fact, barely literate. He does, however, improve his reading skills by reading books aloud to Adrian during her coma. The money he made in his match with Creed

686-466: A crowded hotel ballroom instead of training in Mighty Mick's. Shortly before the match, Rocky and Clubber's entourages erupt into a pandemonium free-for-all backstage; Mickey, trying to break it up, is shoved against a wall by Clubber, and goes into cardiac arrest. Rocky attempts to call off the match due to Mickey's condition, but he refuses to allow Rocky to cancel the fight. His condition worsens as

784-403: A dramatic life-changing situation. Paulie unknowingly had Rocky sign a power of attorney over to Rocky's investment accountant, who had embezzled and squandered all of his money on real estate deals gone sour. In addition, the accountant had failed to pay Rocky's taxes over the past six years and his mansion had been mortgaged by $ 400,000. Unwilling to go bankrupt, Rocky decides to participate in

882-479: A few more fights, including the one against Union Cane, but Adrian demands that Rocky should see a doctor first. Rocky's doctor, Presley Jensen, reveals that Rocky is suffering from a condition called Cavum septi pellucidi , which is brain damage caused by extremely heavy blows to the head. The effects are seemingly permanent and irreversible. With such a condition, it would make it impossible for Rocky to continue boxing in any state. At Adrian's urging, as well as with

980-465: A few others, their real name. One notable exception was made for David Otunga because of his real marriage to singer Jennifer Hudson at the time, which gave WWE some mainstream exposure. Low Ki used the alias "Senshi" during his second TNA stint to reserve his primary ring name for other use. A similar example is the team known as The Dudley Boyz in ECW and WWE and Team 3D elsewhere. WWE trademarked

1078-442: A fight. While Rocky is at a local bar, Tommy steps in and insults Rocky. Paulie insults Tommy back and is sucker-punched by Tommy. Rocky confronts Tommy and challenges him by saying "you knocked him down, why don't you try knocking me down?". When Duke intervenes and says that Tommy "only fights in the ring", Rocky explains to him that his "ring's outside". As both fighters head to the alley, Duke tries to persuade Tommy to not fight

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1176-452: A local club fighter who had never realized his potential and had instead become a collector for a local loan shark. He does not treat Rocky with much respect, and evicts him from his locker at the gym. Deep down, however, Mickey wants him to fulfill his great potential. When heavyweight champion Apollo Creed gives Rocky an unlikely shot at the title, Mickey approaches him about being his manager. Based on their uneasy prior relationship, Rocky

1274-519: A means of income, while Adrian returns to work at the J&;M Tropical Fish pet shop, where she was employed during the time she first met Rocky. Rocky asks Adrian, "Did we ever leave this place?". Rocky meets a young ruffian boxer from Oklahoma named Tommy Gunn ( Tommy Morrison ) and begins training him. Tommy slowly becomes an excellent fighter, but suffers from constantly being put in Rocky's shadow; he

1372-421: A rematch under the stress of being humiliated by the press for failing to beat Rocky convincingly, as well as his own knowledge that he did not give his best in the match. Creed demands a rematch with Rocky, stating that he would fight him 'anywhere, anyplace, anytime' to prove to the world that Rocky's feat was merely a fluke. Rocky initially declines and retires from boxing, having surgery for retinal detachment ,

1470-555: A rematch with the help of his former nemesis Apollo Creed and Apollo's trainer Tony "Duke" Evers. Meredith reprises the role of Mickey Goldmill in the fifth installment, in a flashback to before Rocky's second fight with Apollo, where he gives Rocky one last motivational speech before the match. He also gives Rocky a cufflink that belonged to Rocky Marciano as a gesture of gratitude for giving him newfound purpose and promises he'll always be with him when he dies and, should Rocky get hurt, use his words to motivate himself to get back up. It

1568-408: A result, it ends up with a split decision , Creed wins the fight and holds on to his title. Both combatants, battered beyond belief, agree that there would be no rematch. Rocky clearly does not mind about the outcome, as he only wanted to go the distance with Creed. After the match, Adrian climbs into the ring and embraces Rocky saying, "I love you!" After the match, Creed changes his mind and demands

1666-426: A right uppercut sending Tommy to the grill of a bus, defeating his former protégé. As Adrian and Robert tend to him, Rocky tells Adrian that she was right. The neighborhood's cheer is then silenced by Duke as he tries to sarcastically commend Rocky. He confronts Duke, who still continues to threaten him with a lawsuit. Since Rocky and his family have been declared bankrupt, Rocky clenches his fist and uppercuts Duke to

1764-399: A serious beating by Drago in the first round, despite Rocky's orders to stop the fight. In the second round, Creed continues to be brutally beaten by Drago, falling limp in the ring and dying. Feeling responsible for Creed's death and riddled with guilt by Drago's cold indifference, Rocky decides to take on Drago himself, but to do so, he has to surrender his championship. Rocky travels to

1862-452: A shocking turn of events, Rocky uses his brawling abilities to punish and humiliate Tommy. With his back against a gate, Rocky dodges several hooks from Tommy and manages to push him towards the gate, shoving him with brute force and a powerful left hook knocking Tommy down again. Duke threatens to sue Rocky if he touches him and becomes infuriated at Tommy. Tommy gets up and tackles Rocky to the ground and later lifts him up. Just as Robert joins

1960-596: A southpaw (left-handed boxer), Creed chooses Rocky because he likes Rocky's nickname, 'The Italian Stallion'. After getting picked by Creed, Rocky reunites with his estranged trainer, who convinces Rocky that he can help prepare him for the match. Mickey reveals that his career never got anywhere because he did not have a manager and he does not want the same thing to happen to Rocky. At the same time, Rocky begins dating Adrian. Rocky helps Adrian to become more self-confident and stand up for herself. Rocky confides in Adrian before

2058-407: A street fight with his former protégé Tommy Gunn he hallucinates Mickey telling him to get up motivating Rocky to win the fight against Tommy. At the film's climax Rocky gives his son the same cufflink Mickey gave him. This was the last time Burgess Meredith appeared without the use of archival footage, as he died on September 9, 1997. Mickey appears in the video games Rocky , Rocky Legends and

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2156-467: A threat to Rocky. In the final round, it starts out slow for both combatants. After a brief exchange of punches, Dixon catches Rocky with a strong blow, knocking down Rocky for the third time. As Rocky takes the knee, he looks to Robert in the corner and has flashbacks of his time with Adrian, remembering what she said to him about never giving up. As he slowly gets up, the crowd, along with Marie, starts to chant his name and he rises to Dixon's surprise. As

2254-754: A variation of it, sometimes modifying the spelling to better fit their gimmick , such as Dave Bautista becoming Batista (later reverting to his real name for his Hollywood acting career), Patricia Stratigeas becoming Trish Stratus , Jonathan Good becoming Jon Moxley , Bryan Danielson becoming Daniel Bryan (when he wrestled in WWE), Richard Fliehr becoming Ric Flair and Randall Poffo becoming Randy Savage . Others simply use part of their name, such as Bill Goldberg using Goldberg , Nicole Garcia-Colace using Nikki Bella , Mike Mizanin using The Miz , Cody Runnels using Cody Rhodes , and Michael Wardlow using Wardlow . Many female wrestlers go solely by their first name such as. It

2352-547: A young Sage Stallone ), Rocky reveals that Robert had moved to Vancouver with his girlfriend, because of the difficulties he faced trying to be independent in Philadelphia, but does check on his father every now and then. Pete, who initially wanted Rocky to be a part of his son, Leo's ( Gabriel Rosado ) team, challenges Donnie to fight his son, in which Rocky shows reluctance again, but then both agree. Instead of training at Mighty Mick's Gym, Rocky takes Donnie to train at

2450-461: Is 76 years old, which would have meant he was born in either 1898 or 1899; however, his memorial plaque in Rocky III says that he was born in 1905. It is possible that he lied about his age (stating that he was 23 when he was actually 17) to start boxing and kept up the pretense for the rest of his life. In the first film, Mickey manages his gym. One of the regulars in his gym is Rocky Balboa ,

2548-635: Is a fictional character created by Sylvester Stallone and portrayed by Burgess Meredith in the Rocky film series . Meredith was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the first film, as was his co-star Burt Young . The character's gravelly voice, intense demeanor and popular catchphrases helped make him highly recognizable as well as a common source of parody and satire in pop culture. Mickey may be based on Charley Goldman . Both were bantamweights, Jewish, and had similar-sounding names. In addition, Goldman

2646-646: Is a highly respected tradition in Mexican lucha libre for performers to hide their true identities, usually wrestling under masks, and revealing a luchador's identity without their permission is considered a serious offence with real-life consequences. Professional wrestlers are often referred to by their contemporaries by their ring name. In interviews, Bret Hart regularly referred to Mark Calaway, Curt Hennig, and Kevin Nash by their ring names ( The Undertaker , Mr. Perfect , and Diesel ). Ring names are often trademarked by

2744-448: Is also common for wrestlers of all genders to use a nickname in addition to their real name for marketability and other reasons. Ricky Steamboat is an atypical instance of a wrestler adopting a ring name to sound less intimidating, as his legal name of Richard Blood was considered unfitting for his babyface persona. Some (mostly independent ) wrestlers still go to great lengths to ensure that their real names are not publicly known. It

2842-435: Is determined to keep fighting. The match becomes a long and grueling battle for both competitors. Up into the 14th round, Rocky is nearly knocked out but manages to get back up and delivers some hard body shots, breaking Creed's ribs just before the bell. The 15th round comes to naught and Rocky manages to pummel Creed until the bell rings once more. It is the first time an opponent had lasted the full 15 rounds against him and as

2940-442: Is doing far better than he was in years prior in 1991. Rocky visits Adrian's graveside regularly and each year, on the anniversary of her death, takes a tour of the old places, where their relationship began and blossomed: the now-closed J&M Tropical Fish pet shop where Adrian worked, the former site of the ice skating rink where they had their first date and Rocky's old apartment, where they fell in love. Rocky's son, Robert Jr.,

3038-401: Is easily and quickly frittered away, so Adrian reclaims her part-time job at the J&M Tropical Fish pet shop. At first, Rocky seems to be unaffected by Creed's smear campaign, but his inexperience with money causes him to run into financial troubles. Rocky struggles to find employment with decent pay, when he is fired from a commercial studio, turned down for an office job, and even laid off at

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3136-417: Is going right in his life. Rocky gets his dream come true when the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Creed , decides that he wants to give an unknown fighter a chance to fight for the title after his intended challenger, Mac Lee Green, broke his hand while training. Creed was told that no other contender was available for a fight on New Years Day. Going against his trainer's warnings of Rocky being

3234-481: Is initially resistant, but nevertheless agrees to let Mickey train him. The match takes place on January 1, 1976, at the Philadelphia Spectrum . While Rocky loses the match to Creed based on scoring by the judges, he manages to last the full 15 rounds, a first for any of Creed's opponents. Rocky II picks up directly after the first film. Apollo challenges Rocky to a rematch while the two are still in

3332-405: Is looking for the final person to fight his trainee, light-heavyweight champion "Pretty" Ricky Conlan ( Tony Bellew ). While training, Rocky suddenly stalls, vomits, and collapses in the gym. After doing a string of test ordered by the doctors at the emergency room, Rocky is diagnosed with an early case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma , making him confront his own mortality. At first, Rocky is hesitant to

3430-571: Is nicknamed "Rocky's Robot" by the media. As Rocky is training Tommy, he becomes so distracted that he ends up neglecting Robert. On Christmas Eve, Tommy visits the Balboa residence and tells Rocky he wants to team up with Duke, but Rocky explains that dealing with Duke would be a dirty business. Tommy regrets being Rocky's protégé, drives off in a huff, and leaves him for good. Adrian attempts to comfort Rocky, but Rocky's frustration boils over. After they reconcile, Rocky meets Robert and they finally pick up

3528-448: Is now working as a struggling mid-level corporate employee and has been farther apart from his family over the years, but reluctantly joins Rocky to commemorate the anniversaries of his mother's death. An episode of ESPN 's program, Then and Now , airs featuring a computer-simulated fight between Rocky (in his prime) and the current champion, Mason "The Line" Dixon ( Antonio Tarver ). The simulation result sees Rocky winning by knockout in

3626-572: Is reluctant to come back to the sport of boxing after his brain damage and a one-off comeback. Days after his initial offer, Rocky recommends him to his friend, Pete Sporino ( Ritchie Coster ), who currently runs Mighty Mick's Gym. After deep thought, Rocky finally agrees to take Donnie as his new protégé. Wanting to train in the old-school style, Donnie moves in with Rocky, staying in Paulie's former room. Donnie notices an old picture of Rocky and his son, Robert (an actual picture of Sylvester Stallone and

3724-442: Is revealed that in his will, Mickey left his gym to Rocky's son, Robert Balboa Jr. When Rocky loses his fortune because of a tax discrepancy the gym remains the only asset they retain and, to earn income, Rocky opens the gym once again. Before this Rocky explores the abandoned gym and tearfully remembers Mickey's motivation speech feeling immense guilt to have lost everything he fought for feeling he let Mickey down. When Rocky gets into

3822-495: Is then restrained from finishing Rocky off. Glimpses of Ivan Drago, his loss to Clubber Lang during his first fight with him and Mickey's burial start to cloud his mind until he hears Mickey's voice, telling him that he is the champion and to get up. As Tommy walks away, convinced that he finally got what he wanted, Rocky rises up and calls him out for one more round and Tommy happily obliges. An adamant Duke reminds Tommy that if he loses this, he will terminate their association. In

3920-669: Is tired and wants to go home, but accidentally addresses her as Mickey. Upon returning to the United States (in a Soviet airplane), his press conference is interrupted by promoter George Washington Duke and Union Cane ( Michael Williams ). They challenge him to a title fight called "Lettin' it Go in Tokyo." Rocky hints about retirement and leaves without accepting the challenge. Once returning home, Rocky goes to say goodnight to his son, Robert Jr., but when Rocky goes downstairs, he overhears Adrian and Paulie arguing, which turns out to be

4018-599: Is unclear and undetermined how well he actually speaks the language, as his responses to Father Carmine are always in English. During the scene in Rocky in which Rocky takes Adrianna "Adrian" Pennino skating on Thanksgiving, he tells her, "Yeah – My old man, who was never the sharpest, told me I weren't born with much brain, so I better use my body." This encouraged him to take up boxing. He trained very hard so he could grow up to be like his idol Rocky Marciano . Unable to live on

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4116-447: Is very shy and scared of Rocky's tough appearance, even though Rocky is kind to her and shows her respect. Afterward, Rocky goes to collect a loan for his loan shark boss, Tony Gazzo. Even though the client, Bob, does not have all the money, Rocky does not break his thumbs, despite Gazzo ordering him to do so. Later, Rocky stops by the local boxing gym and finds out that his locker has been replaced by another local contender. Unknown to him,

4214-465: Is when Robert announces that he has resigned from his job to be at ringside. Rocky also reunites with his old trainer, Duke, and both men quickly realize that age and arthritis have sapped Rocky of any speed he once possessed. They decide to focus on one major remaining weapon: power. When the match begins, it appears to be as lopsided as everyone predicted, with Dixon's speed allowing him to dominate Rocky at will, knocking him down twice early on. However,

4312-714: The Philadelphia Museum of Art at the very bottom of the steps. 3 years later, in 2015, Rocky is visited at Adrian's by Donnie Creed ( Michael B. Jordan ) – Apollo's illegitimate son, who grew up serving time at a juvenile detention center in Los Angeles. After Donnie grew up, he worked as a securities firm at the Smith Boardley Financial Group, but eventually resigned to be a boxer and moved to Philadelphia. Donnie meets Rocky at Adrian's restaurant and requests him to train him, but Rocky

4410-485: The promotion that creates a character or gimmick for a performer. It is common to see one performer use a variety of ring names throughout their career, even if their overall persona remains similar. This is especially true in WWE , which has largely forced most wrestlers that have debuted since 2006 to use a WWE-owned ring name instead of a ring name that they used on the independent circuit or, such as with Daniel Bryan and

4508-737: The "Dudley Boyz" name, leading them to have to change their name when they went to TNA. The members' individual names were also trademarked by WWE, forcing them to have to change their names. WWE partially repealed the policy in 2015, allowing wrestlers who were well known in other promotions such as Samoa Joe , A.J. Styles , Shinsuke Nakamura , Austin Aries , Bobby Roode , and Eric Young to use their long-standing ring names (or, in Nakamura's and Roode's cases, their real names) as well as wrestlers who sign "Tier 2" NXT brand contracts such as Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa , who wrestle both on NXT and

4606-511: The 10-count and winning the rematch by knockout, thus becoming heavyweight champion of the world. Over the next five years, Rocky has successfully defended his title in ten consecutive matches against various contenders, amassing a wealthy fortune and worldwide fame in the process. In addition, Rocky also has an exhibition match against the World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, "Thunderlips" ( Hulk Hogan ), with

4704-629: The Drago fight, but he never sought a second or more informed opinion because he intended to retire anyway. Rocky's intentions were originally just to compete in small, local fights, but with the publicity of Rocky's return right on the heels of the embarrassing computer simulation, Mason Dixon's promoters convince Rocky to challenge the champ in an exhibition match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas . Originally against fighting an aged Rocky, Dixon recognizes

4802-469: The Front Street Gym, where he surprises Donnie with a corner team and apparel. Before the fight, Pete pulls Rocky aside to address the rumors of Donnie being Apollo's son, which Rocky confirms, and tells him that he should not speak of it to anyone else. After Donnie's win, the media heavily publicized the story of Apollo's infidelity, which catches the eye of Tommy Holiday ( Graham McTavish ), who

4900-466: The Shamrock meat packing facility. Despite Adrian's objections, and after Creed insults Rocky on national television and the newspaper, he agrees to the rematch. Without Adrian's support, however, Rocky becomes greatly discouraged and cannot concentrate on his training whatsoever, leaving Mick frustrated and worried. The now-pregnant Adrian goes into preterm labor on the job due to stress and slips into

4998-417: The champion soon realizes that Rocky will not back down and that the elderly Rocky "has bricks in his gloves". The tide turns when Dixon injures his hand while punching Rocky. This evens the playing field and allows Rocky to mount an offense, knocking Dixon down for the first time in the latter's career. During the subsequent rounds, Dixon's injury numbs up, which enables him to throw much harder punches and pose

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5096-463: The championship, Mickey has trained Rocky to a series of ten successful title defenses, before both men decide that it is time for them to retire (Mickey, now living with the Balboas in a mansion outside of Philadelphia, is suffering heart problems by this time, though he keeps this hidden from Rocky). As the announcement of Rocky's retirement is made, the brutal challenger James "Clubber" Lang accuses

5194-510: The cold mountains of Russia and undergoes rigorous training, even after being berated by Adrian, who said that Rocky could not win against Drago. His match against Drago takes place on Christmas Day 1985 in Moscow . With Evers assuming the role as his new trainer, Rocky trains hard using old-school methods within the mountainous terrain of Krasnoyarsk , Siberia , while Drago trains with state-of-the-art equipment and steroid enhancement. During

5292-407: The committee change their minds to renew his license. The brain damage Rocky is diagnosed within Rocky V is not addressed in this film, but in interviews, Stallone has said that the storyline explanation would have been that Rocky's brain damage was within the normal range for boxers. When tested for brain damage in Rocky V , Rocky was suffering the effects of a severe concussion as a result of

5390-483: The crowd, Rocky breaks free from Tommy's grip and performs a reversal that sends Tommy spiraling into a pile of trash cans. Both men now exchange punches with Rocky being the aggressor, making Tommy miss his shots. Rocky is then caught by a series of punches by Tommy, just as Adrian joins the crowd, but manages to parry Tommy and begins to walk him down with his devastating shots. Seeing the opportunity, Rocky goes to Tommy's body, then lands perfect headshots and finishes with

5488-593: The doctor's support, Rocky gravely acknowledges that it is time to retire and he reluctantly does so. His only remaining asset is the now-closed Mickey's Gym, which had been willed by Mickey to Robert, making it virtually untouchable by the IRS . After selling their mansion and auctioning some of their belongings, Rocky and the family now return to the old neighborhood, moving back into Adrian and Paulie's old house in South Philadelphia. Rocky reopens Mickey's Gym as

5586-717: The effects of treatment begin to weaken Rocky, and because of this, Donnie acts as a caregiver to Rocky while helping him get up and go to the restroom, and uses the medical facility to his advantage; shadowboxing in the corridors and running up the stairs, passing doctors and nurses. Ring name Ring names are much more common in professional wrestling than any other sport; famous examples include Terry Bollea becoming Hulk Hogan , Michael Shawn Hickenbottom becoming Shawn Michaels , Roderick Toombs becoming Roddy Piper , Dwayne Johnson becoming The Rock , Christopher Irvine becoming Chris Jericho , and Phillip Jack Brooks becoming CM Punk . A number of wrestlers adopted their real name or

5684-531: The ending of the first film. After the fight, Rocky visits Adrianna Pennino's grave and puts flowers on top, telling her, "Yo, Adrianne, we did it", which is a play on the second film's line, "Yo, Adrianne, I did it!". Rocky is last seen walking away from the grave and waving goodbye one last time. 9 years since Rocky's very last fight in Vegas and he is now in his late sixties, his brother-in-law Paulie had died in 2012. In addition, his statue has been re-installed at

5782-434: The fight but is fixated on knocking Rocky out, ignoring the advice of his trainer. The match goes on for the full 15 rounds again, with both Rocky and Creed falling to the canvas after Rocky lands a succession of left hands. As referee Lou Fillipo exercises his 10-count to the limit, both Creed and Rocky struggle to get back up and Creed falls back down in exhaustion. Rocky is able to get back up from sheer determination, beating

5880-516: The fight ended in a second-round knockout but does not tell Mickey that he lost. Rocky then tries to convince him that they need to go to the hospital, but instead he keeps talking, some of his last words being "I love you, kid", and dies. He is interred in a Jewish mausoleum outside of Philadelphia, the private service attended by Rocky, his wife Adrian, his brother-in-law Paulie and Goldmill's longtime friend and cornerman Al Silvani. Rocky, after having finished grieving Mickey, later defeats Clubber in

5978-541: The fight that, although he figures that he may not win, he wants to at least " go the distance ". On January 1, 1976, at the Philadelphia Spectrum , Rocky has his match with Creed, who did not take the fight seriously during training. In the first round, Rocky knocks Creed down, the first time he had ever been knocked down in his career and Creed responds by breaking Rocky's nose, the first time in his career. Creed soon realizes that, although Rocky does not have his level of skills, he has crippling, sledgehammer-like power and

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6076-675: The fight, the boxing record that was presented for each boxer was, for Rocky: 57 wins (54 by KO), 23 losses, and 1 draw; for Dixon: 33 wins (30 by KO). As news of the bout spreads, Robert begins to feel more pressure from being Rocky's son and makes an effort to discourage Rocky from fighting, blaming his own personal failings on his father's celebrity shadow, but Rocky rebukes him with some profound advice: to succeed in life, "it ain't about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward" and that blaming others would not help him. The day after this debate, father and son meet over Adrianna Pennino's grave and reconcile, which

6174-406: The final thirty seconds unfold, Dixon manages to catch Rocky with quick punches; however, an emotional Rocky retaliates with devastating punches of his own. The two exchange punches, but Rocky gets the final blow before the bell rings. In the end, the two fighters go the distance and show their appreciation for each other. Before the winner is announced, Rocky and his entourage make their way out of

6272-427: The first film, Rocky does not put his heart into the training properly, and this reinforces Mickey's belief that Rocky has become too comfortable (or "civilized") as champion. Before the match, pandemonium erupts backstage, with Lang shoving Mickey out of the way during a trash-talk exchange of words with Rocky, causing Mickey to suffer from cardiac arrest . Distraught over Lang's cold indifference, Rocky requests to call

6370-509: The first movie, earning Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. When Stallone reprised his role once again in 2015 for Creed , his performance received universal acclaim and he received his first Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor , along with his third Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor , the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and several other accolades. Robert "Rocky" Balboa

6468-469: The funeral, a depressed Rocky wanders the streets of Philadelphia until seeing the statue at the steps. In a fit of rage, Rocky throws his motorcycle helmet at the statue and takes off until he visits Mickey's now-abandoned gym. In the gym, Rocky meets Apollo Creed, who explains to Rocky, that when they fought, he won because he was competitive. He has the 'fire' Creed no longer has and the former champion convinces Rocky that he needs to get his fire ("the eye of

6566-439: The gut which lifts him off the ground, sending him to the hood of his own limousine, telling him "Sue me for what?". Rocky, Adrian, Robert, and Paulie walk away in good spirits as the neighborhood continues to cheer him on. Some time later, Rocky and his son run up the Philadelphia Museum of Art , where Rocky gives him a valuable possession of Mickey Goldmill's that had been passed on to him by Rocky Marciano . The two make up for

6664-407: The guy on the ground don't look too good either."). According to his memorial plaque, Mickey Goldmill was born on April 7, 1905, to a Jewish family. He boxed professionally from 1922 until 1947 and achieved great athletic success but never gained any measure of fame or material success. Mickey recalled that he once knocked his opponent, Ginny Russell, out of the ring the same day that Luis Firpo did

6762-483: The gym's owner and grizzled former boxer, Mickey Goldmill , does not dislike him, but considers Rocky's potential to be better than his effort. When Rocky leaves for home that night, he sees a young girl named Marie hanging around a bad crowd and walks her home. On the way, Rocky lectures her about staying away from the wrong people. However, once they get to her house, Marie assumes Rocky is trying to flirt with her, and dismisses him. Rocky walks home, frustrated how nothing

6860-434: The heavily favored Russian in the 15th round. After the match, Rocky gives a passionate thank-you speech to the crowd while receiving a standing ovation both from the crowd and the politicians in attendance. The year is 1985, shortly after the bout with Ivan Drago, and Rocky realizes while he is showering that he may have sustained some type of injury during the fight. His hands tremble relentlessly, and he tells Adrian that he

6958-458: The hospital; Mickey states that there will be no rematch and that, despite the decision of the judges, Balboa won the match. Eventually, after Apollo's efforts at publicly goading and embarrassing Rocky into a fight, Mickey again becomes his trainer for the rematch. For the second fight with a now-determined Apollo, he utilizes unique training methods (such as chasing and attempting to catch a chicken) to help Rocky gain speed. He also converts him from

7056-482: The independent circuit to keep their ring names (or, in Gargano's case, his real name). Gargano and Ciampa have since signed exclusive WWE contracts. "In-house" WWE wrestlers still use WWE-owned ring names. In rare cases, the rights to a wrestler's ring name may be owned by a company with little or no connection to professional wrestling, such as Marvel Comics ' ownership of the name Hulk Hogan until early 2003, which

7154-525: The low pay of club fights, and being unable to find work anywhere else, Rocky got a job as a collector for Tony Gazzo, the local loan shark, to make ends meet. By the end of 1975, Rocky had fought in 64 fights, winning 43 (40 KOs) and losing 21. Rocky was proud that he never had his nose broken in any of his amateur fighting career. His nickname is the Italian Stallion, from his Italian-American heritage. The first film begins on November 25, 1975, in

7252-624: The match ending in a draw. However, in 1981, during a dedication ceremony erecting a statue of Rocky in the city, Rocky is challenged by a young power-hungry fighter named James "Clubber" Lang ( Mr. T ), who has risen to the top of the rankings. Rocky begins having some issues with his trainer, Mickey Goldmill, due to his revelation of having faced "hand-picked" challengers that were "good fighters, but not 'killers'" which Lang seemingly is. Mickey insists that he would step down as Rocky's manager if he chooses to fight Lang, but Rocky convinces him to train him for one last match. However, just like Creed in

7350-461: The match goes on, but Mickey refuses to go to the hospital until the match is over, so the aides begin to keep him on life-support. Rocky, still distraught over Mickey's condition, is not fully focused on the match, is quickly overpowered and takes a merciless beating from his opponent. The fight only lasts two rounds before Clubber knocks him out. Eventually, Rocky returns to the dressing room to check on Mickey's condition. Rocky tells his trainer that

7448-415: The match off, but Mickey urges him on. A distracted Rocky attempts to knock Lang out early with a barrage of huge blows, but his lack of proper conditioning quickly wears him out. Lang, who has trained with ruthless vigor, recovers and easily knocks out Rocky in the second round, causing Rocky to lose his title. After the match, Rocky visits Mickey, who then dies of a heart attack , devastating Rocky. After

7546-521: The match, Drago gains the upper hand in the early moments, but in the second round, Rocky strikes back against Drago with a haymaker to the eye, cutting him. The match goes on in a bloody back-and-forth battle, with the Soviet crowd, who originally roots for Drago, beginning to cheer for Rocky, while Drago's handler becomes increasingly upset over his inability to finish Rocky. In the end, Rocky's superior stamina and determination to win perseveres and defeats

7644-424: The name, iconography and fighting style came from boxing legend Rocco Francis "Rocky Marciano" Marchegiano , though his surname coincidentally also resembles that of Middleweight Boxing Champion Thomas Rocco "Rocky Graziano" Barbella . The character is widely considered to be Stallone's most iconic role and is often considered the role that started his film career. He received critical acclaim for his performance in

7742-434: The opportunity to fight a legend and hopes to end all prognosticating about who would win as well as contentions that he has never had a truly great opponent or memorable match. In the media, commentators dismiss Rocky's chances and the merits of the fight, assuming that it will be one-sided due to Rocky's age, despite their original excitement with Rocky's return to the ring, and their doubts regarding Dixon's ability. Before

7840-413: The option of chemotherapy, as he remembers the pain Adrian experienced as she underwent treatment for ovarian cancer. After a bitter argument with the former heavyweight champion, Donnie, greatly impacted by his coach's diagnosis, makes a pact with Rocky that they would fight their battles together, as Donnie prepares for his bout with Conlan and as Rocky undergoes treatment. As Donnie moves on in training,

7938-431: The pieces. Rocky is still anxious as he watches the match with Tommy facing off against Union Cane on television with Paulie. As the match starts out small, Rocky begins to emote through the first couple of seconds of the fight as Cane becomes effective in hurting Tommy. As Tommy begins to make his adjustments as Rocky taught him, Rocky then mirrors his punches on a punching bag, which leaves his family concerned. Tommy wins

8036-565: The prefix "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Numerous boxers have used ring names or nicknames as their mode of identification during their professional boxing careers, particularly during the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The ring name "Kid" was particularly popular, indicating the boxer's comparative youth. Since the mid 20th century, ring names for boxers have typically been less common, although nicknames have become more popular in recent years. Famous examples of boxers who used ring names include: Mickey Goldmill Mickey Goldmill

8134-695: The rematch against Lang by K.O., dodging and absorbing Lang's best blows and still standing, regaining his world heavyweight title. After the match, Rocky and Creed meet again in Mickey's Gym, with Creed taking his "payment" for his training services: one last rematch, just the two of them, no spectators. Apollo Creed agrees to have an exhibition match against Soviet World Amateur Champion and Olympic gold medalist-turned-professional fighter Ivan Drago ( Dolph Lundgren ) in Las Vegas , with Rocky Balboa and Tony "Duke" Evers in his corner. Creed, past his prime but in good shape, again not taking his opponent seriously, takes

8232-400: The ring in celebration. As Dixon is announced the winner by split decision, Rocky thanks each and every one of his group and, with Robert and Paulie by his side, they turn Rocky around and raise his arms as the audience gives him a heartfelt standing ovation. Dixon is finally recognized as being a warrior for fighting through every round and Rocky proves to the world that he is no joke, mirroring

8330-518: The same to Jack Dempsey : September 14, 1923. He claimed that the reason his victory did not garner any media attention was that he did not have a manager, while Dempsey did. He retired in 1947, with a record of 72 wins, (70 by knockout) and 1 loss. In 1948 he opened a boxing gym in Philadelphia , Mighty Mick's Boxing, and began to train fighters. There is an apparent continuity error on Mickey's actual birth year. In late 1975, he tells Rocky that he

8428-582: The slums of the Kensington section of Philadelphia . Rocky Balboa is fighting Spider Rico in a local boxing ring called the Cambria Fight Club (nicknamed "The Bucket of Blood") inside a chapel. In the second round, Rico hits Rocky with a headbutt, leaving a gash on his forehead. Rocky then delivers a vicious barrage of punches, knocking Rico out. The next day, Rocky stops by the J&M Tropical Fish pet shop, where he meets Adrian Pennino. Adrian

8526-403: The tensions of the past few years and head into the museum together. In Jan 2006, 15 years after the events of Rocky V , Rocky, now in his late fifties, has been going through changing times in his life. He runs a small but highly successful restaurant and bar called 'Adrian's', named after his wife who died of ovarian cancer four years prior in 2002. Rocky is no longer depressed and broke, and

8624-518: The thirteenth round, which stirs up a discussion about the result if such a fight ever occurred. Inspired by the simulation and feeling he still has some "stuff in the basement" to deal with, Rocky decides to return to the ring and applies to renew his boxing license. Though Rocky passes the required physical with flying colors, the licensing committee denies his application, citing his advanced age and their moral duty to protect him from himself. Rocky responds to this with an impassioned speech of his own and

8722-468: The tiger") back. Along with his old trainer, Tony "Duke" Evers , Creed offers to train Rocky for a rematch against Lang, taking Rocky to Los Angeles . While training on the beach, Adrian and Rocky furiously debate, while Creed trains Rocky to help get him "back to basics." After a while, Rocky manages to put his doubts behind him and retain his spirit. Fighting with a style very reminiscent of Creed's own boxing technique mixed with his own style, Rocky wins

8820-448: The two of avoiding him, publicly taunting Rocky and making lascivious remarks to his wife Adrian. Finally, Rocky agrees to face Clubber in a match which he figures will be his last title defense. Mickey tells him that he will have to do it alone if he decides to have a match against Clubber, later admitting that all of his challengers were hand-picked, "good fighters" but not "killers" like Clubber. He states that Rocky, when he fought Apollo,

8918-407: The upper hand and tackles Rocky through a steel door into the street. The two engage in a street fight, which quickly garners the attention of the media, while also catching Robert and Adrian's attention as well. As the neighborhood gathers round to witness the fight, Tommy's punches begin to slow Rocky in his tracks due to his condition and he is knocked down, disoriented with Paulie at his side. Tommy

9016-411: The world heavyweight title from Union Cane by knockout. Visibly proud of Tommy, Rocky is surprised that Tommy credited his success to Duke instead of Rocky. However, Tommy is booed and ridiculed in the press conference, since he had never gone up against a "real contender" he is not regarded as a real champion or heir to the belt. This motivates Tommy, with prodding from Duke, to publicly challenge Rocky to

9114-458: The wrestler's gimmick changes, either subtly or dramatically. After debuting in WWE as the " Connecticut Blueblood " Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Paul Levesque's character later morphed into Triple H . A more drastic change sometimes occurs when a wrestler turns heroic or villainous , such as when Hulk Hogan joined the villainous nWo (New World Order) and became "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. His new attitude

9212-534: Was "supernatural", "hard", "nasty" and had a "cast-iron jaw", but has now gotten "civilized" and lost the hunger that allowed him to win. Upon this reveal, Rocky's confidence in himself is damaged greatly, making him even more eager to accept the challenge in order to prove his worth; he convinces Mickey to train him anyway, with the promise that this would be their last match. The matchup is set for August 15, 1981. Rocky, much to Mickey's frustration, does not take his training seriously, allowing fans to watch him train in

9310-597: Was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . He was the only child in a Roman Catholic , Italian-American or Italian immigrant family. Rocky appears to be fully or semi-fluent in the Italian language ; when Rocky is spoken to in Italian by his priest, Father Carmine, it is apparent that Rocky understands the language very well or fluently, including in a scene in which he translates Italian into English for Tommy Gunn. However, despite Rocky's obvious understanding of Italian, it

9408-596: Was due to Hogan being advertised as " The Incredible Hulk Hogan" early in his career, while Marvel owned the trademark for their comic book character. Sometimes, a wrestler will buy the rights to their own ring name; for example, Steve Borden owns the rights to the name Sting and licenses it to the musician of the same name . The wrestler formerly known as Test took this one step further and legally changed his name to "Andrew Test Martin". Jim Hellwig, known as The Ultimate Warrior , had his name legally changed to simply "Warrior". In many cases, ring names evolve over time as

9506-604: Was enhanced by changing his costume color scheme from his famous red and yellow to nWo's black and white. Steve Williams adopted the ring name Steve Austin to avoid confusion with the then-more established performer "Dr. Death" Steve Williams . Austin would wrestle under that name for several years before signing with the WWF and being given the name "the Ringmaster". This gimmick failed to catch on, and Austin reverted to his established name, reaching his greatest level of success with

9604-418: Was the boxing trainer of Rocky Marciano , on whom Rocky Balboa is largely based. Goldman trained Marciano in many ways similar to how Goldmill trained Balboa, such as tying their ankles together with string to teach them to spread their feet at the appropriate width. Goldman was (again like Goldmill) well known for making wise remarks (e.g. "A lot of people say Rocky [Marciano] don't look too good in there, but

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