History Film / RockyIII

* OhCrap: Rocky gets a pair of them, one comedic and the other both tragic and plot relevant...

*** Thunderlips gets one after Rocky strips his gloves off and lands an extremely hard punch on his solar plexus. He doubles over in pain and it's clear from his facial expression that he was ''not'' expecting to be hit that hard.

* ArtisticLicenseSports: Lang repeatedly hits opponents who are already on their knees (considered legally knocked down) without getting disqualified, even shoving the referees out of the way to do so.

** Rocky does this to Clubber in the climax of their rematch, where he {{no sell}}s the increasingly panicking and frustrated Lang's devastating blows. Unlike many other examples of this trope, though, it's not a result of Rocky being tough enough to NoSell Lang's punches, which are clearly shown to be devastating; Rocky is using defense and movement to take the effect out of Lang's blows until Lang simply became too tired to swing with full force.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: For Mr T. While his persona and well known "Pity the fool" catchphrase were first popularized in ''Rocky III'', the movie has Mr. T hitting on Rocky's wife to antagonize him, far removed from the Mr. T who would become well known for telling kids to stay in school and to not do drugs, and being very respectful to women.

*** ''Rocky III'': Rocky Balboa, an ultra-famous boxing champion, is brought to a Boxer vs. Wrestler bout against who is implied to be a similarly popular pro wrestler, Thunderlips. He initially thinks the match is going to be worked in the pro wrestling tradition, but at the beginning of the match Thunderlips reveal it is going to be a real fight, and Rocky's camp has to intervene to save him from a more than likely defeat (in this case, by having Paulie hitting the wrestler with a stool). After the match, Rocky and Thunderlips have a friendly exchange.

* RuleOfPool: Balboa pulls a full clothed Paulie into the pool during the training montage, mostly ForTheFunnyz.

* TookALevelInBadass: After Rocky's defeat by Clubber Lang, Apollo decides to help Rocky and train him in the more refined and complex aspects of boxing. Suddenly Rocky goes from UnskilledButStrong to a MasterOfAll with [[LightningBruiser speed and power,]] [[CounterAttack capable of reading his opponents and reacting properly]] and [[SpeedBlitz quickly raining down devastating punches.]]
* ThrowItIn: An in-universe example. When Rocky is training to fight Clubber Lang, he gets a kiss on the cheek by one of his fans while Mickey is trying to motivate him. After Mickey shoves said fan away he improvises his speech a little without skipping a beat.

* {{Deconstruction}}: Largely of the previous two movies and their climactic fights. While Rocky is a talented fighter, he won his title largely because of an almost supernatural ability to take a beating for fifteen rounds until Apollo wore himself out. Due to the very real possibility of him suffering a CareerEndingInjury using this approach, and combined with his relatively advanced age for a boxer and his tendency to lose focus on his training that was seen to have in the second film, Mickey had to choose Rocky's opponents carefully rather than setting him up with top contenders. It's also shown that Rocky's style has a major vulnerability, which is that if he's up against someone who can actually hit hard enough to significantly hurt him (like, say, Clubber Lang), it completely derails his usual approach that he utilized against Apollo and, thus, due to Rocky's lack of versatility, leaves him with no backup plan. Rocky has to be rebuilt from the ground up in a completely different style, which achieves a similar result in a much faster (and thus safer) time frame, to become a truly great champion.

** This is Clubber Lang's entire fighting style - he throws brutal, hard punches and relies on power and speed over endurance.

* NoSell: Paulie smashes a wooden chair on Thunderlips' back and only gets himself headlock-punched down for all his effort. The attack, however, is enough to distract the wrestler and allow Rocky to hop on his back and lock an unlikely sleeper hold.

** ''Rocky III'': Rocky Balboa, a tough boxer from Philadelphia famous for his left hook who does his roadwork in the city (including the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art) and uses meat carcasses as makeshift punching bags, reaches the pinnacle of his career with victory over the quick, brash and charismatic Apollo Creed. After a number of defenses which his manager eventually admits were handpicked and posed no threat to Rocky, he then decides to defend his title against hard hitting slugger Clubber Lang, and is knocked out in two rounds. Afterward, Apollo Creed, (who is the analogue for Muhammad Ali) trains Rocky to fight in a different way, mirroring Apollo's own style. Rocky begins his rematch with Clubber doing very well by boxing and using HitAndRunTactics, but when Lang finds a way to start getting to him, Rocky makes a mid-fight switch, starts using StoneWall defense to defend against the worst of Lang's punches while taunting Lang for his inability to knock Rocky out. Lang quickly exhausts himself trying to KO Rocky, and then Rocky comes back and knocks him out. ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZhn6v9mHvc Link]])

** ''Rocky III'': Rocky Balboa, an ultra-famous boxing champion, is brought to a Boxer vs. Wrestler bout against who is implied to be a similarly popular pro wrestler, Thunderlips. He initially thinks the match is going to be worked in the pro wrestling tradition, but at the beginning of the match Thunderlips reveal it is going to be a real fight, and Rocky's camp has to intervene to save him from a more than likely defeat (in this case, by having Paulie hitting the wrestler with a stool). After the match, Rocky and Thunderlips have a friendly exchange.

* ScaryBlackMan: Clubber Lang absolutely plays this role to the hilt, as an ex street fighter turned ruthless, knockout machine of a boxer who trash talks and attacks anyone around him on a moment's notice. Look at the look on Mickey's face at the end of Clubber's training/fight montage at the beginning of the movie. The man is clearly ''terrified'' by the prospect of Rocky getting in the ring with this challenger!
* SincerityMode: During an interview with the upcoming rematch against Rocky, Lang admits that he doesn't hate the guy, but he "pities the fool!" When he was asked about his prediction for the match, without any personal bias, he tones down his usual attitude and simply responded with "pain."

** Thunderlips is a full head taller than Rocky and able to pick him up and throw him around with ease, yet as Rocky himself notes, very fast for his size.

* WritersCannotDoMath: The characters refer to the events of ''Film/RockyII'' as happening three years prior. While that matches the real world time span between the releases of the two movies, ''Rocky II'' took place immediately after the first film, which ended in 1976. Mickey's gravestone indicates that the film takes place in 1981, which is supported by a picture of Rocky with UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan, who became president that year. That would make the gap between films closer to five years.

* UnknownRematchConclusion: Perhaps the UrExample in all of pop culture is Rocky's third fight with Apollo Creed, which is witnessed by no one but the two fighters involved. It isn't until ''Film/{{Creed}}'' that we learn that victor is [[spoiler:Apollo]].

* ActorAllusion: Rocky's appearance on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' is taken from Creator/SylvesterStallone's actual guest appearance on the show. Creator/JimHenson re-recorded Kermit's intro dialogue to say "Rocky Balboa" instead of Satllone's name.

* ActorAllusion: Rocky's appearance on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' is taken from Creator/SylvesterStallone's actual guest appearance on the show; they just dubbed Rocky over his name.

At the end of ''Film/RockyII'', underdog Rocky Balboa defeated Apollo Creed to become the heavyweight champion of boxing. Five years and ten title defences later, Rocky's reign remains intact and he has become a major celebrity, though at the cost of becoming complacent.

The fourth installment in the series, ''Film/RockyIV,'' was released on 1985.

->''"So many times it happens too fast''
->''You {{trade your passion for glory}}''\\
''Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past''\\
''You must fight just to keep them alive!"''

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith The one where]] Rocky fights Wrestling/HulkHogan and Creator/MrT.

* DeathGlare: Apollo gives Clubber one when the latter rudely rebuffs his handshake. Not that Clubber is intimidated...

-->'''Clubber:''' "And you better get that bad look off your face 'fore I '''knock''' it off!"

->''You {{trade your passion for glory}}''
->''Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past''
->''You must fight just to keep them alive!"''
-->-- '''Music/{{Survivor}}''', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4 "Eye of the Tiger"]]

This was the film debut of Mr. T; and of professional wrestler Wrestling/HulkHogan, as the supporting character "Thunderlips". The film's main theme "Eye of the Tiger", was written by the group Music/{{Survivor}} and became a smash hit single, topping the U.S. Billboard charts and received an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Original Song.

* CripplingOverspecialization: Clubber is focused solely on getting fast knock-outs with hard hooks (he rarely uses any other punch and doesn't throw a single jab). His style seems to be keyed solely on destroying Rocky and once Rocky starts outfighting, Clubber is outclassed and decimated in three rounds. It's very likely that the retired Apollo Creed, who specialized in outfighting and was much better at it than Rocky, and whom Clubber repeatedly insulted, threatened, and even attacked, would have beaten or even humiliated him in the ring. ([[FridgeBrilliance Which would also correspond to the inspirations for the 3 characters]]. Rocky primarily borrows from Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier, Creed from Muhammad Ali, and Lang from George Foreman. In real life Frazier won his first bout with Ali, then was brutally destroyed by Foreman in two rounds, and Foreman was then outclassed, knocked out, and demolished mentally, physically and psychologically by Ali.)
* CurbstompBattle: The first fight between Rocky and Clubber is one, as Clubber demolishes an overconfident and ill-prepared Rocky in two rounds, [[CurbstompCushion although Rocky does manage to get a few good blows]]. [[spoiler:The rematch is also one, this time with Rocky defeating Clubber, although like the first bout Clubber does have his moments and gives both Rocky and the audience some scares.]]

* DumbMuscle: Clubber's 220 pounds, heavily built, and hits like a truck, but he's really a rather bad fighter. After Rocky starts exploiting his weakness, he has no counter and is easily defeated. He also chooses to train alone and not even try to patch over his weaknesses with a skilled instructor. Outside of the ring he's shown to be dim and clearly has poor impulse control (see for instance him snubbing Apollo before the match for no reason); it's implied that this is because of his upbringing, as he dropped out of school and lived in various orphanages and juvenile halls for most of his life. However, it is notable that, while not too smart in many areas, Clubber is savvy enough to realize how Rocky is fighting hand-picked opponents and thus can be beaten.

* GlassCannon: Clubber. [[PLayingWithATrope Kinda]]. Stamina is more his weakness than an inability to take a punch, but still, he's the only one of Rocky's challengers to suffer an early KO. See also: Uniquely among Rocky's opponents, he actually knocks the Italian Stallion out, ''in the second round.'' [[spoiler:In their rematch, rather than a dramatic fifteen-round battle, Rocky manages to fell him in three.]]

* HatedByAll: During Clubber's brief tenure as World Champion it's clear ''nobody'' likes him. The audience boos him, the commentators are unflattering and someone even tries to heckle him, due to a combination of his jerkass personality - including needlessly antagonizing the still-popular and beloved former champion Apollo Creed - and having knocked out the extremely popular Balboa.
** It's worth mentioning, however, that Lang ''could not care less'' that nobody likes him. All he cares about is being champion.

* {{Kayfabe}}: Once the match is called, Thunderlips breaks character and thanks Rocky for the bout. Rocky, who is unfamiliar with kayfabe, asks Thunderlips why he acted the way he did, which Thunderlips responds that is the [[{{Heel}} name of the game]].

* ProWrestlingIsReal: The film treats Thunderlips and professional wrestling altogether (or at least the Boxer vs. Wrestler match) as real stuff, because the match is not shown to have any kind of rehearsal and features quite brutal action and an actually panicked Rocky. The only thing which is revealed to be an act is Thunderlips's berserk façade.
* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Rocky does this to Clubber in the climax of their rematch, where he {{no sell}}s the increasingly panicking and frustrated Lang's devastating blows. Unlike many other examples of this trope, though, it's not a result of Rocky being tough enough to NoSell Lang's punches, which are clearly shown to be devastating; Rocky is using defense and movement to take the effect out of Lang's blows until Lang simply became too tired to swing with full force.

* ScaryBlackMan: Clubber Lang absolutely plays this role to the hilt, as an ex street fighter turned ruthless, knockout machine of a boxer who trash talks and attacks anyone around him on a moment's notice.
** Look at the look on Mickey's face at the end of Clubber's training/fight montage at the beginning of the movie. The man is clearly ''terrified'' by the prospect of Rocky getting in the ring with this challenger!

* InelegantBlubbering: Rocky, just after [[spoiler: Mick dies.]]

** Real life: Joe Frazier, a tough boxer from Philadelphia who was famous for his left hook, did his roadwork in the city (including the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art) and used meat carcasses as makeshift punching bags, reached the pinnacle of his career with a victory over the quick, brash and charismatic Muhammad Ali. After a few defenses against less than stellar opposition that was clearly outclassed by him, Frazier then faced the hard-hitting (but relatively unheralded) George Foreman, and was knocked out in two rounds. A year later Foreman faced Ali, and in that bout Ali made a tactical decision mid-fight to stop using the HitAndRunTactics he was famous for, and instead adopted the [[StoneWall rope-a-dope strategy]] of lying on the ropes, blocking, parrying, and in some cases absorbing all the punishment Foreman could dish out and more, taunting Foreman all the while for Foreman's inability to knock Ali out. Foreman exhausts himself trying to KO Ali, and Ali then knocks him out. ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ2G2wU3Cm0&t=2m0s Link]])
** ''Rocky III'': Rocky Balboa, a tough boxer from Philadelphia famous for his left hook who does his roadwork in the city (including the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art) and uses meat carcasses as makeshift punching bags, reaches the pinnacle of his career with victory over the quick, brash and charismatic Apollo Creed. After a number of defenses which his manager eventually admits were handpicked and posed no threat to Rocky, he then decides to defend his title against hard hitting slugger Clubber Lang, and is knocked out in two rounds. Afterward, Apollo Creed, (who is the analogue for Muhammad Ali) trains Rocky to fight in a different way, mirroring Apollo's own style. Rocky begins his rematch with Clubber doing very well by boxing and using HitAndRunTactics, but when Lang finds a way to start getting to him, Rocky makes a mid-fight switch, starts using StoneWall defense to defend against the worst of Lang's punches while taunting Lang for his inability to knock Rocky out. Lang exhausts himself trying to KO Rocky, and Rocky knocks him out. ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZhn6v9mHvc Link]])

* JerkassHasAPoint: Lang may be a massive jerkass, but he was indeed right about initially being denied his title shot. He fought his way to being ranked #1, and was deserving of the same chance that Rocky got (and Rocky didn't even have to fight for his first chance). Meanwhile, Rocky, while he wasn't fighting tomato cans, was fighting hand-picked boxers that Mickey figured would not win. Mickey outright admitted to protecting him to keep him champion. Which was not only unfair to Rocky, but also to Lang. Like him or not, Lang earned his title spot.