History Franchise / Rocky

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome?from=Main.RealityEnsues: In the first movie when the fight first begins Apollos offense and defense is smooth while Rocky's is very sloppy and wild. By the end of the day Rocky (in the first movie at least) is just a low level boxer while Apollo is a heavyweight champion. Rocky never was expected to actually beat him and while Rocky ultimately goes the distance and even knocks down Apollo, Apollo still wins the fight via decision because he still out out boxed and controlled the fight.
** In Rocky 2 despite making major bank from his match with Creed, it does not take long for Rocky to lose his money since he blows it off recklessly.
** In Rocky 3 as powerful as Clubber is, relaying on just that will eventually become a disadvantage since it will wear you out quickly and when you go up against someone that can withstand it long enough, it will be easy pickings for the other boxer as Rocky did in order to beat him.
** Rocky 5 makes it clear that despite it being a effective strategy against his opponent, Rocky has gain brain damage after years after taking constant blows to the head. The head can only take so much damage to the head before it eventually catch's up with someone.
** Also in Rocky 5,Tommy gets arrested after his fight with Rocky. This is bound to happened since not only did he start the fight, Tommy attack several civilians before and during his fight.

** In Rocky 2 despite making major bank from his match with Creed, Rocky does not take long to lose his money since he blows it off quickly and is a reason he has to accept a match.
** In Rocky 3 as powerful as Clubber is, relaying on just that will eventually become a disadvantage since it will wear you out quicker and you go up against someone that can withstand it long enough.
** Rocky 5 makes it clear that despite it being a effective strategy against his opponent, Rocky has gain brain damage after years after taking constant blows to the head.

* UnbuiltTrope: The series is frequently bashed for creating a genre of sports movies in which an underdog protagonist wins against a far superior opponent based on sheer willpower alone, with little consideration given to real skill and strategies. This ignores the fact that in the original film, Rocky lost the match against Apollo, despite his hard work, and prior to being chosen for the promotional bout, he was a loser who had to break the law to put food on the table. He initially refused to go back to the ring in the second film because he was exhausted and preferred to settle down with Adrian despite calls for a rematch with Apollo. He only chose to return because of the family's need for money when his new son was born. He actually loses in the third film, which shows the consequences that success has on a {{Determinator}}, and the rematch is not decided by willpower alone, but by a strategic approach based on avoiding the opponent and wearing him out gradually. While the fourth film would repeat the underdog and willpower tropes, it deconstructs them in the first half when Apollo (a fighter whose physique was designed for agility and maneuvering, not for ground-and-pound like Rocky's own) fights the antagonist of the film and refuses to throw in the towel, later dying from his injuries. The fifth film deconstructs the trope further, as a doctor's appointment shows that Rocky has serious injuries as a result of the damage cause by boxing and will not be able to box anymore. His obsession with trying to revive his boxing career via proxy through Tommy Gunn, who he adopted as a foster son, strains his relationships and backfires. In the sixth Rocky film, he loses a fight once again despite showing even more resilience than in the first film because age is catching up with him. ''Film/{{Creed}}'' almost averts the film's {{Determinator}} reputation when Rocky refuses to go into treatment for cancer since he has nothing left to live for. It is only the begging of his new apprentice, Adonis Creed, that ultimately makes him seek treatment.

->''”It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can '''get''' hit and keep moving forward -how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how '''winning''' is done!”''

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rocky.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[TrainingMontage Gonna fly now!]]]]

!!This film series contains examples of:

A series of six movies set around boxing's and UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}}'s favorite (fictitious) son, "The Italian Stallion", Rocky Balboa.

->''”It ain’t about how hard you’re hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”''

* TheCameo: There are a truly astounding number of cameos from boxers or people involved in boxing. Just a few examples include Joe Frazier being introduced before the fight in ''Rocky'' (and he and Apollo trade insults and threats just as Frazier and Ali did), the legendary Roberto Duran having a brief appearance as a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFG6Do4IcuQ sparring partner in Rocky II]] (where he seems to thoroughly enjoy pushing around and bullying Stallone), sports announcer [[AsHimself Brent Mussberger]] in Rocky II, artists known for painting boxing pictures have appearances as ring announcers, boxing commentators play well, boxing commentators, and nearly all of Stallone's family have had at least cameos, and sometimes actual roles. Mike Tyson even got a cameo before the climactic fight in ''Rocky Balboa''!

** Apollo Creed = Muhammad Ali (showmanship, charisma, outrageous nicknames, floaty style, and rivalry with the Frazier-equivalent) mixed with George Foreman (prolific patriotism most notably shown in a bout against a Soviet boxer,[[note]]Creed had his "Living in America" dance number before fighting Ivan Drago, Foreman held up an American flag and took a bow after beating Jonas Čepulis. Obviously things went a lot better for Foreman.[[/note]] reputation as an unstoppable wrecking ball, and high knockout power).[[note]]Going into his last fight of the 70s, Foreman was 46-1 with 43 knockouts. Going into his last fight in ''Rocky IV'', Apollo Creed was 47-1 with 46 knockouts.[[/note]] The real Ali even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3g7kclmm0I appeared on stage with Stallone at the Oscars]], and once said he wished he had thought of Creed's nickname, "The Master of Disaster". Though, ''Film/RockyBalboa'' reveals that Muhammad Ali and George Foreman actually existed in the ''Rocky'' universe and [[ExpyCoexistence fought in the same era as Apollo]]; which was implied in the first film as well, given it established Joe Frazier existed. Given that Apollo was introduced in the first film as the undisputed world champion with a 100% knockout record, [[CurbStompBattle well...]]]

** Tommy Gunn = Mike Tyson. Both were young and talented fighters who came from rough upbringings and abandoned the men who made them successes in favor of greedy businessmen. Although in Tyson's case, Cus D'Amato died instead of being abandoned.

** Union Cane (the guy Tommy beat for the title in ''Rocky V'') may be one for Michael Spinks. Spinks was a light heavyweight champion who in 1985 became the first light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight championship since Tommy Burns did it in 1908. Afterwards, Spinks rarely fought and went into semi-retirement, abandoning the title. During that period of semi-retirement Tyson destroyed all other competition until Spinks was the only conceivable obstacle left, much as Tommy cut a swath through the heavyweight ranks until Cane seemed the only obstacle left. Both Tommy Gun and Mike Tyson eliminated any doubts about who was the champion by easily knocking out their respective opponent in the first round.

* ExpyCoexistence: Apollo Creed obviously borrows heavily from Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, and Rocky Balboa takes inspiration from several figures, including Joe Frazier and Rocky Marciano. However Frazier appears in the first movie AsHimself, Marciano's picture is on Balboa's wall, (Marciano also gets mentioned several times during the films, including Mickey using Marciano's training methods to train Balboa) and ''Rocky Balboa'' mentions both Ali and Foreman, establishing that they exist in the film's universe and were still active fighters during the events of the first two films.

* IconicSequelSong: "Eye of the Tiger," one of the most commonly-associated songs with the series, which makes its debut in ''Film/RockyIII''.

* KingpinInHisGym: Rocky's major opponents got their own {{Training Montage}}s, which often told viewers something about their character: Clubber Lang's dungeon-like basement emphasized his monstrosity and relentlessly singleminded focus, while Ivan Drago's almost clinical routines (and his steroid use) showed his lack of "heart."

* OneSteveLimit: Averted. Tony "Duke" Evers and George Washing Duke are two unrelated characters.

* ReCut: There exist a workprint cut of ''Rocky V'' online, with some key differences.

* TrainingFromHell: The films are some of the most famous users of the training montage of all time, so it's natural there'd be elements of this. Most notable are Rocky IV, where Rocky toughens up doing heavy work in a rural Russian winter, and Rocky III, where Lang is shown to do his training alone in a dim, slightly-hellish basement, using his own rage to increase his drive.

* UnbuiltTrope: The series is frequently bashed for creating a genre of sports movies in which an underdog protagonist wins against a far superior opponent based on sheer willpower alone, with little consideration given to real skill and strategies. This ignores the fact that in the original film, Rocky lost the match against Apollo, despite his hard work, and prior to being chosen for the promotional bout, he was a loser who had to break the law to put food on the table. He initially refused to go back to the ring in the second film because he was exhausted and preferred to settle down with Adrian despite calls for a rematch with Apollo. He only chose to return because of the family's need for money when his new son was born. He actually loses in the third film, which shows the consequences that success has on a {{Determinator}}, and the rematch is not decided by willpower alone, but by a strategic approach based on avoiding the opponent and wearing him out gradually. While the fourth film would repeat the underdog and willpower tropes, it deconstructs them in the first half when Apollo (a fighter whose physique was designed for agility and maneuvering, not for ground-and-pound like Rocky's own) fights the antagonist of the film and refuses to throw in the towel, later dying from his injuries. The fifth film deconstructs the trope further, as a doctor's appointment shows that Rocky has serious injuries as a result of the damage cause by boxing and will not be able to box anymore. His obsession with trying to revive his boxing career via proxy through Tommy Gun, who he adopted as a foster son, strains his relationships and backfires. In the sixth Rocky film, he loses a fight once again despite showing even more resilience than in the first film because age is catching up with him. ''Film/{{Creed}}'' almost averts the film's {{Determinator}} reputation when Rocky refuses to go into treatment for cancer since he has nothing left to live for. It is only the begging of his new apprentice, Adonis Creed, that ultimately makes him seek treatment.

** Apollo vs. Drago arguably plays it straight and subverts it at the same time. Drago had imposing height & reach and was clearly in better shape than the long-retired Apollo, so any objective viewer would back him to win the match. Most Americans, though, (including Apollo himself) would instead peg the beloved ex-champion for an easy win against the amateur foreigner.

*** If the films occur in real-time, and given that the average age of a bull mastiff is 8-9 years, it's pretty clear why we don't see him in Part III or beyond.

Although an incensed Ali made Wepner pay dearly for that -- and eventually knocked Wepner down and out for the only time in his career -- the roar of the crowd as an [[TheEveryman Everyman]] knocked down the greatest athlete in his sport inspired Stallone, who went home and spent the next few days writing furiously nearly around the clock. The end result? '''''Rocky''''' was born. (Though that's slightly mythologized too. When Stallone was asked how he managed to write the screenplay in three days, he replied "I didn't write the screenplay in three days, I wrote ''a'' screenplay in three days," the shooting script was heavily workshopped.)

** Apollo Creed = Muhammad Ali (showmanship, charisma, outrageous nicknames, floaty style, and rivalry with the Frazier-equivalent) mixed with George Foreman (prolific patriotism most notably shown in a bout against a Soviet boxer,[[note]]Creed had his "Living in America" dance number before fighting Ivan Drago, Foreman held up an American flag and took a bow after beating Jonas Čepulis. Obviously things went a lot better for Foreman.[[/note]] reputation as an unstoppable wrecking ball, and high knockout power).[[note]]Going into his last fight of the 70s, Foreman was 46-1 with 43 knockouts. Going into his last fight in ''Rocky IV'', Apollo Creed was 47-1 with 46 knockouts.[[/note]] The real Ali even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3g7kclmm0I appeared on stage with Stallone at the Oscars]], and once said he wished he had thought of Creed's nickname, "The Master of Disaster". Though, ''Film/RockyBalboa'' reveals that Muhammad Ali actually existed in the ''Rocky'' universe and [[ExpyCoexistence fought in the same era as Apollo]]; which was implied in the first film as well, given it established Joe Frazier existed. Given that Apollo was introduced in the first film as the undisputed world champion with a 100% knockout record, [[CurbStompBattle well...]]]

* ExpyCoexistence: Apollo Creed obviously borrows heavily from Muhammad Ali, and Rocky Balboa takes inspiration from several figures, including Joe Frazier and Rocky Marciano. However Frazier appears in the first movie AsHimself, Marciano's picture is on Balboa's wall, (Marciano also gets mentioned several times during the films, including Mickey using Marciano's training methods to train Balboa) and ''Rocky Balboa'' mentions Ali, establishing that he exists in the film's universe and was still active fighter during the events of the first 2 films.

** Apollo Creed = Muhammad Ali. The real Ali even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3g7kclmm0I appeared on stage with Stallone at the Oscars]], and once said he wished he had thought of Creed's nickname, "The Master of Disaster". Though, ''Film/RockyBalboa'' reveals that Muhammad Ali actually existed in the ''Rocky'' universe and [[ExpyCoexistence fought in the same era as Apollo]]; which was implied in the first film as well, given it established Joe Frazier existed. Given that Apollo was introduced in the first film as the undisputed world champion with a 90% KO record, [[CurbStompBattle well...]]]
** Clubber Lang = A much more verbose and trash talking version of the young George Foreman. He is sometimes viewed as a Mike Tyson analogue by contemporary audiences, given the similar personalities, but the third movie hit theaters several years before Tyson first turned pro.
** Mason Dixon = Has elements of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Mike Tyson, and Middleweight/Light Heavyweight/Heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. Stallone tried to convince Jones himself to play Dixon, but negotiations with Jones fell through. Eventually Stallone enlisted Antonio Tarver, another boxer and a Light Heavyweight champion. Funnily enough, Tarver also defeated Jones in real life when Jones returned to fighting as a Light Heavyweight after capturing the Heavyweight title.

* TechnicianVsPerformer: In the first two films, Rocky (a "[[UnskilledButStrong hungry]]" journeyman) is the Performer and Apollo (a seasoned veteran who ''specializes'' at outfighting opponents) is the Technician. Once it's evident that Rocky is taking the fight more seriously than expected, Apollo immediately switches into CombatPragmatist mode, and Rocky's willpower, [[{{Determinator}} determination]], and [[MadeofIron seemingly supernatural ability to tank devastating defense-breakers]] are the [[CurbstompCushion only things that keep him from getting squashed]]. By the third film, Rocky is the Technician to Clubber Lang's Performer: Clubber is largely self-trained and overly dependent on using raw power to take down opponents quickly. In the fourth film, Ivan Drago is the Technician, quiet, stoic, with training sessions could easily be mistaken for clinical routines. During his fights with Tommy and Mason, Rocky is the Technician again, as advanced age and career-ending injuries necessitate him fighting smarter, though he still needs his legendary stamina and a little luck to see him through.

* ExpyCoexistence: Apollo Creed obviously borrows heavily from Muhammad Ali, and Rocky Balboa takes inspiration from several figures, including Joe Frazier and Rocky Marciano. However Frazier appears in the first movie AsHimself, Marciano's picture is on Balboa's wall, and ''Rocky Balboa'' mentions Ali, establishing that he exists in the film's universe and was still active fighter during the events of the first 2 films.

* ExpyCoexistence: Apollo Creed obviously borrows heavily from Muhammad Ali, and Rocky Balboa takes inspiration from several figures, including Joe Frazier. However Frazier appears in the first movie AsHimself, and ''Rocky Balboa'' mentions Ali, establishing that he exists in the film's universe and was still active fighter during the events of the first 2 films.

** Apollo Creed = Muhammad Ali. The real Ali even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3g7kclmm0I appeared on stage with Stallone at the Oscars]], and once said he wished he had thought of Creed's nickname, "The Master of Disaster". Though, ''Film/RockyBalboa'' reveals that Muhammad Ali actually existed in the ''Rocky'' universe and fought in the same era as Apollo; which was implied in the first film as well, given it established Joe Frazier existed. Given that Apollo was introduced in the first film as the undisputed world champion with a 90% KO record, [[CurbStompBattle well...]]]

* KingpinInHisGym: Rocky's major opponents got their own {{Training Montage}}s, which often told viewers something about their character: Clubber Lang's dungeon-like basement emphasized his monstrosity while Ivan Drago's almost clinical routines (and his steroid use) showed his lack of "heart."

** Apollo Creed = Muhammad Ali. The real Ali even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3g7kclmm0I appeared on stage with Stallone at the Oscars]], and once said he wished he had thought of Creed's nickname, "The Master of Disaster". Though, ''Film/RockyBalboa'' reveals that Muhammad Ali actually existed in the ''Rocky'' universe and fought in the same era as Apollo; given that Apollo was introduced in the first film as the undisputed world champion with a 90% KO record, [[CurbStompBattle well...]]]

** Apollo Creed = Muhammad Ali. The real Ali even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3g7kclmm0I appeared on stage with Stallone at the Oscars]], and once said he wished he had thought of Creed's nickname, "The Master of Disaster".

** The 5'8 Stallone weighs between 160 and 180 pounds in most of the movies.[[note]]Per Stallone himself: "I was 178 for Rocky, and 200 in Rocky II. For Rocky III I was 163. For my next film, Rocky IV, I went up to 173. I like this weight, because it is a fuller, rounder look, more in keeping with the old Roman athletes. I’m not quite as sinewy as I was in Rocky III, but I feel stronger."[[/note]] As such, even by standards of the [[https://www.proboxing-fans.com/boxing-101/weight-divisions-history/ late 70s and 80s]] (when heavyweights were much lighter and weaker than they are today), he would not have qualified as a heavyweight. He definitely wouldn't have been allowed to fight 220 pound Carl Weathers, 213 pound Mr. T, or ''245 pound'' Dolph Lundgren. The third film seems to [[LampshadeHanging acknowledge this]] in the bout between Rocky and Clubber, when the announced mentions that the former weighs 191 pounds- ''just'' enough to qualify for heavyweight at the time,[[note]]The original cutoff point was 180 pounds, changed to 190 pounds in 1979, and then 200+ pounds in 2000.[[/note]] and much heavier than he looks (indeed, it was nearly thirty pounds above Stallone's actual weight at the time).

->'''Rocky Balboa:''' There ain't nothin' over till it's over.\\
'''Mason Dixon:''' Where's that from, the '80s?\\
'''Rocky Balboa:''' That's probably the '70s.
-->-- ''Film/RockyBalboa''

A series of six movies set around boxing's and UsefulNotes/{{Phil|adelphia}}ly's favorite {{underdog|sNeverLose}}, "The Italian Stallion" Rocky Balboa.

* UnuiltTrope: The series is frequently bashed for creating a genre of sports movies in which an underdog protagonist wins against a far superior opponent based on sheer willpower alone, with little consideration given to real skill and strategies. This ignores the fact that in the original film, Rocky lost the match against Apollo, despite his hard work, and prior to being chosen for the promotional bout, he was a loser who had to break the law to put food on the table. He initially refused to go back to the ring in the second film because he was exhausted and preferred to settle down with Adrian despite calls for a rematch with Apollo. He only chose to return because of the family's need for money when his new son was born. He actually loses in the third film, which shows the consequences that success has on a {{Determinator}}, and the rematch is not decided by willpower alone, but by a strategic approach based on avoiding the opponent and wearing him out gradually. While the fourth film would repeat the underdog and willpower tropes, it deconstructs them in the first half when Apollo (a fighter whose physique was designed for agility and maneuvering, not for ground-and-pound like Rocky's own) fights the antagonist of the film and refuses to throw in the towel, later dying from his injuries. The fifth film deconstructs the trope further, as a doctor's appointment shows that Rocky has serious injuries as a result of the damage cause by boxing and will not be able to box anymore. His obsession with trying to revive his boxing career via proxy through Tommy Gun, who he adopted as a foster son, strains his relationships and backfires. In the sixth Rocky film, he loses a fight once again despite showing even more resilience than in the first film because age is catching up with him. ''Film/{{Creed}}'' almost averts the film's {{Determinator}} reputation when Rocky refuses to go into treatment for cancer since he has nothing left to live for. It is only the begging of his new apprentice, Adonis Creed, that ultimately makes him seek treatment.

** For that matter, what about Apollo Creed's family? Despite [[spoiler: Apollo dying in ''Rocky IV'']], they never had any more significant screen time past ''Rocky II''.
*** Although the spin off film in the works may finally give them the spotlight.

* WhoopiEpiphanySpeech

A series of six movies set around boxing's favorite {{underdog|sNeverLose}}, "The Italian Stallion" Rocky Balboa.

The idea for the first film was inspired when Creator/SylvesterStallone, then a down-on-his-luck-actor, went to see a UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli bout against Chuck Wepner. Wepner was a tough fighter with a lot of heart but little skill and a bad record, and he was most famous for frequently bleeding profusely during his bouts. The bout was intended to be a breather -- an exhibition for Ali after his [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome unbelievable (and hardfought) victory]] over George Foreman less than six months earlier -- but to the astonishment of all, Wepner managed to knock Ali down in the ninth round (video replays showed it was actually more of a trip; Wepner happened to be standing on Ali's foot when the blow landed, which caused Ali to lose his balance when he tried to move).

The idea for the first film was inspired when Creator/SylvesterStallone, then a down-on-his-luck-actor, went to see a Muhammad Ali bout against Chuck Wepner. Wepner was a tough fighter with a lot of heart but little skill and a bad record, and he was most famous for frequently bleeding profusely during his bouts. The bout was intended to be a breather -- an exhibition for Ali after his [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome unbelievable (and hardfought) victory]] over George Foreman less than six months earlier -- but to the astonishment of all, Wepner managed to knock Ali down in the ninth round (video replays showed it was actually more of a trip; Wepner happened to be standing on Ali's foot when the blow landed, which caused Ali to lose his balance when he tried to move).