Sylvester Stallone’s Near-Death Experience on “Rocky IV” Set
A Brutal Blow from Dolph Lundgren
Sylvester Stallone has revealed that while filming “Rocky IV,” he suffered severe blows from Dolph Lundgren, resulting in a hospital stay.
In a documentary about the movie’s production, available on Stallone’s YouTube account, the actor recalls, “He pulverized me.” He didn’t notice the pain initially, but later that night, he began to feel discomfort in his chest.
Stallone compared the injury to the sensation of having your chest slammed against a steering wheel in a car collision.
“They thought I was going to be talking to angels when my blood pressure went up to 260,” he said.
Hospitalized and Flown to Intensive Care
According to Stallone, he was flown from Canada to the intensive care unit at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, where he stayed for four days. He stated that he was transported on a “low altitude flight.”
“I’m in ICU, and the only other people here are nuns,” he said. “I was then obligated to return to the field and finish the fight.”
Stallone confirmed that the chest hit delivered by Lundgren, who portrayed the towering Soviet boxer Ivan Drago, is included in the film.
“How could you possibly rule that out?” Stallone questioned.
The Continuing Saga of “Rocky”
The popular “Rocky” franchise carries on with “Rocky IV,” featuring Sylvester Stallone as the resilient fighter Rocky Balboa. In the fourth installment, Rocky has already established himself as a world boxing champion. After learning that Drago has killed his friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), he travels to the Soviet Union to confront him.