Blood Pressure at 260, Surrounded by Nuns: Sylvester Stallone Recalls Rocky IV’s Deadliest Moment
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Action stars are no strangers to pain and injuries, but even Hollywood’s toughest icons have moments when the danger becomes terrifyingly real. For Sylvester Stallone, writer, director, and star of Rocky IV, one scene nearly turned from cinematic spectacle into a fatal encounter.
During the climactic fight between Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago, Stallone made a bold decision: he instructed co-star Dolph Lundgren to throw real, full-force punches for the first minute of the battle. Lundgren, a formidable European karate champion before becoming an actor, obliged without hesitation.
“I told Dolph, ‘just go out there and try to clock me, for the first minute of the fight, it is going to be a free-for-all,’” Stallone told The Hollywood Reporter. What was meant to add authenticity quickly spiraled into danger.
A punch landed on Stallone’s ribs, forcing his heart against the ribcage, causing it to swell. His blood pressure soared to a dangerous 260. “They thought I was going to be talking to angels,” Stallone revealed in his 2021 Netflix documentary Sly. “Next thing I know, I’m in intensive care where I’m surrounded by nuns. I thought, ‘Okay, that’s curtains.’”
Stallone was hospitalized for nine days. The sight of nuns greeting him in ICU became a grim symbol of how close he came to death.
Lundgren, however, expressed no remorse: “All I did was obey orders. He was the boss. I did what he told me.” Producers quickly granted Lundgren two weeks off following Stallone’s hospitalization, underscoring the severity of the situation.
Remarkably, the punches that nearly ended Stallone’s life remain in the film. When Stallone released Rocky vs. Drago: The Ultimate Director’s Cut in 2021, which included 38 minutes of new footage, he undoubtedly revisited that perilous moment repeatedly.
Stallone’s harrowing experience is a stark reminder that beneath the thrilling facade of action cinema lies a real physical toll—one that can bring even the strongest stars to the edge. True to his legacy, Stallone turned that brush with death into a testament to his grit and dedication, immortalizing his pain as part of Rocky’s enduring fight.
