In a recent documentary on the making of Rocky IV, Sylvester Stallone opened up about a shocking on-set injury that landed him in intensive care. While filming a climactic boxing scene with Dolph Lundgren, who played the towering Soviet boxer Ivan Drago, Stallone took a punch that proved far more real—and dangerous—than anyone anticipated.
Stallone likened the impact to being slammed into a steering wheel during a car crash. Initially, he didn’t feel anything unusual, but soon, his chest pain escalated. By the time his blood pressure skyrocketed to 260, Stallone found himself in a medical emergency. The actor was immediately flown from Canada to St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, where he spent four days in the ICU under close watch.
Despite this life-threatening experience, Stallone’s dedication to the role never wavered. He returned to the set to finish the film, determined not to remove the dramatic hit from the storyline. The punch that almost took him out became an essential part of the film’s intense depiction of Rocky’s struggle against Drago, symbolizing the relentless challenges Balboa faced in his quest for justice and redemption.