FAQ

Fifteen years after retiring as heavyweight boxing champion, Rocky 'The Italian Stallion' Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), currently mourning the death of his wife Adrian (Talia Shire) and running Adrian's, an Italian restaurant in South Philadelphia, comes out of retirement to participate in a nationally-televised, 10-round charity exhibition fight with current 30-year old heavyweight champion Mason 'The Line' Dixon (Antonio Tarver).

Yes. Like Rocky (1976) (1976), Rocky II (1979) (1979), Rocky III (1982) (1982), Rocky IV (1985) (1985), and Rocky V (1990) (1990) before it, Rocky Balboa was written by Stallone.

Not even Rocky can explain it very well. It's certainly not to dethrone the current champion. As he tries to express it to Paulie (Burt Young), he still has a "beast inside", something inside that he needs to get out, possibly due to losing Adrian.

To put it simpler, Rocky felt he had one more fight left in him. Unfinished business so to speak. Rocky gave up his title in the US to go fight Drago in Russia. After the fight, he was diagnosed (apparently incorrectly) with brain damage. Which means he couldn't continue to fight in the ring. So he never got to retire gracefully and have that last round in the ring.

Rocky tells Little Marie (Geraldine Hughes) that Adrian died from "woman cancer", which could be anything from breast cancer to cervical, ovarian, or uterine cancer.

This film takes place roughly 30 years after the events of the original Rocky, which places it in 2005 and '06.

Rocky (1976): November 25th, 1975 – January 1st, 1976

Rocky II (1979): January 1st, 1976 – November 25th, 1976

Rocky III (1982): early 1979 – early 1980

Rocky IV (1985): early 1985 – December 25th, 1985

Rocky V (1990): December 25th, 1985 – mid-1987 (or 1988, 1989, 1990?)

Rocky Balboa (2006): late 2005 – February 26th, 2006

In Rocky, Rocky was 30, meaning he was born in 1945. As this film is set in 2005 and '06, Rocky is roughly 59 or 60. At one point, a commentator does refer to "other fighters in their fifties", but at no time during the film is Rocky's exact age specified.

So much time had passed since the release of Rocky V that the movie really stands on its own. Calling it Rocky VI probably didn't seem the most appropriate move, especially considering how unpopular Rocky V is amongst fans.

In Rocky V, Rocky is revealed to be suffering from a condition called cave of septum pellucidum (CSP), a condition which forces him to retire because no state will grant him a boxing license. In Rocky Balboa, this condition is never mentioned, and Rocky is seemingly able to return to the ring without any problems. Indeed, when he attends the hearing as to whether or not he will be granted a new license, Rocky is told that he passed all the physical tests with flying colors, suggesting that his condition has cleared up. Sylvester Stallone himself has address this issue:When Rocky was diagnosed with brain damage, it must be noted that many athletes have a form of brain damage, including football players, soccer players, and other individuals in contact sports such as rugby, etc. Rocky never went for a second opinion and yielded to his wife's wishes to stop. So with the advent of new research techniques into brain damage, Rocky was found to be normal among fighters, and he was suffering the results of a severe concussion. By today's standards Rocky Balboa would be given a clean bill of health for fighters. [The full interview here.]

Yes. Rocky beat Apollo Creed for the title at the end of Rocky II. Then in Rocky III, having successfully defended the title over the course of 10 fights, he lost to Clubber Lang, before subsequently defeating him in the rematch. He then temporarily relinquished the title so he could fight an unsanctioned match in Russia against Ivan Drago. However, due to the injuries caused in that fight, when he returned to America, he announced his retirement, and the title was vacated. It was subsequently captured by Union Cane in a contenders tournament, but Cane dropped it to Tommy Gunn in his first defense.

No. In Rocky, prior to his title fight with Apollo, Rocky's record is 44-20. Over the course of Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV and Rocky V, Rocky wins thirteen fights (one against Creed, one against Lang, one against Drago and 10 against unnamed opponents in Rocky III) and loses two (one against Creed and one against Lang). This should make his record 57-22. The additional loss on his record in Rocky Balboa cannot be accounted for and seemingly represents a mistake on the part of the filmmakers.

This has become a point of great debate amongst the fans. As stated above, taking all of the evidence into consideration, Rocky's record in Rocky Balboa should be 57-22, not 57-23-1. However, whilst there is no apparent explanation for the extra defeat, there are in fact three possible explanations for the draw. Firstly, it could have been the Thunderlips charity fight in Rocky III, which was declared a no-contest. Secondly, some fans have speculated that it could represent a title match with Tommy Gunn which occurred after the end of Rocky V (although this is pure speculation). Thirdly, it could have occurred some time between Rocky III and Rocky IV. There is a five-year period between these two films which is seemingly not taken into account in his record (if one goes by the numbers, it implies that in the five years between Rocky III and Rocky IV, Rocky never once defended the title). Whatever the case however, there is no solid evidence for any of these three possibilities, and the question as to where the draw came from remains open.

Lil' Marie was the girl Rocky walked home in Rocky, warning her that if she does not stop hanging around with the crowd she is with, she will end up a whore. She silently listens to his rambling advice, allowing him to walk her to her hall door before turning around to him and saying, "Screw you, creepo." (In Rocky, Marie was played by Jodi Letizia). The Marie character originally had a role in Rocky V, where she was again to be portrayed by Jodi Letizia. Her appearance was to reveal that she actually had become a prostitute and that she had recently been evicted from her flat, but the scene was cut in post-production. Marie does still appear in Rocky V, albeit briefly and without any dialogue, during the street fight scene at the end of the film. Her name still appears in the end credits though.

It is never specified, but presumably, the experience of managing Tommy Gunn left Rocky with a sour taste regarding the business and so he decided to get out of the fight game or may even have sold the gym to start his restaurant. In Rocky V, Paulie also works at Mick's, so after Rocky gave it up, Paulie obviously went back to the meat plant he worked in in the original Rocky.

In Creed, Adonis trains at Mick's gym. When he asks Rocky to train him, Rocky says "I don't go there anymore. I haven't been in a long time.". Though no mention is made if he sold it or simply lets someone else run it. While he focuses on the restaurant.

Shire's character, Adrian, was in the first few drafts of the script of what was originally called Rocky VI: Puncher's Chance. At this point, the story revolved around Rocky running a youth hostel. However, writer Sylvester Stallone felt that the film lacked the necessary emotional impact it needed. So, he and Talia Shire came to an agreement that her character would be best left out of the film, as this would create an emotional chasm for Rocky from the very first moment of the film. To ensure that fans didn't think she'd been written out of the film because of a dispute with Stallone or because she refused to be in it, Shire made a public statement supporting Stallone's decision to kill off the character.

If Adrian was born in 1950, this would mean she was 25 years old in Rocky. Many fans have made the mistake that she was 30, however, because Paulie states that she is "pushing 30." He never actually says that she is 30.

These turtles are called Cuff and Link, and were introduced in Rocky, where they were played by the same two actual turtles who play them in Rocky Balboa. Their significance to the Rocky mythos is that they formed the basis of the first bad joke which Rocky tells Adrian in Rocky.

Spider Rico (played by real life professional boxer Pedro Lovell in both Rocky and Rocky Balboa) was the first on-screen opponent of Rocky. When he says to Rocky, "last time you got lucky", he is referring to the opening scene from Rocky. That film begins with Rocky fighting Rico. Rico appears to be dominating the match, but he headbutts Rocky, cutting above his eye, and sending him into a rage. Rocky begins to pummel Rico, and the referee steps in to stop the fight. After returning to the locker room, Rocky meets Rico, who tells him that he got lucky in winning the fight.

In Rocky II, Rocky buys Rolexes for himself, Adrian and Paulie. In Rocky III, Paulie smashes the watch.

It's never explained in the film exactly why the statue was removed. In reality however, the reason the statue was removed was because the Philadelphia Art Museum felt it was more a work of pop-culture and not art, so they demanded it be removed. After a massive protest movement organised by the people of Philadelphia, the statue was relocated to the front of the Wachovia Spectrum in South Philadelphia. It was later returned to the Art Museum for the filming of Rocky V, after which it was again moved to the front of the Spectrum, then back again to the Art Museum on September 8th, 2006, where it was placed on a pedestal in a grassy area near the foot of the steps to the right of the Museum. Many fans feel that the reference to the removal of the statue in Rocky Balboa is a subtle reference to this incident.

It is a reference to Rocky himself being punchy, i.e., a little mentally slow due to receiving too many blows to the head. Steps (James Francis Kelly III) is essentially jokingly trying to insult Rocky. Although, Rocky, in true fashion, takes it in stride. Steps seemed to regret the joke. But Rocky kept the name for the dog.

Mason Dixon's nickname, "The Line", is a reference to the Mason-Dixon line, a demarcation line that forms the border between Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland.

33-0 (with 30 knockouts)

It's impossible to say. He is never mentioned in Rocky Balboa. In Rocky V, we do hear George Washington Duke (Richard Gant) say to Tommy during his street fight with Rocky, "If you lose you're finished". Despite the fact that Gunn was the world heavyweight champion, the shame of being involved in a streetfight with his former trainer would obviously have a negative affect on his career.

Also, at the end of Rocky V, we see two police officers arresting Tommy. Boxing matches are *legally* sanctioned fights. Meaning that there are many rules and regulations involved in two people agreeing to get in the ring together. Once in the ring, their fight is legal. The moment the fight is over, any further fists thrown are no longer legal and considered assault, such as an infamous incident with James Butler Jr., who lost a fight by decision and proceeded to sucker-punch his opponent. Butler was arrested and charged with assault, spending 4 months in prison. So Tommy, not only fought Rocky, but also assaulted Paulie and several other bystanders. It's entirely possible Tommy was stripped of his boxing licence, his championship title and banned from professional boxing. Possibly also being charged with multiple counts of assault and battery if any of the people pressed charges.

No. It is quite apparent that Rocky V is still a part of the story. In Rocky V, Rocky lost all of his money and most of his possessions, and this is reflected in Rocky Balboa in terms of his modest lifestyle and home; the car, the robot, the motorcycle, the mansion etc, he lost all of these in Rocky V, and this is carried through to Rocky Balboa. Additionally, there are at least two references to Rocky V in Rocky Balboa. Firstly, he refers to himself and his son as "home team", a term originating in the fifth film. Secondly, before the Dixon bout, Rocky and son joke around and Rocky says to be careful, as he is brittle. This is a reference to the end of Rocky V when the two are doing the same thing, and Rocky says he is "getting brittle as it is." A possible reason there are not more references to Rocky V in Rocky Balboa is that the events of Rocky V are painful memories for Rocky: he wouldn't consider a street fight with his apprentice, who had betrayed him, as a particularly proud moment, and as such, it wouldn't be something he'd be keen to relive or talk about.

No, but during the credits there is a montage of scenes featuring various individuals running up the stairs to jump in glee in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, ending with a still shot of Rocky standing at the top of the stairs and looking out over the Philly skyline.