Sylvester Stallone Loves Pro Wrestling, Compares Wrestling To Action Films

Count Sly Stallone is a fan of pro wrestling. 

Sylvester Stallone is one of the greatest action stars of this generation, starring in films like Rambo, The Expendables, Demolition Man, and more. He’s also the star of arguably the greatest sports film franchise of all time, Rocky. 

Stallone has shared the screen with wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Jesse Venture, and John Cena, and he understands how much goes into the world of wrestling. 

“I love wrestling,” Stallone said in an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. “It’s all about getting swept up in the drama. There’s a passion for that world, big time. People like Bruno Sammartino, those are people that helped forge my personality and my outlook on life. Bruno, Gorgeous George, [bodybuilder/actor] Steve Reeves, [boxer] Rocky Marciano—especially Rocky Marciano. I love wrestling’s mythic qualities. I made my daughters watch wrestling—I wanted them to watch for the story.”

Stallone continued, comparing wrestling to action films and suspending disbelief. 

“I understand what goes into it. I hear people say it’s not real. Really? Gravity is real. Jumping off the top rope or having 300 pounds landing on you, that’s real. I feel the same way about action films. They’ve been submerged in sort of a dismissive sort of genre. Like, ‘Oh, it’s an action film.’ All I know is I’ve had maybe 31 operations due to action films, so I consider it very real. Wrestling, it has nothing to do with who’s scoring a touchdown. It’s entertainment. It’s not meant to be ‘The score is now 14–3.’ It’s a morality play, all about the drama. That’s what it’s all about,” he said.

Stallone’s new film “Samaritan” comes to Amazon Prime Video on August 26. Amazon is celebrating the release of the film with Stallone Week.