Back in the ‘90s, if you bought the Rocky VHS box set and actually sat through the bonus features (respect), you might’ve stumbled on a surreal little gem. It was weird. It was wonderful. It was Sylvester Stallone literally having a conversation with his alter ego — Rocky Balboa.
Yeah, you read that right. Stallone meets Rocky, and it’s one of the cheesiest, funniest, most self-aware things Sly ever shot.
A Museum. A Painting. And Then—Rocky Balboa
The three minute video kicks off with Stallone walking through an art gallery like he’s auditioning for Miami Vice. He passes a wild abstract painting he created himself, titled “Superman and the City”. He’s reflecting on his post-Rocky career, but suddenly…
Boom. Rocky Balboa walks in, straight out of Rocky V.
“Yo, Sly, I just come to California for vacation,” Rocky says, looking confused but polite. He’s rocking the leather jacket, black hat, and that … “unique” Rocky V manner of speaking.
Stallone looks stunned. “I can’t believe this… what are you doing here?”
The Dialogue Is Pure Gold
Both Stallones then pause in front of LeRoy Neiman’s “Rocky” painting, as seen in Rocky III.
This entire clip plays out like a fever dream. Rocky tells Stallone, “You gave me everything,” and Stallone jokes back, “Hey, I was just kidding about the black eye.” It’s all tongue-in-cheek — two versions of the same man taking shots at each other with the kind of charm only Stallone could pull off.
Rocky even hands Stallone a replica of the Rocky Academy Award.
“We won this Academy Award in 1976 for Best Picture.”
“Oh yeah… I guess we did a pretty good job.”
Unreal. It’s like Stallone knew fans wanted closure after Rocky V, and this was his way of breaking the fourth wall with heart and humor. Sly even makes a crack about thinking that Balboa would have been taller in real life.
A Challenge to Race the Steps
Toward the end, Rocky looks Stallone dead in the eyes and throws down the gauntlet: “Let’s go to Philadelphia and race up the steps. I’d like to see who’s the better man.”
They both laugh — and of course, they race. The last shot? Rocky hitting the top of the steps with a big, “I did it!”
It’s ridiculous. It’s brilliant. And for hardcore fans, it’s a hidden classic.
Why You’ve Probably Never Seen This
This wasn’t part of a major release. No theatrical version, no deluxe Blu-ray extra. It was a VHS bonus feature — meaning only fans who owned the right version of the Rocky box set in the ‘90s would have caught it.
It’s the kind of hidden footage only VHS-era fans ever saw — the rest never knew it existed.
